1 . Since Peter Singer published Animal Liberation in 1975, animal rights activists thought animals should be granted the same rights as humans. Referring to scientific studies showing animals_______“human characteristics”, they argue animals should be protected with the same rights. So why don’t animals have the same legal status (身份) as humans？

The line of reasoning in favor of granting animals equal rights to humans_______the fact that scientists have found characteristics in animals we normally_______with humans. A group of scientists showed monkeys demonstrate self-consciousness at the same level as humans. This has usually served as a justification for human rights, so why don’t we grant equal rights to monkeys？

The truth is,_______convincing scientific evidence, the argument for granting at least some animals the same rights as humans can’t be justified philosophically. An adequate argument for animal rights would require further philosophical inquiry and not just descriptive_______. We can feel pity for animals being treated badly and strive to protect them from such treatment. This,_______, doesn’t mean animals should enjoy the same legal status as humans.

There is a strong reason for_______that rights only apply to humans. While fundamental rights surely are valuable in their nature, they would be worthless without a system to_______them. That is why we expect other people to respect our rights.

The system that defends our rights is the fact that other people are obliged by_______in their behaviors towards us. In our daily life, we experience numerous situations in which bad guys could________from violating (侵犯) our rights. Nevertheless, we see, of course, with some exceptions, that individuals cooperate and respect other people’s rights. Rights and duties are two sides of the same coin, and one cannot________to have certain rights without having to observe the duties.

If it is my claim to live freely on my property without being bothered, my neighbor’s duty prevents him from violating my right to property and life. Suppose, however, he breaks in and damages my property. He will then be held responsible in a court of law, for he has________his duty to respect my rights. This is completely reasonable, but we will certainly face________if my property was violated by an elephant.

If we assume that animals are granted the same legal status as humans,________requires that we now drag he elephant into court. Remember, if an animal were to have such rights, it would logically also have social duties. Therefore, it is now________to the same legal procedures as humans. This raises practical questions: Who will defend the animal in court？And will the animal be able to comprehend what is going on？

1.

A．acquiring

B．desiring

C．displaying

D．respecting

2.

A．explores

B．challenge

C．overlooks

D．emphasizes

3.

A．treat

B．associate

C．deal

D．bear

4.

A．considering

B．despite

C．instead of

D．according to

5.

A．conclusions

B．performances

C．experiments

D．messages

6.

A．in return

B．for instance

C．therefore

D．however

7.

A．denying

B．maintaining

C．recognizing

D．suggesting

8.

A．approve

B．demand

C．ensure

D．reserve

9.

A．contracts

B．possession

C．faith

D．duties

10.

A．profit

B．keep

C．learn

D．result

11.

A．afford

B．claim

C．pretend

D．determine

12.

A．assigned

B．declared

C．failed

D．fulfilled

13.

A．dangers

B．questions

C．charges

D．obstacles

14.

A．agreement

B．justice

C．criticism

D．frustration

15.

A．open

B．addicted

C．subject

D．relevant

2 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.

A．People used the stoves less often.

B．Outdoor air pollution was not that serious.

C．Indoor air pollution was related to the way of cooking.

D．An increasing number of trees were cut down every year.

2.

A．Taking advantage of greener energy.

B．Building a base in the Himalayas.

C．Depending on animal waste for fuel.

D．Finding land covered with forests.

3.

A．It was resistant to water.

B．It was easy to pack and move.

C．It worked well on rainy days.

D．It looked like a pot or a pan.

3 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.

A．He is a collector.	B．He is an environmentalist.
C．He is studying China.	D．He is promoting animal protection.

2.

A．For six years.	B．For seven years.
C．For thirty years.	D．For fifty years.

3.

A．He has 500 of them.

B．He got them from second-hand shops.

C．He gave some of them to his friends.

D．He spared a room for them.

4.

A．His friends requested him to start the club.

B．China elephants enjoy a relatively long history.

C．Little information about china elephants was available.

D．He wanted to keep in touch with other elephant lovers.

5 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。1.

A．It flies 14,000 kilometres one way.	B．Its worms live on oranges.
C．Its migration path varies each time.	D．It makes an annual migration.

2.

A．It is in danger of extinction.	B．It is losing sense of direction.
C．Humans are killing it on purpose.	D．Global warming stops its migration.

3.

A．By recording its number.	B．By changing its diet.
C．By providing enough food.	D．By breeding artificially.

6 . Exoplanets (外行星): The Hunt Is On

Today scientists believe that planets could outnumber the stars. For centuries, scientists and natural philosophers have proposed that stars in the night sky have planetary systems similar to our own solar system. The existence of extrasolar planets, or exoplanets, has long been discussed.     1     Although not the first exoplanet discovery, a planet near a sun-like star was discovered by astronomers in 1995. This kicked off an era of exoplanet hunting, with thousands of discoveries and confirmations following in its wake.

    2     However, in 2015 NASA’s Kepler space telescope found its first Earth-sized planet in a “habitable” zone. This is the distance from a star where surface temperatures of a planet wouldn’t be too hot or too cold for liquid water. So far, only a small slice of our galaxy, the Milky Way, has been explored. Even so, scientists have confirmed over 3,500 exoplanets, with more being added every day.

To detect exoplanets, scientists use data from a variety of sources. Large ground-based telescopes, earth-circling and sun-circling satellites all collect different types of information. Because exoplanets are so far away and very close to stars, it is very difficult to see them directly.     3     For example, when an exoplanet moves between its star and us, it causes a small drop in the star’s brightness. Measuring this drop is the transit (凌日) method of discovery. NASA’S Kepler space telescope has discovered many exoplanets this way.

As a planet circles a star, it pulls on it and causes it to shake.     4     Measuring these slight changes is the radial velocity (径向速度) method of discovering planets. It is one of the most productive methods for finding and confirming exoplanets.

These are just two examples of the many methods scientists use in their hunt for exoplanets, hoping for more information and enhanced detail. As time progresses and technology improves, who knows what else we may find!

A．Scientists use indirect methods to discover exoplanets.

B．Most exoplanets are very different from the ones in our solar system.

C．As the star moves unsteadily, it changes the wavelength of the light we see.

D．Astronomers have detected signals indicating the presence of a planet.

E．However, we have developed the technology to prove their existence only in the last few decades.

F．Direct detection of the visible light from giant planets in space is becoming increasingly possible.

7 . Marmoset monkeys exist on a branch of the evolutionary tree that is distinct from the one that led to mans. But they constantly astonish researchers with ________ behavior that seems pretty highly evolved. Their social organization and ________ practices could have been the model for the phrase “It takes a village.” A dominant male and female breed, and their babies are carefully looked after by extended family members who then aren't free to breed themselves.

A new study further ________ the marmoset’s reputation for admirable community values. Researchers report that these caregivers share their food more generously with little ones ________ than when they’re surrounded by the watchful eyes of other community members. In complex societies where individuals band together for ______ protection, researchers have come up with a few widely accepted explanations for selfless behavior. But specific acts, like sharing a delicious cricket(蟋蟀) with a begging baby marmoset, seem to need more ______ explanation

One possibility is that an individual practices ______ as a means of enhancing his status among peers. By ______ that he is so well gifted with material goods that he can give some away, this do-gooder enhances his power within the group. That, in turn, may ______ prospective mates. The other explanation for charitable behavior ______ that kindnesses extended to others are simply the fees of group membership, which offers some future promise of a chance to mate. Failure to share would result in exclusion from the group and a loss of ______ partners. Scientists call this the “pay to stay” model. Importantly, for both of these models to work, acts of kindness must have a(n) ______. That suggests you would see more sharing in group settings; away from judging eyes, a caregiver might be more likely to keep food for himself or herself. And yet, in 2,581 tests conducted with 31 adult and 14 baby marmosets, the ______ appeared to be true

Anthropologists (人类学家) from the University of Zurich carefully documented how often, in groups and in conditions that found caregiver and baby separated from the crowd, an adult would share his or her cricket. When alone with a baby begging for a taste, adult marmosets shared their cricket 85% of the time. When in a group, caregivers offered up their cricket 67% of the time.” Our results show that helping in common marmosets is not driven by reputation management or ______ avoidance, “ the study authors reported Rather, it is driven by a deep-down motivation to help that is more ______ expressed when individuals are alone with young.”

1.

A．animal

B．careful

C．social

D．individual

2.

A．evolving

B．communicating

C．organizing

D．parenting

3.

A．shines

B．damages

C．affects

D．protests

4.

A．at play

B．in private

C．on schedule

D．by accident

5.

A．adequate

B．effective

C．continual

D．mutual

6.

A．creative

B．complex

C．specific

D．official

7.

A．generosity

B．wisdom

C．independence

D．governance

8.

A．promising

B．demonstrating

C．pretending

D．explaining

9.

A．count on

B．go after

C．appeal to

D．benefit from

10.

A．assumes

B．confirms

C．enhances

D．concludes

11.

A．regular

B．dominant

C．potential

D．previous

12.

A．atmosphere

B．audience

C．feedback

D．judge

13.

A．statistics

B．expectation

C．argument

D．opposite

14.

A．responsibility

B．punishment

C．arrangement

D．difficulty

15.

A．strongly

B．causally

C．delicately

D．fearlessly

8 . One picture in the Wonder Book of knowledge I had as a little boy showed a man reading a book while floating in the Dead Sea. What a miracle! How would it feel to lie back in water so thick with salt that it was impossible to sink?

Fed by the Jordan River and smaller streams, the Dead Sea is the lowest point on the earth’s surface, and its water is ten times saltier than the Mediterranean. With evaporation its only outlet, salt and other minerals become super-concentrated.

Earlier this year, I drove down the long, steep hill to realize my dream. The shoreline was a broad area of bare salt-mud, but the water edge was far out of sight. Had somebody pulled the Dead Sea’s plug? I wondered. Eli Dior, an Israeli official, explained the problem: “The Dead Sea is drying up. Every year, the surface drops about one meter, and as the water level falls, shadow areas are left high and dry.”

Over the last half-century, the five neighboring countries have collectively diverted nearly all the water flowing into the Dead Sea to meet human and agriculture needs. Result: the Dead Sea is being emptied.

With population in the region set to double at least in the next 50 years, there is little hope of restoring the water being diverted for human consumption. No country has a drop to spare for the Dead Sea, where they know it will just evaporate. To dream of opening the dams and restoring natural balance is plainly unrealistic.

Yet one ambitious high-tech dream may turn out to be not only the salvation of the Dead Sea but also a ticket to peace around its shores. The “Red-Dead” is a proposed $5 billion project to bring sea water some 240 kilometers by pipeline and canal from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea. The Red-Dead may be the only solution, but even if the project is carried out successfully, the Dead Sea will be 10 to 20 meters lower than now and two thirds of its current size.

Whatever the future holds, the Dead Sea’s magical mix of sun, mud, sea and salt will surely survive. Many might complain that the Dead Sea is half empty—but for me the Dead sea will always be half full.

1. What’s the passage mainly about?

A．Dead Sea – miracle of the world.

B．Save the environment of the Dead Sea.

C．Slow shrinking of the Dead Sea.

D．Why is the Dead Sea so salty.

2. The shrinking of the Dead Sea is mainly caused by ________ according to the passage.

A．a severe reduction of the water flowing into the sea

B．rapid evaporation of the water in the Dead Sea area

C．the increasing quantity of water drawn from the sea

D．very low annual rainfall in the Dead Sea Area

3. Which of the following is right according to the passage?

A．With no outlet to any ocean, the Dead Sea has become by evaporation most dense waters on earth.

B．Though burdened with the growing population, the neighboring countries haven’t cut off the sources of the Dead Sea.

C．All the countries in the area will consider diverting less water from the Jordan River.

D．The Red-Dead Project has not only brought water to the Dead Sea, but peace to the area as well.

4. Which of the following statements will the author approve of?

A．If the Dead Sea dried up, great natural disasters would happen in the region.

B．The Dead Sea will not survive no matter what people do to save it.

C．The five neighboring countries should stop diverting water from the Jordan River.

D．Though the Dead Sea is shrinking gradually, it will not die.

10 . 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.

Surviving Art Traditions

Native American Indians expressed themselves through their artwork, which is carved onto totem (图腾) poles. Many people hold the belief     1     all Native American Indian tribes (部落) carved totem poles, but this is far from the truth. Carving totem poles was a tradition among many tribes, especially those that lived along the Pacific coast     2     forests grew. However, those Native American Indians who lived in the south west and the plains, and Inuit Indians, had     3     (few) trees to carve than the Pacific tribes.

The height of totem poles can vary considerably. Long ago totem poles     4     (find) to stand around 12m tall. Today, Native American Indian artists continue to carve trees, but some totem poles are short and are used in homes as decoration.     5     is not surprising that a genuine pole will cost more than $1500 per meter because traditionally carved totem poles involve a great deal of work, craftsmanship and time to produce.

The raising of a totem pole is an important celebration among the Indian tribe. A hole is dug for the pole to stand in. The pole is carried to the site in a ceremony which often hundreds of people attend. Ropes are used     6     (raise) the pole into place. Singing and dancing to drums accompanies the pole raising. Often poles are raised in this way     7     the carving begins. Carvers do their jobs then on the site.

Many people believe that totem poles are religious symbols, but this idea is false. Instead of     8     (act) as religious symbols, carvings represent the tribal nation and convey the tribes’ history. The story of a totem pole is frequently passed down from generation to generation. Having the story documented in this way helps keep this tradition     9     (recognize) in our history. These days, many totem poles no longer exist     10     decay and rot. However, there are still some tribes that continue to practice this ancient art form, and these totem poles are still being enjoyed by collectors of tribal art.