1 . Mary kept tossing and turning in her sleeping bag. It was late in the night. She had been a school counsellor in the summer camp for a year now. She took care of young children who were as young as seven. That night, she was having a bad dream. In it, she was running desperately towards a river. She kept shouting, “Fire!”

Mary was awake. She realized that she had been shouting in her sleep. Suddenly, she smelled smoke. Then she saw shadows dancing against the walls of the tent. Mary jumped up and hurried to the opening in the tent. A tree was on fire! Fanned by the wind, the fire leaped up hungrily to devour everything in its path. It was going to spread to the tents very soon.

Time was of essence so Mary pulled the four children instantly out of their sleeping bags. “Fire! Fire!” She yelled, as loudly as she could.” Wake up! Get up!” After that, Mary ran back to her tent and grabbed all the sleeping bags she could carry. By then, everyone had emerged from their tents. Their faces were etched with confusion. Mary took the youngest child by the hand. Knowing that the sleeping bags would be useful, Mary pulled them along. Everyone quickly but calmly followed her. They held on to each other, in solemn silence.

After they ran to the river, Mary pulled the children into the water. Then she got into it herself. She dragged the sleeping bags in. She pushed them under the water until they were soaked. Mary was not surprised that all the trees were on fire. It had been an extremely hot season and everything in the forest was dry. Soon, they saw many animals racing to the river. Deer, rabbits and squirrels splashed into it. By then, the fire roared. Mary and other adults grabbed the wet sleeping bags and pulled them over the children’s heads.

Everything around them was bright orange and the sleeping bags had to stay wet. They made a final effort to splash water over all the sleeping bags and hid under the water.

The heat and smoke finally ended. Mary raised her head and looked around. To her relief, all the children had escaped unhurt. People all called out, “You saved our lives.” Mary suddenly thought of the dream she had.

1. The underlined word devour is closest in meaning to ________.

A．brighten

B．destroy

C．evaluate

D．refuse

2. Why did Mary carry sleeping bags with her in the first place?

A．Because some children were still in the bags

B．Because these sleeping bags were expensive.

C．Because the bags could protect them against fire in the water.

D．Because bags could be used to put out the fire.

3. According to Mary, why did the fire spread so quickly?

A．Because someone set the fire.	B．Because there were no fire fighters.
C．Because it was rather try.	D．Because animals worsened the fire.

2 . Everybody loves to hate invasive species. The international list of invasive species—defined as those that were introduced by humans to new places, and then _________ — runs to over 4,000. In Australia and New Zealand hot war is fought against introduced creatures like cane toads (蔗蟾蜍) and rats.

Some things that are uncontroversial (无争议的) are nonetheless foolish. With a few important exceptions, campaigns to   _________ invasive species are merely a waste of money and effort — for reasons that are partly practical and partly philosophical.

Start with the practical arguments. Most invasive species are neither terribly successful nor very _________ . Britons think themselves surrounded by foreign plants. _________ , Britain’s invasive plants are not widespread, not spreading especially quickly, and often less of a(n) _________ than vigorous native plants. The arrival of new species almost always _________ biological diversity (多样性) in a region; in many cases, a flood of newcomers drives no native species to extinction. One reason is that invaders tend to colonise _________ habitats like polluted lakes and post-industrial wasteland, where little else lives. They are nature’s opportunists.

The philosophical reason for starting war on the invaders is also _________. Elimination campaigns tend to be   _________ by the belief that it is possible to restore balance to nature — to return woods and lakes to the state before human   ____________ . That is misguided. Nature is an everlasting mess, with species constantly emerging, withdrawing and hybridizing (杂交). Humans have only quickened these processes. Going back to ancient habitats is becoming ____________ in any case, because of man-made climate change. Taking on the invaders is a(n) ____________ gesture, not a means to an achievable end.

A reasonable attitude to invaders need not imply passivity. A few foreign species are truly ____________ and should be fought: the Nile perch – a fish, has helped drive many species of fish to extinction in Lake Victoria. It makes sense to ____________ pathogens (病菌), especially those that destroy whole native tree species, and to stop known agricultural pests from gaining a foothold. Fencing off wildlife reserves to create open-air ecological museums is fine, too. And it is a good idea for European gardeners to destroy Japanese plants, just as they give no space to native harmful grasses like bindweed and ground elder. You can garden in a garden. You cannot garden ____________ . That is universally accepted.

1.

A．multiplied

B．shrunk

C．disappeared

D．harvested

2.

A．conserve

B．eliminate

C．investigate

D．prioritize

3.

A．healthy

B．intentional

C．harmful

D．profitable

4.

A．As a result

B．For example

C．By contrast

D．In fact

5.

A．attraction

B．dominance

C．annoyance

D．substitute

6.

A．increases

B．destroys

C．reveals

D．targets

7.

A．oppressed

B．disturbed

C．cultivated

D．preserved

8.

A．acceptable

B．needless

C．mistaken

D．convincing

9.

A．fueled

B．organized

C．interrupted

D．greeted

10.

A．civilization

B．interference

C．interaction

D．maintenance

11.

A．tolerable

B．impossible

C．beneficial

D．critical

12.

A．reluctant

B．disorderly

C．invalid

D．unbalanced

13.

A．damaging

B．flexible

C．doubtful

D．outstanding

14.

A．pick up

B．take in

C．keep out

D．turn down

15.

A．agriculture

B．vegetation

C．atmosphere

D．nature

3 . Do you celebrate Earth Day? There are a few things you probably don’t know about this global environmental celebration.

The first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970. It has been celebrated on this day annually since. Every year people across the world come together to celebrate Earth Day. The celebration is marked by lots of different activities, from festivals to running races. Earth Day events typically have one theme in common: to show support for environmental issues and increase future generations’ awareness about the need to protect our planet.

In 1962, Gaylord Nelson began trying to convince the authorities to establish a festival about environmental protection after his election to the Senate（参议院）, but he was repeatedly told that Americans were not concerned about environmental issues. As a result, Nelson focused his attention on college students. He proved authorities wrong when participants from 2,000 colleges and universities, 10,000 primary and secondary schools and hundreds of communities across the United States got together in their local communities to mark the occasion of the very first Earth Day in 1970, showing their support for environmental issues across the country. Events were focused on pollution, oil spill damage, the loss of wilderness and the extinction of wildlife.

Over the years, Earth Day has grown from local people’s efforts to a global network of environmental activity. Events can be found everywhere from tree planting activities at your local park to online Twitter parties that share information about environmental issues. Earth Day is now celebrated in 192 countries, and by billions of people around the world.

How can you get involved? The possibilities are endless. Pick up trash in your neighborhood. Go to an Earth Day festival. Make a commitment（承诺）to reduce your food waste or electricity use. Organize an event in your community. Plant a tree. Plant a garden. Visit a national park. Talk to your friends and family about environmental issues such as climate change and pollutions.

The best part? You don’t need to wait until April 22 to celebrate Earth Day. Make every day Earth Day and help to make this planet a better place for all of us to live and enjoy.

1. What can you learn about Earth Day from the passage?

A．It was first celebrated around the world in 1962 thanks to Gaylord Nelson.

B．Running races are not among the activities of Earth Day.

C．The activities focus on environmental issues and raise the awareness of environmental protection.

D．It is celebrated by local people from a certain region.

2. According to Para. 3, Gaylord Nelson ________.

A．was elected to the Senate because of his efforts to establish Earth Day.

B．receive great support from the authorities in convincing them to set up the festival.

C．held the first Earth Day with people from schools and communities across the country.

D．proved that Americans didn’t care about environment.

3. Which of the following may be the best way to participate in Earth Day?

A．Going to an Earth Day Festival

B．Being environmentally-friendly every day.

C．Organizing a celebrating event in communities.

D．Discussing environmental issues on this day.

4. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A．How to Celebrate Earth Day

B．How to Organize Earth Day Events

C．Gaylord Nelson – an Active Environmentalist

D．Things You Don’t Know about Earth Day

4 . It’s a common belief that over time, pet owners start to look like their animals, and vice versa (反之亦然). Now comes the terrifying news that cats look up to their owners as role models and copy their behavior. Next time you reach for your fridge, think twice. If your kitty is watching, she is likely to overeat as well.

What is your cat’s IQ?

In a new study from the University of Messina, it turns out that indoor cats who live closely to their owners “mirror” the lives of their caregivers. They sleep at the same time, eat at the same time, and can even become more or less social depending on the behavior of their owners.

“Cats are intelligent animals with a long memory, ”Jane Brunt, the executive director of the Catalyst Council, told Discovery News. “They watch and learn from us, noting the patterns of our actions, knowing where their food is kept and what time to expect to be fed, how to open the cupboard door that's been improperly closed, and where their feeding and toileting areas are. “Because cats copy our habits, if you spend a lot of time raiding the fridge, your cat will return to its food bowl for that midnight snack, too. According to the study, this explains why “human and cat overweight rates often seem to match”．So, if you feel guilty about leaving your precious kitty at home while you go to work, now you can feel even worse：you are making your cat fat!

There’s no word if drinking green tea and making sure you go to yoga will benefit your cat, but based on the study, it sounds like sticking to a healthy eating and sleeping schedule is best for both of you.

There’s a lot we can learn from our cats in return. “When they sit on our laps softly purring with rhythmic breathing and half-closed eyes, the sense of peace and calm that comes over us is like a private lesson in inner meditation (冥想),” Brunt said. Sure. But cats don’t have to sit in rush hour traffic for an hour a day or worry about their in-laws. They’re probably pretty good at remaining calm.

So, according to science, even though we assume that cats are not close to us all these years, it turns out they are in fact learning from us and looking up to us. Scary, huh?

1. What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 5 refer to?

A．Humans’ keeping searching the fridge.

B．Cats’ going to their owners for food.

C．Cats’ copying humans’ habit of looking for food.

D．Humans’ leaving cats home while working.

2. What can we learn from our cats?

A．To remain calm.	B．To be able to copy.
C．To stay proud.	D．To look up to friends.

3. The best title for the passage could be “________”．

A．Your cat can bring you pleasure	B．You are copying your cat
C．You can make your cat social	D．Your cat is copying your habit