1 . 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.

In 1831, a 22-year-old English biologist called Charles Darwin boarded the HMS Beagle in Plymouth and set off on an incredible voyage. His aim was to observe the natural world in places     1     had not been studied in much detail. Almost 200 years later, another mission, the Darwin 200, has invited a team of conservationists to retrace back the Beagle’s journey.

HMS Beagle’s mission was to map the harbours of South America. Darwin was invited along     2     (survey) the natural world. His observations on the Galapagos Islands, around 560 miles off the coast of Ecuador, changed the way Darwin saw nature,     3     (lead) to Darwin’s most famous work: his theory of evolution (进化论). This explained     4     species change over time to adapt to their environments, a process called natural selection. It has been described as “    5     (big) single idea in the history of human thought”.

What is Darwin 200’s mission? The Darwin200 ship     6     (sail) more than 40,000 miles and stop at 32 ports in four continents. Specially     7     (choose) conservationists will join at different stages for a week each to carry out wildlife studies.    8     the journey, the ship’s crew will make films that explain Charles Darwin’s discoveries.

The Darwin 200 team will travel in a 50-metre-long Dutch sailing ship called Oosterschelde, which     9     (build) in 1918 and has been restored fully for this voyage. The ship’s captain said, “She has sailed the distance from here to the Moon and back twice!    10     I may handle the most difficult situations, I trust her to bring me back home safely.”

The ship is due to reach the Galapagos Islands in April 2025

2 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. Why do animals evolve to have long body parts?

A．To detect potential danger in cold places.

B．To generate more heat within their bodies.

C．To keep their babies warm in breeding seasons.

D．To get rid of extra heat with bigger skin surface.

2. Which of the following species is likely to grow longer tails?

A．Wood mice.	B．Bats in warm climates.
C．Bird species.	D．Kangaroos in Australia.

3. What is the passage mainly about?

A．Animals cope with body changes.	B．Joel Allen’s rule is out of date.
C．Climate change poses threat to species.	D．Animals adapt to a warmer world.

3 . 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.

Wildlife Report Calls for Action

The World Wide Fund for Nature released its Living Planet Report, which found that the Earth’s wildlife populations have fallen by 69% in the past 50 years.

The report is produced every two years to show how the natural world is changing, so governments, businesses, and conservationists understand     1     needs to be done to protect the Earth. The team looks at several factors. One is the Living Planet Index (LPI),     2     examines how wildlife populations have changed over time. A total of 5, 268 species across the world have been tracked, including birds, fish, insects, and mammals.

The change in wildlife varies around the world. South America and the Caribbean are the most affected. In these areas, the average wildlife populations have dropped by 94% over 50 years. Central Asia and Europe have     3     (small) decline, with an 18% drop. The WWF says the changes are caused by human activity. One of the biggest threats     4     (face) wildlife is a number of acres of forest that are being chopped down     5     that theland can be used for farming instead. To find the best way to protect animals worldwide, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is studying how easy or hard     6     will be to help different species. It has so far found that the populations of several animals, including the pink pigeon and the Sumatran rhino,     7     be boosted.

While some news from the Living Planet Report is worrisome, there is good news, too. Up to now the numbers of many species     8     (rise) around the world because of people’s efforts to protect them. In India, the number of tigers has nearly doubled since 2009. And in 2020,   there were more than 50 sightings of the critically     9     (endanger) Antarctic blue whale.

In the US, conservation efforts in recent decades have helped to save several species, including the bald eagle, which     10     (remove) from the threatened species list in 2007.

4 . Directions: After reading the passages below, fill in the blanks to make the passages 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.

The illegal ivory trade (象牙贸易) has been a major problem in Africa for decades. Poachers (偷猎者) and hunters have killed hundreds of thousands of elephants to obtain this precious material. Now the areas in which they do it are taking action. The International Union for Conservation (保护) of Nature (IUCN) announced on Dec 3 that key states     1     poaching takes place have made a promise to stop the ivory trade and protect Africa’s elephants.

Recently, top officials and experts from 30 states met to discuss how to protect Africa elephants. The conference,     2     (organize) by the IUCN and the government of Botswana, was held in Gaborone, Botswana’s capital city.

In     3    1980s, as many as 1 million elephants across Africa were killed for ivory. The ivory     4     (use) to make jewelry and other items. This continued until 1989,     5     the convention (大会) on International Trade in Species voted to ban all trade in ivory. Then, elephants’ population slowly began to increase.

According to the IUCN, 2011 saw the highest levels of poaching and illegal ivory trading in at least 16 years. Around 25,000 elephants were killed in Africa that year. “With an estimated 22,000 elephants illegally     6     (kill) in 2012, we continue to face a critical situation,” said John E. Scanlon, CITES Secretary- General.

At the meeting, key Africa states where elephants make     7     home agreed to develop a “zero-tolerance approach” to poaching. The deal calls for tough sentences for poachers and hunters, and increased cooperation between states where poaching and hunting is a big problem. All participants at the conference agreed to sign the deal. With these states     8     (come) together, there may be hope for elephants.

5 . Dear Doggy Diary

MONDAY

Now we’ve surely got all we require for the puppy’s arrival: a basket, a screaming toy banana and a bag of dog food. For names, we are hesitating between Spike or Lenny—but, as I tell this list to a Black friend, I suddenly realize both names are associated with famous Black men, and panic that this is a little offence.

TUESDAY

Our friend Sam has kindly volunteered to “puppy proof” our home. “You don’t want to give him that screaming toy, that’s encouraging him to eat your sofa,” she says, inspecting our purchases disapprovingly. She hands us a book, by Dr Ian Dunbar. “This guy”, she assures us, “is a Super Babysitter for dogs.”

WEDNESDAY

Spent last night ______57______ Dunbar has plenty of wisdom on “positively communicating” with the puppy, but nothing on how to get a puppy and also two young children.

THURSDAY

D-Day. Now the registration website wants a dog name at short notice. So, we go for “Buzz”. One syllable (音节) and with multi-generational fascination (Granny thinks Aldrin, kids think Lightyear).

FRIDAY

I feel very hesitant about saying so, but last night went well. Buzz is incredibly cute, the kids adore him and he’s very cute and only did one pee (排尿) on the blanket, and did I mention he’s cute?

SATURDAY

“Love” feels like a stretch right now. Our “play” was evidently not “focused” enough to prevent Buzz biting through our sofa. Also, our three-year-old thinks it’s funny to run away, so Buzz wrestles him to the ground and licks all over his face. I suspect this isn’t the best way to prepare Buzz for engaging with the public.

SUNDAY

The whole house smells of dog. I find this nasty, but friends, family, and people we barely know existed are dropping by to meet him. “It’s like having a baby, eh?” says my neighbor, Erik, brightly. “Yes, but it’s a baby you can neglect when it cries!” I respond cheerfully. He frowns (皱眉).

MONDAY

It’s 2 A.M. on the coldest day of the year and I’m on my hands and knees in the bushes. I think you’ve never really experienced a harsh mid-winter until you’re trying to run after a puppy. Then, we return inside, and it’s just me and Buzz. Peace. I should put him back in his cage, but I find I can’t resist a hug. Don’t tell my wife.

1. What does the phrase “puppy proof” our home mean in paragraph 2?

A．Make our home clean enough for the puppy.	B．Inspect our home to make it puppy-friendly.
C．Prove that the puppy will satisfy our needs.	D．Decorate our home with books on puppies.

2. In the diary of “WEDNESDAY”, a passage is missing. Which of the following plot best fits into the numbered blank?

A．Picking a dog ’s name from a name list of Blacks.

B．Looking over the house for potential safety hazards.

C．Studying Dunbar’s book on how to take care of a dog.

D．Visiting Dunbar in person in order to adopt his puppy.

3. Which of the following is the reason for naming the puppy “Buzz”?

A．Other choices imply strong prejudice against Black people.

B．Its pronunciation resembles the puppy’s cute and short bark.

C．The registration website recommends the name to the family.

D．The name holds appeal to both the elder and the younger generations.

4. Which of the following does the diary feature after the adoption of the puppy?

A．Chaos and cuteness.

B．Hatred and love.

C．Mess and cleanliness.

D．Abuse and affection.

6 . Directions: road the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point (s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.

A plan to restore green spaces

The UK government has revealed a plan to protect and restore England’s wild life. It focuses on at-risk species by making canals, rivers and streams cleaner and expanding green spaces.

The new Environmental Improvement Plan sets goals to create or restore more than 5,000 square kilometres of wildlife habitats across England and restore 400 miles of rivers. It will create or expand 25 national nature reserves. New woodland will also be planted alongside rivers. At the moment, access to green spaces is not equal across the UK. Around 4% of people live more than 10 minutes away from their nearest park. The Environmental Improvement Plan aims to make sure households in England are within a 15-minute walk to a green space.

As well as helping more people to act close to nature, the plan should increase England’s biodiversity. A species Survival Fund will be set up to help some of England’s most endangered animals, such as red squirrels (松鼠) and watch rats. The Government has set targets to boost these species by 2030. There are also targets to reduce food waste, glass, metal, paper and plastic by 2028, and to improve the quality of water in rivers.

New rules mean that the Government will have to consider the environmental effects of any policy it puts forward. These goals are part of a 25- year plan that was launched in 2018. The aim of the plan is to improve the environment “within a generation ” which is roughly 25 years.

Although lots of people have welcomed the plan, not everyone is impressed. Pail de Zylva, from the charity Friends of the Earth, said it wasn’t clear enough how the goals would be met and that many of them were like promises the Government had already made but not yet delivered.

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7 . As a botanists who studies our cultural relationship with plants, I am forever fascinated with what draws people to gardening.

Admittedly, connecting with the natural world might seem like an obvious motivation, and undoubtedly it is a key part of the attraction.    1     If they were, we’d abandon any attempts at design, planting or care and watch how walls of weeds slowly gave way to the mass of bushes. But that wouldn’t be gardening, of course, because for all their diversity, the one thing that all gardens have in common is how unnatural they are.    2     Dazzling plants, watch features and glorious blooms is all interconnected well beyond what would naturally occur. Whether it is green lawns created in the driest deserts or a tropical paradise on a stormy North Atlantic island, they are all about shaping the natural world to fit our idea of what it “ should” be.

As I work on my tiny terrariums (玻璃花园) on dark February nights, something magical happens to my brain.     3     In a world that has become increasingly uncertain, people are often fuelled by the same psychological desire: the instinctive need to have a bit of control amid chaos.

As our world becomes more and more unpredictable and often frightening, gardening seems to be able to appeal to and reach out to a whole new generation, often against all odds.

Of course, gardening in’ t the only thing people turn to. The rise of culture conflicts and fix at ion on body image have also been widely documented as being driven by a psychological need to feel a degree of certainty, control and safety. However, I can’t help but think of these alternatives:     4    

A．In reality gardens are anything but natural.

B．What are the things they have been attracted to?

C．They are idealized landscape with all the mud, pests and dead plants edited out.

D．How much better a place the planet would be if gardening was our outlet for this need!

E．Much like agriculture, gardening is a universal human desire coded into our cultural DNA.

F．The calmness created by owning a tiny green space under my control has a powerful effect on my mind.

8 . The Last Straw?

Every second, the world uses 160,000 plastic bags — that is a total of over five trillion per year. Up to 99 percent of these plastic bags hang around for at least 1,000 years and pollute Earth. And yet, plastic bags are hardly a necessity in our lives. Of all the changes we could make to create a more sustainable lifestyle, a total ban on plastic bags should be simple.

At the beginning of 2021, Shanghai put in effect a ban on all plastic bags in shopping malls and supermarkets, as well as a ban on non-degradable plastics in many other areas. Over the years, individuals and companies have worked to replace plastic items, such as cups and straws, with paper ones.     1    .

Customers complain that paper straws often become soft and break before they can finish their hot drinks. Experts, however, have repeatedly stressed plastic substitutes (替代品) are not the ultimate solution, and that our consumption habits need a bigger change.

In college, one of my environmental science professors promoted a type of waste-free living. She carried around a small glass jar with her, and in it was all her trash she collected for the entire year. She was able to do this by bringing her own cup to Starbucks, her own bags to the shops, and never buying anything that came wrapped in plastic. Her food waste also became compost.     2    .

Plastic bags are incredibly easy to forget about when they become increasingly common.     3    . Once they are in the trash, we take it for granted that they are someone else’s problem. The sad fact is that plastic bags break down into microplastics which then get mixed into the air, soil and water, and eventually end up in plants, animals, and our very own human bodies. So what are you going to do about them?

A．Clearly she demonstrated our ability to live a completely healthy life without creating a great deal of plastic waste.

B．Plastic bag litter has even caused great problems in some areas.

C．If they’re free to use and easily disposed of, they’re a mere tool that we don’t have to think about.

D．Some of these decisions have been met with criticism.

E．Unfortunately, such a high level of pollution doesn’t come without consequences.

9 . Chemists in mid-1500s Nuremburg had discovered that bird droppings were a rich source of saltpetre, a vital ingredient in the making of gunpowder. As a consequence pigeon droppings used to be almost as valuable as silver. Understandably, by the middle of the following century, there were an estimated 26,000 pigeon houses in Britain.

The practice of keeping the pigeon was introduced to Britain by the Romans. The Normans kept pigeons in specially constructed niches in castles and courtyards. When the pigeon houses in Britain were built, they were a vital source of meat and feathers. The latter were particularly prized as a source of warmth. Droppings gathered from the pigeon houses was a rich fertilizer, too.

The pigeon house was not only a source of food and revenue in medieval times, but also a status symbol. The privilege of building or owning pigeon houses was reserved for the rich. Towards the end of her rule, Queen Elizabeth I decided to open pigeon-breeding to the free market. Then, pigeon houses sprang up all over the countryside.

The number of pigeon houses across the British countryside was not universally welcomed. Each day the birds flew off to feed themselves on other people’s crops. By the middle of the 17th century, the problem of pigeons was so great that people feared that the destructive pigeons would turn England into a desert.

Luckily, an agricultural revolutionary, Charles Townsend, had introduced the turnip to Britain around 1700, keeping farm livestock fat enough to eat through the dark winter months. Later, vast quantities of natural saltpetre were discovered in Chile and California. Keeping pigeons went out of fashion.

Now, the homeless pigeons flew off to find somewhere else to live. One species discovered that Britain’s rapidly growing towns and cities were full of the sort of rock-faces they liked to rest on—humans called them “buildings”. Over time they’d become the wild urban pigeon that we know today.

1. Which of the following people in Britain would be least likely to keep pigeons in the late Middle Ages?

A．Fruit growers.

B．The nobles.

C．Gunpowder makers.

D．The miners.

2. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Farm livestock used to be too thin for lack of food in the dark months in Britain.

B．Townsend revolutionized agricultural development in Britain around 1700.

C．The Normans set an undesirable example of raising pigeons for the British people.

D．England was once faced with the threat of disappearance because of pigeons.

3. According to the passage, why are there so many pigeons in the cities in Britain today?

A．Because people think it a sign of status and keep them to show off.

B．Because pigeons like to stay on hard surfaces which can be abundantly found in cities.

C．Because pigeons find enough food supplies when tourists and citizens feed them in squares.

D．Because the government encourages pigeon raising as a profitable investment.

4. Which is the best title of the passage?

A．A brief history of pigeon houses in Britain.

B．From function to fashion — the pigeon houses in Britain.

C．Profitable pigeon houses in Britain.

D．Pigeon houses in Britain as valuable as silver.

10 . Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.

The problem of electronic waste

We have gradually come to realise that in two ways in particular, modern hi-tech can be bad for the planet. The first is its energy use; the worldwide scale of information technology is so enormous that electronics now produce fully two percent of global carbon emissions, which is about the same as the highly controversial emissions of aeroplanes. The other is the hardware, when it comes to the end of its natural life. This, increasingly, is pretty short. We have hardly noticed this important stream of waste, so much so that a Greenpeace report on the untraced and unreported e-waste two years ago referred to it as “the hidden flow”. We need to be aware of it.

The latest United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report estimates that worldwide, electronic waste is mounting by about 40 million tons a year. So what can we do about it?

The European Union has recognised the problem by adopting a key principle: producer responsibility. In other words, making it the duty of manufacturers of electronic goods to ensure their safe disposal at the end of their lives. In practice, an EU regulation now means that electronics dealers must either take back the equipment they sold you, or help to finance a network of drop-off points, such as public recycling sites. Its main feature is quite ambitious: it aims to deal with “everything with a plug”.

The new UN report suggests that all countries could do something about the problem with a change in design. Groups such as Greenpeace have led the way in putting pressure on major manufacturing companies to find substitutes for the toxic chemicals inside their products. Encouragingly, they have had some success in forcing them to develop non-poisonous alternatives to these. This may be the real way forward.

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