1 . “Growing fruit trees is a very simple way to stay in love with our world,” says Vivian Keh, playwright and daughter of immigrants, holding a basket of persimmons (柿子) she’s cultivated to feel connected to her Korean ancestors. Keh is just one of the 50 remarkable subjects in naturalist writer Amy Stewart’s The Tree Collectors: Tales of Arboreal Obsession, a collection of portraits of people transformed by their love of trees.

Initially, trees struck Stewart as an odd thing to collect. Intrigued by this community of enthusiasts, she discovered educators, preservationists and visionaries, all drawn to a kind of curation, motivated by reasons diverse as their projects. They plant trees in public and private spaces both modest and expansive, nurturing (培育) their collections to honor beloved dead, attract wildlife, preserve rare species’ connect to history, invest in the future, grow food and create beauty.

Steward categorizes these tree collectors according to their sense of purpose. Kenneth Hoegh, one of the book’s “ecologists”, tests which cold-loving species might grow in a warming and historically treeless Greenland. “Healer” Joe Hamilton plants loblolly pines on a parcel of land he got from his enslaved ancestors with an eye toward long-term sustainable forestry which he hopes will establish a source of generational wealth for his family. Reagan Wytsalucy has a plan to restore traditional peach orchards on Navajo land as one of the “community builders” who seek to bring people together.

Adding to the book’s charm are Stewart’s watercolor’ illustrations — she gives Us a look at each of her human subjects while also cataloging the most wonderful qualities of featured trees, such as Seussian eucalyptus seed pods and delicate camellia blossoms.

After spending time in this varied commonwealth, you’ll undoubtedly experience an intense desire to rest under the shade of a leafy oak. But something even deeper is happening here: by creating a space for people to talk about something they love. “How often do any of us get a chance to pour our hearts out to a stranger?” she writes. “Somehow, talking about trees made it possible.”

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

A．Connection.

B．Collection.

C．Treatment.

D．Transformation,

2. What purpose of planting trees is mentioned in paragraph 3?

A．To preserve rare species.	B．To honor beloved dead.
C．To develop new varieties.	D．To strengthen social bonds.

3. What does the quote in the last paragraph suggest about discussing trees?

A．It inspires new ideas.	B．It rarely happens in public.
C．It allows deep emotional sharing.	D．It helps resolve environmental issues.

4. What does the writer think of the book?

A．Complicated.

B．Conventional.

C．Inspiring.

D．Intense.

2 . How to Keep a Pet Bird Quiet

Birds can be excellent companions, but they can also make a lot of noise. Sometimes that noise is unavoidable, but there are a few steps you can take to train your bird out of loud or continuous squawking (尖叫).

    1     Most birds tend to make some noise, either by singing or squawking. Birds tend to be most vocal during waking hours in the morning and before going to sleep in the evening. Some birds are more likely to make noise than others, but understand before bringing a bird home that some noise will be unavoidable.

Teach your bird to speak softly. Praise your bird when he whistles or whispers, instead of squawking or yelling.     2     It’s often easier to teach them soft- spoken words compared to other types of sounds. Furthermore, it's important to maintain a calm and gentle tone when interacting with your bird.     3     Because this could strengthen the behavior you are trying to discourage.

Avoid quick movements. It’s possible that you or someone in your household is moving too quickly around your bird, causing him to feel anxious or over-stimulated.     4     If you have children living at home, teach them not to run through the room your bird is in.

Provide your bird with comfort and security. Birds in the wild participate in “flock calls” as a way of communicating with other birds and ensuring the safety of the flock. If your bird is likely to squawk when you leave the room, it could be his attempt at sending you a flock call.     5    

A．Understand bird behavior.

B．Train your bird to be quiet.

C．This may be especially useful for parrots.

D．Give him a treat for quietness to earn your love.

E．Try squawking back to let him know that you’re safe.

F．Do not raise your voice in response to your bird’s volume or tone.

G．Move slowly around your bird, and encourage others to do the same.

3 . A new study has revealed that a prehistoric sea cow was the target of two different predators (捕食动物) — an ancient crocodile and a tiger shark, providing rare insights into the complex food chains from millions of years ago. The research, conducted by an international team of scientists and published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, uncovers one of the few known instances where a single prey (猎物) was attacked by many predators.

The sea cow, belonging to the extinct group Culebratherium, was first attacked by a crocodile. Evidence then shows that after the initial attack, the sea cow’s remains were searched by a tiger shark, a tooth of which was found near the unlucky animal’s neck.

“Have you seen the Batman movie? There is a scene where he and Alfred are shooting bullets to try and figure out which specific type of bullet they are trying to find, ” said Benites-Palomino, lead author of the research. “Our research was conducted in exactly the same way. We have these experiments in the wild where predators are attacking their prey, and then afterwards we try to compare which is the best scene for what we’re finding there.”

The find is particularly significant as it adds to the limited fossil record of multiple predators interacting with a single prey. Such interactions are common in today’s ecosystems, but are rarely documented in the fossil record, making this discovery an important piece of the puzzle in understanding ancient food webs.

“We have been unsure as to which animals would have served this purpose as a food source for multiple predators. Our previous research has identified sperm whales searched by several shark species, and this new research highlights the importance of sea cows within the food chain, ” Benites- Palomino said in a statement.

The digging, directed by Marcelo Sanchez- Villagra, head of the Palaeontological Institute and Museum in Zurich, Switzerland, was both challenging and rewarding. The site was initially discovered by a local farmer who spotted unusual rocks, inspiring the team to investigate further and eventually unearth the sea cow fossils.

1. What do we know about the prehistoric sea cow?

A．It reached the top of food chains.	B．It is thought to have complex teeth.
C．It belongs to an endangered species.	D．It was attacked by two different animals.

2. What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A．The scene of animal fights.	B．The method of the research.
C．The introduction of a movie.	D．The danger of the experiments.

3. What does the importance of the study lie in?

A．Challenging the current ecosystems.	B．Offering insights into ancient food webs.
C．Clarifying the misunderstanding of sea cows.	D．Figuring out the link between man and nature.

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

A．The Batman Movie Inspired a Research	B．A Puzzle in Complex Ancient Food Chains
C．Shark and Crocodile Ate Unlucky Sea Cow	D．An Important Biological Discovery of a Farmer

5 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What does the man think of the cats?

A．They’re cute.

B．They’re clever.

C．They’re troublesome.

2. What did the man find in his backyard today?

A．Litter.

B．A mouse.

C．Fruits.

3. What does the woman suggest the man do?

A．Grow some fruits in his garden.

B．Use fruits to scare away cats.

C．Talk to his neighbor.

4. What will the man probably do next?

A．Read an article.

B．Get his neighbor a gift.

C．Buy some oranges and lemons.

6 . Human activities have made global rainfall more unstable over the past century, a new study suggests.     1    . Published Friday in the journal Science, it shows that rainfall variability has increased since the 20th century, ranging from global to regional scales and from daily to seasonal.

Rainfall variability refers to the unevenness of rainfall timing and rainfall amount.     2     For example, some places may receive a year’s rainfall in just a few days, experience downpours after long dry periods, or rapidly change between droughts and floods.

By analyzing a wide range of observational data, the researchers found that rainfall variability has increased by about 75% since the 20th century across the land areas studied, especially in Europe, Australia and eastern North America.     3    

    4     They identified the dominant role of anthropogenic (人为的) emissions of greenhouse gases. “The increase in rainfall variability is mainly due to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, which have led to a warmer and more humid atmosphere,” said Wenxia Zhang, lead author of the study. This means that even if the atmospheric circulation remains unchanged, the extra moisture in the air will lead to more intense rainfall events.

Large and rapid fluctuations (波动) between extreme climates not only challenge the existing capabilities of contemporary weather and climate prediction systems, but also have chain effects on human society, threatening the economic development, ecosystem functions and terrestrial carbon sinks.     5    

A．Immediate adaptation measures are crucial to meet these challenges.

B．Higher variability may bring more rain in a certain region.

C．The study was conducted by researchers from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

D．To understand the causes of increased rainfall variability, the team furthered the research.

E．Higher variability means that rainfall is more unevenly distributed over a period of time, leading to wet and dry periods.

F．It was also found that daily variability in global rainfall has increased by 1.2% per decade.

G．The study indicates that global rainfall will still increase in the next century.

7 . I often helped at Grandma’s restaurant on weekends. This Saturday morning, when I was in the alley behind the restaurant, I noticed something ________. Our dustbins had been knocked over! How could those have fallen? I wondered as I quickly cleaned up the mess, and then headed into the restaurant to help with the _______ rush.

Early the next morning, when I sat up and looked out of my window, I spotted the dustbins — ________ over yet again! Soon, it started to rain. That was when I noticed two yellow eyes staring back at me. ________ from the dustbin was a little gray cat. I jumped out of bed and ________ down to the alley.

“So you’re the one that knocked over the dustbin!” I said, finally ________. I watched as the kitty ________ at a container, trying to get the ________ shrimp dumplings inside. With the rain ________, the poor kitty was too scared to come out of his new hiding spot. Luckily, I had an idea. I approached the cat with a shrimp dumpling and the cat cheered up. Then, I ________ made my way to the garage, where I had placed a blanket on the floor. ________, attracted by the scent of food, the kitty followed me inside, ________ to be out of the rain.

It wasn’t long before Grandma appeared in the doorway, a bit surprised. “Grandma, meet my new friend. He loves the smell of your ________,” I said. Grandma chuckled. “Well, it looks like I’ll need to ________ our menu to include some cat-friendly dim-sum options.”

“If you do, I think we know who will be first waiting in line every morning!” I said. The cat affectionately rubbed against my leg, as if agreeing with the ________.

1.

A．fascinating

B．strange

C．amusing

D．scary

2.

A．breakfast

B．traffic

C．shopping

D．weekday

3.

A．tipped

B．rolled

C．leant

D．ran

4.

A．Escaping

B．Hiding

C．Recovering

D．Emerging

5.

A．wandered

B．raced

C．jogged

D．marched

6.

A．admitting

B．understanding

C．reflecting

D．wondering

7.

A．grabbed

B．glanced

C．sneezed

D．pointed

8.

A．well-done

B．eye-catching

C．half-eaten

D．under-cooked

9.

A．showing up

B．letting up

C．easing up

D．picking up

10.

A．suddenly

B．eagerly

C．gradually

D．slowly

11.

A．Sure enough

B．Strange to say

C．Worse still

D．Out of the blue

12.

A．hesitant

B．unwilling

C．happy

D．proud

13.

A．dustbin

B．blanket

C．garage

D．cooking

14.

A．search

B．expand

C．check

D．limit

15.

A．suggestion

B．request

C．idea

D．invitation

8 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. Where is the ship?

A．3,000 meters beneath the ice.

B．1,000 meters beneath the ice.

C．300 meters beneath the ice.

2. How did the British explorer feel about the ship?

A．A little scared.

B．A bit dissatisfied.

C．Very surprised.

3. What did the exploring team do to the ship?

A．They raised it from the deep sea.

B．They left it in the deep sea.

C．They removed some parts of it.

10 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. How many times has Xie Jianguo visited Kenya?

A．9 times.

B．16 times.

C．30 times.

2. Why has Xie Jianguo turned his eyes to his homeland since 2012?

A．He was influenced by other photographers.

B．He was tired of travelling to other countries.

C．He wanted to show the beauty of wildlife in China.

3. What do we know about the “Nature Image China” project?

A．It is set up by Xie Jianguo himself.

B．It has hosted over 100 photo exhibitions.

C．It organizes photography events only in China.