1 . One day, a woman walked into a pet store to buy a bird for her Thanksgiving Day party. The guy said, “We only have one parrot. But I think you do not want it because it can talk…” The woman said happily, “That’s great. I’ve always wanted a talking bird.” So the guy said, “Since you are a nice lady, I’ll give it to you as a gift.”
And the lady went home and put the bird on her bed and walked out of the room. But as soon as she walked into the kitchen, the bird started to speak dirty words as loud as it could. The woman walked back into the room thinking, “I can’t have this at my party!” So she took the bird and put it in the fridge. A few hours later, while the woman was eating, she remembered that her bird was still in the fridge. Quickly, she opened the door and found it was shivering. Then she took out the bird at once. She said to the bird, “I’ll keep you out of there if you don’t use that language again. Do you agree with me?”
The bird nodded and asked, “Can I just ask a quick question?” The lady nodded and said, “Yes, you may.” The bird pointed at the turkey behind him and asked, “What did he do?”
1. The woman went into the pet store because ________.| A．there were lots of nice birds in it |
| B．she wanted to buy a bird to make a big meal |
| C．she wanted to buy a bird for Thanksgiving Day party |
| D．she wanted to buy a bird for his son’s birthday |
| A．发抖 | B．睡觉 | C．生气 | D．跳动 |
| A．how the turkey was put into the fridge. | B．why itself was in the fridge. |
| C．who could be in the fridge. | D．why the turkey was in the fridge. |
| A．she wanted to cook it on Thanksgiving Day | B．the bird spoke dirty words |
| C．the bird liked living in the cold place | D．she thought it’s the best place for it to live in |
2 . Christmas was approaching. I still hadn’t prepared a gift for my wife Donna. However, Donna was good at
We had just moved to Italy and were still
Northern Italy is usually
Donna’s daily calls continued, and so did my daily visits. I still didn’t mention the
When approaching our home, Donna shouted, “You give me the best Christmas gift!” I was
| A．decorating | B．recycling | C．evaluating | D．planning |
| A．thoughtful | B．cheap | C．common | D．similar |
| A．exercising | B．unpacking | C．wandering | D．arguing |
| A．library | B．house | C．store | D．clinic |
| A．horribly | B．abnormally | C．reasonably | D．rarely |
| A．freeze | B．escape | C．starve | D．move |
| A．replaced | B．advocated | C．ruined | D．enriched |
| A．collection | B．treatment | C．approval | D．description |
| A．reward | B．topic | C．proposal | D．assistance |
| A．turn in | B．turn out | C．turn on | D．turn away |
| A．complaint | B．schedule | C．disappearance | D．prediction |
| A．proudly | B．silently | C．angrily | D．blindly |
| A．analyze | B．get | C．break | D．publish |
| A．frightened | B．thrilled | C．inspired | D．confused |
| A．purpose | B．theory | C．adventure | D．example |
The year 2013 marked a turning point in my life. In June, my husband was offered a new Job in Ghana. Feeling that I had hit a career bottleneck as a photographer and copywriter (广告文字撰写人), I, without any hesitation, made the decision to relocate with him.
While my husband engaged in work, my visa didn’t grant me the same privilege. But that’s okay. I didn’t know what to do anyway. I was left isolated, homesick and lacking purpose. Our new home was a bungalow near a river that cut across expansive grasslands. With few people around our home, I turned to nature, which had been a fondness of mine since childhood. Every day, I would take my camera and wander around, photographing aimlessly.
It wasn’t long before September arrived, bringing the full flow of the rainy season. After one particularly bad thunderstorm, I found a finch (雀) — a poor little thing barely a month old with one wing broken — on the ground. Evidently, he had been abandoned by his flock, his nest blown from a tree. The sight was heartbreaking. He was the size of my lite finger. His eyes were tightly shut and he was shuddering, too young to survive alone. I somehow felt a connection with it. Immediately I scooped him up and cautiously placed him in a cardboard box with towels, mimicking a nest, and stayed up all night researching how to care for him.
The next day, he seemed to regain some energy. He woke with his mouth open, though still too weak to let out a call. I fed him some food and chirped (叽喳) at him. To my amusement, he chirped back and even climbed into my hand. I affectionately gazed at this adorable creature, who was now boldly pecking (啄) my fingers now and then. A surge of warmth ran through me. Tenderly stroking his feathers, I chirped a lullaby, singing him to sleep. Gradually, his eyes drooped and he drifted off. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the scene — as far as he was concerned, I was his mother.
Para 1. “I will take care of you.” I murmured, making my promise to him.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Para 2. At that moment I realized that as I dedicated myself to the finch’s care, something within me changed.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A civilian rescue team of named Ramunion from Hangzhou, East China’s Zhejiang Province is expected to arrive in Turkey on Wednesday, with an advance team
The advance team is equipped with
Deng Boqing, vice chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA),said in an interview that Chinese government
China announced 40 million yuan ($5.8 million) of emergency assistance to Turkey and the dispatch of a rescue and medical team. It will also provide Syria
Chinese
More than 4,000 people have been killed and nearly 20,000 people injured after two
5 . Best Parks to See Wildlife
A recent report from a vacation site listed the total number of species and sizes of several well-known national parks. Here are some of them to see the widest variety of animals.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio
Number of species per square meter: 317
Located 20 miles southwest of Cleveland, Ohio, Cuyahoga Valley National Park is a mixed ecosystem of forest and wetlands sheltering a variety of animals. From the boardwalk at Beaver Marsh, watch for water-loving mammals or snapping turtles (鳄龟) that can weigh as much as 55 pounds each. More than 200 bird species live in the park.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico
Number of species per square meter: 286
The representative for Carlsbad Caverns is the Brazilian free-tailed bat. Every summer, hundreds of thousands of the furry, big-eared creatures live in these caves in southeastern New Mexico, attracting crowds at sunset with their spectacular out flight. The Brazilians are one of the 17 bat species that nest at Carlsbad. You might also encounter wild pigs and cave swallows.
Acadia National Park, Maine
Number of species per square meter: 242
The Atlantic Ocean meets the Maine coast at this popular park on Mount Desert Island, providing habitat for wildlife with feet and flippers (鳍状肢). From the shore, scan the water for the heads of harbor porpoises (鼠海豚) and gray seals.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado
Number of species per square meter: 219
In western Colorado, the 2, 722 feet between this park s canyon edge and the Gunnison River below support numerous wildlife habitats. Experienced climbers and hikers who adventure into the inner canyon find collared lizards and mule deer.
1. Which park has the largest number of species per square meter?| A．Acadia National Park. | B．Carlsbad Caverns National Park. |
| C．Cuyahoga Valley National Park. | D．Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park |
| A．Watch crowds of flying bats at sunset. |
| B．Observe 17 swallow species nesting in the city. |
| C．Play with turtles weighing over 55 pounds. |
| D．Meet wild pigs in forests and wetlands. |
| A．Cave swallows. | B．Gray seals. | C．Mule deer. | D．Free-tailed bats. |
Caught in a flood
Mary and her parents were downstairs in the living room. Mary was looking through the windows at the endless rain outside. It had been raining non-stop for three days. She had never seen a storm this bad. It was making her nervous. The wind roared and the rain beat on the roof and windows. Dad was listening to a weather report on the radio, while Mum was putting their important documents and disaster supplies into a bag.
“Mum, Dad,” said Mary suddenly, “I think we should leave here right away!”
“No,” said Dad. “It’s too late: The radio says the city has already been flooded.”
“We can drive our car through the floodwater. Let’s us leave! I’m really scared!” cried Mary. “We can’t do that, honey,” explained Mum, “otherwise the moving water could wash the car away!”
Mary walked to the door. She was curious to see how much water there was outside.
“Don’t open the door!” shouted Mum and Dad at the same time. “The water may flood in!”
Dad moved the dinner table against the door, in case the floodwater forced the door open. Mum waved to Mary to sit on the sofa. “Mary, don’t worry. Everything’s going to be OK,” she said softly, trying her best to comfort Mary. Her voice was calm, but Mary could tell she was worried too.
Without saying a single word, Dad walked to the sofa, sat down and hugged his wife and daughter. The sudden silence in the house seemed to make the wind and rain more frightening outside. What could they do?
注意：1．续写词数应为150左右；
2．续写部分分为两段，每段开头语已为你写好。
Paragraph 1:
All of a sudden, the floodwater forced the door open.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
Being upstairs, they breathed a sigh of relief.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________7 . When micro-plastics end up in farm fields, the pollution can damage plant growth. But two young researchers now report that combining fungi (真菌) with certain farm wastes can partly overcome that problem.
May Shin, 20, and Jiwon Choi, 18, met in a research design class at the Fryeburg Academy, a high school in Maine. May had desired to explore how micro-plastics might affect the ecosystem. Jiwon was crazy about plants and fungi. The young scientists cooperated to test how long-lived plastics might affect farm crops.
Scientists have shown certain fungi can aid root growth and a plant’s nutrient uptake. Those organisms are named arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Certain farm wastes, like straw, can provide nutrients to plants and help stabilize their roots. Such wastes are also known as mushroom substrate (基质) and people often grow mushrooms in them.
May and Jiwon planted over 2,000 scallion (大葱) seeds in pots of soil. Half the seeds got soil polluted with micro-plastics. The rest grew in plastic-free soil. The plants then were further divided into four groups. The young scientists added AMF to the soil in one group. Another group had a top layer of mushroom substrate. A third group got both treatments. The last group got none. For three weeks, the pair tracked how many scallions sprouted (发芽) in each group and measured the plants’ height once each week.
About twice as many scallions sprouted in clean soil compared to that containing plastic bits. But among plants surviving in the polluted soil, a combination of AMF and mushroom substrate helped them out. Those getting both treatments grew 5.4 centimeters per week. That was faster than either of the treatments alone or those getting none.
Jiwon and May then looked at the plant roots with a microscope. Where AMF had been added, it grew into those roots. That increased the scallion roots’ surface area, May said, which should promote their uptake of nutrients. So “I see this project as coming up with a sustainable solution for plant growth in polluted soils,” said May.
1. Why did May and Jiwon work together?| A．To see the effects of long-lived plastics on farm crops. |
| B．To find the relationship between plants and fungi. |
| C．To design a research on the growth of plants. |
| D．To explore the way that the ecosystem works. |
| A．To prove the existence of micro-plastics. | B．To compare fungi with farm wastes. |
| C．To tell the advantages of farm wastes. | D．To provide some related information. |
| A．Its purpose. | B．Its design. | C．Its findings. | D．Its reasons. |
| A．By keeping the plants more resistant to pollution. | B．By allowing the plants’ deep area more freedom. |
| C．By making nutrients more available to the plants. | D．By exposing the roots to a larger surface area. |
8 . How to prepare for a wildfire
Before you can effectively prepare, it’s very important to understand how wildfires operate. Many think wildfires destroy homes because a wall of flames(火焰)moves across the landscape.
Creating a defensible space around your home acts as a barrier against wildfire flames. Home hardening involves constructing with fire-resistant materials. Investing $10,000 to $20,000 in these measures significantly reduces the chance of a home being ravaged by a wildfire, lowering risk by 75%.
Remove dead tree branches
Similar to dry or bagged leaves, dead tree branches are dry, which means they, too, can catch fire quickly. If you have any hanging from trees or laying in your yard, remove them ASAP. The same rule applies when removing dead tree branches:
Create an evacuation (撤离)plan
Families should go over an evacuation plan and practice it well before an emergency actually occurs. Knowing when to leave and being able to go quickly is crucial during an evacuation scenario.
Make sure gutters(水槽)are made of metal
| A．Do not store them close to the house |
| B．Replace plastic gutters with metal ones |
| C．Things we all have are around our homes |
| D．It’s important to keep away from wildfire |
| E．Build defensible space s and harden your home |
| F．Set a meet up destination for all family members first |
| G．Actually, it’s tiny wind-blown things that destroy most of them |
9 . With needle-like teeth and sharp pointed nose, a gray nurse shark isn’t a creature that most people would want to meet. But Shalise Leesfield isn’t one of them.
The Australian teenager couldn’t think of a better creature to meet when scuba diving off the coast of South West Rocks, near her home in Port Macquarie, a coastal town north of Sydney.
“Many people say gray nurse sharks look frightening, but I think they are the sweetest animals ever,” she says.
The slow-moving sharks, which like to stay near the sea floor in warm, shallow waters, are — for the most part — harmless to humans. But the gray nurse shark is under threat. Populations have fallen and habitats have been lost due to ocean warming and human development, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which lists the species as seriously endangered.
One area where they can still be seen is Fish Rock, an underwater cavern (洞穴) with a unique ecosystem, 40 miles up the coast from Leesfield’s home. But fishers are allowed access within 200 meters of Fish Rock. This is leading to a drop in the number of gray nurse sharks and increased pollution, says Leesfield. She wants to enlarge the no-fishing area, establishing a protected zone.
With Leesfield’s efforts, the area has been nominated as a Hope Spot, which is part of the mission Blue program launched by famous oceanographer Sylvia Earle that identifies places as critically important to the ocean’s health and supports protection.
“When people think about Hope Spots, they think about Sydney Harbour or the Great Barrier Reef. So to get Fish Rock up on that list is just such incredible news,” she says.
Now, Leesfield is working with politician Cate Faehrmann, marine spokesperson for the Australian Greens party in New South Wales, to legalize protection of the sharks and make the no-fishing zone protected by the law.
1. What does “them” refer to in the first paragraph?| A．Gray nurse sharks. | B．Common people. |
| C．People fearing gray nurse sharks. | D．Fishers. |
| A．The development of tourism in the ocean. |
| B．The sharks’ preference to stay in shallow waters. |
| C．The feature of gray nurse sharks’ slow-moving. |
| D．Fishers’ being permitted within 200 meters of Fish Rock. |
| A．Recommend the Fish Rock as a Hope Spot being protected. |
| B．Identify the Hope Spot area as being critically important. |
| C．Make Fish Rock more popular among fishers nearby. |
| D．Make laws to protect the no-fishing zone near Fish Rock. |
| A．The Australian teenager is on a mission to protect sharks |
| B．Increased pollution leads to gray sharks endangered |
| C．Gray nurse sharks are in danger! |
| D．Let’s establish a protected zone! |
The four mountain climbers were still breathing heavily as they looked out into the distance. The views from the top of the mountain were breathtaking. In all directions, valleys, forests and other mountains were laid out before them. They could even see the small wooden houses of the village where they had spent the night and the route they had taken to reach the top of this small but dangerous mountain. Laughing loudly, they were surprised at their courage in climbing such a steep and rocky mountain slope. Filled with an enormous sense of achievement, the four young climbers patted each other on the back.
As the other three continued to enjoy the views, Jason, the leader of the group, stared at the horizon with a troubled look on his face.
“What is it, Jason?” Sofia, the youngest of the group, asked.
“Those dark clouds in the distance mean a heavy storm is fast on the way,” Jason replied. He remembered the villagers had warned him of the unpredictable weather conditions on top of the mountain and that a terrible storm could appear from nowhere.
“But it's so warm and sunny here. I don't think the storm is coming this way,” Sofia said, more in hope than expectation.
However, Jason feared the worst and knew only too well what would happen if the storm caught them in the open. He addressed the group in a calm but serious tone, “If the storm hits us, the temperature will fall dramatically. The rain and mist will make it difficult for us to see where we are going and we could easily get lost or fall off a cliff. The wind will take our strength, so we need to get moving fast.”
The four mountain climbers packed up their facilities and immediately started back down the mountain. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, the storm was upon them sooner than expected. The wind screamed in their ears, the driving rain stung (刺痛) their eyes and the mist made it impossible for them to see clearly.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
With it getting dark, Jason decided that it was just too dangerous to continue.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Finally, the storm showed signs of stopping and the climbers decided to continue their way down the mountain.
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