1 . In the west of the Greek capital Athens, the fish market of Keratsini is busy early in the morning, with trucks waiting nearby to be loaded with fishes. But on his fishing boat, Arapakis sorts out something different—bottles, boots, plastic pipes and fishing nets, all dragged from the bed of the Aegean Sea.

“We are swimming in plastic,” said Arapakis, whose family has fished for five generations. “By 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the sea,” he said, as recent reports noted.

That morning’s plastic catch weighed “about 100 kilograms,” said the founder of Enaleia, a nonprofit that encourages fishermen to collect marine (海洋的) waste caught in their nets. Since its establishment in 2018, it has worked with more than 1,200 fishermen in Greece to raise concern over the degradation of the marine environment.

Active in 42 ports throughout Greece, Enaleia provides fishermen with large bags for marine waste that they can put in garbage cans once back at port. For every kilogram of plastic they deliver, they receive a small amount of money, which is enough for a drink. Since October, fishing crews have dragged out 20 metric tons of plastic and old fishing equipment each month. Nearly 600 tons have been collected over the last five years. The collected plastic is transported to a recycling plant in the industrial area of Megara near Keratsini, to make new products such as socks, swimwear or furniture.

Arapakis said he went about the cleanup project after a trip to Greece’s Cyclades islands, where he saw fishermen throwing the waste gathered by their nets back into the sea.

Arapakis is convinced there has been a “mentality change” among Greece’s fishermen. “Previously we caught large quantities of plastic, but we only kept the fish. All waste was thrown into the sea,” said Mokharam, team leader on the Arapakis family’s boat. “The project brings practical benefits for fishing boats. In the past, the anchor was often caught by waste, especially nets, and the engine would go out. But now things have changed,” he added.

1. What can we learn about Arapakis from the first 2 paragraphs?

A．He was a successful fish trader.	B．He collected waste from the sea.
C．He liked swimming in the sea.	D．He had a large family to support.

2. What does the underlined word “degradation” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Impact.

B．Worsening.

C．Improvement.

D．Research.

3. What will most probably happen to the collected waste in the end?

A．It will be sold at a high price.	B．It will be exchanged for food.
C．It will be thrown back into the sea.	D．It will be well dealt with for reuse.

4. What can we infer from Mokharam’s words?

A．Fishing is a tough job for fishermen.	B．The sea in Greece is seriously polluted.
C．He thinks highly of the cleanup project.	D．He still feels ashamed for fishermen’s behavior.

2 . I opened the door of our campervan (房车). My two cats, Gatinha and Jon Snow, ______ down the stairs and onto the grass. In the distance, the sea ______ before me and the sun’s rays danced on the surface, creating a/an ______ display of light and shadow.

A month earlier, Wade, 35, and I thought we were ready for our travel in ______ . So we ______ our office jobs to travel around Australia in our truck that we’d transformed into a ______ on wheels. Besides saving for the trip, we’d set up a website to ______ money while we were travelling, along with renting out our home.

Knowing we couldn’t leave our two rescue cats behind, we decided to bring them with us. After doing some ______, I discovered that seeing cats on the road is ______ but we didn’t let it stop us. To ______ the cats to their new home, we brought them into the van while we worked. Finally, we were on the way to travel.

For the first few days they ______ the inside of the van, but as days turned to weeks, they gradually grew more ______. It wasn’t long before they were curiously sniffing the grass. ______, neither of the cats have ever walked far and we ______ them to wander freely.

Looking back, ______ the city life to travel around was the best decision we ever made, and our cats make the perfect companions!

1.

A．jumped

B．bent

C．fell

D．stopped

2.

A．shouted

B．stretched

C．folded

D．disappeared

3.

A．heartbreaking

B．imaginary

C．breathtaking

D．disturbing

4.

A．time

B．budget

C．energy

D．facility

5.

A．quit

B．ignored

C．took

D．changed

6.

A．library

B．school

C．home

D．hotel

7.

A．make

B．save

C．collect

D．donate

8.

A．practice

B．thought

C．discussion

D．research

9.

A．common

B．fascinating

C．rare

D．natural

10.

A．force

B．adapt

C．move

D．lead

11.

A．focused on

B．messed up

C．stuck to

D．escaped from

12.

A．dependent

B．anxious

C．confident

D．tolerant

13.

A．Amazingly

B．Suddenly

C．Regretfully

D．Doubtfully

14.

A．ordered

B．reminded

C．taught

D．trusted

15.

A．exchanging

B．choosing

C．abandoning

D．experiencing

3 . To humans, roads mean connection and escape; to other life-forms, they spell death and division. A half-century ago, just 3 percent of land animals met their end on a road; by 2017 the number had greatly doubled.

Considering the outsize effects of roads, it’s perhaps surprising that they didn’t truly receive their scientific due until the late 20th century. In 1993, Richard Forman, a landscape ecologist, coined an English term: “road ecology,” defined loosely as the study of how “life changes for plants and animals with a road and traffic nearby.” As the 1990s wore on, road ecology gained steam.

Like most people, I at once cherish animals and think nothing of piloting a 3,000-pounddeath machine. One summer, in Alaska, I hit a songbird–a death I didn’t discover until I found the delicate splash of feathers the next day. I’d killed it unconsciously. But I could do nothing.

Road ecology offers one path through this thicket (灌木丛). North America and Europe constructed their road networks with little regard for how they would affect nature. Today, in theory, we know better. Road ecology has revealed the danger of thoughtless development and pointed us toward solutions. Over the last several decades, its practitioners have constructed bridges for bears, tunnels (隧道) for turtles. In Kenya, elephants move slowly beneath highways and railroads via passages as tall as two-story houses.

And road ecology has yielded more than crossings: We’ve also learned to map and protect the migrations of certain animals, to design roadsides that nourish bees and butterflies– proof that old mistakes need not be permanent.

Today we’re entering a period that might fairly be considered the golden age of road ecology. The coming years will undoubtedly be transformative ones for our road network. Still, whether we can ever truly undo the harms of our concrete-coated world is far less certain.

1. What may be the reason for the doubled death number by 2017?

A．Road noises.

B．Traffic accidents.

C．Natural disasters.

D．Hunting activities.

2. What did the author want to tell us by the experience in Alaska in Paragraph 3?

A．Songbirds were common in that area.	B．The songbird’s death was undervalued.
C．Driving a car was necessary for his job.	D．He was much troubled by the songbird.

3. Which best describes the impact of road ecology?

A．Far-reaching.

B．One-sided.

C．Short-lived.

D．Unnoticeable.

4. What is the most suitable title for the text?

A．How Roads Have Transformed the Natural World	B．What Measures Should Be Taken to Protect Animals
C．How Road Ecology Will Change the Future World	D．What Difficulties Humans face in Road Construction

4 . For those who have been wishing for real-life chocolate mountains, your dream is about to come true! Just kidding. The chocolate look-alike mounds (土丘) in Bohol, Philippines have absolutely nothing to do with chocolate aside from the fact that during one particular time of the year, they appear to look similar to chocolate.

During the wet season and anytime outside of the dry season, the Chocolate Hills maintain a green color. What attracts people’s attention is the shape of these mounds, as they look as though they were placed there by design, but none of these fields are man-made.

With regard to the origin of the Chocolate Hills, while experts have their own opinions, it’s the Filipinos who have drawn their own conclusion about the Chocolate Hills. According to a popular legend, these hills were a result of two giants (巨人) who ended up throwing mounds of earth at one another during a heated argument. As the fight heated up, they began throwing things such as rocks and sand, which is said to be what created the surrounding area. While some locals believe the legend and some don’t, it is an interesting story nevertheless and fun to think about.

However, the real story lies in the composition (成分) of the hills and this is where experts have a bit more of a scientific reason for the hills being there than just giants. With the help of heavy rainfall and erosion (侵蚀), it’s believed that limestone (石岩) was broken down over time and it’s this dissolution (分解) that created the Chocolate Hills.

The dry season in the Philippines is the only time to see these hills in all their chocolatey glory, and that falls between late November and May. However, since it is just the predicted dry season, it’s recommended that visitors check the weather before planning anything.

1. What is the color of the Chocolate Hills in the wet season?

A．Yellow.

B．Green.

C．Brown.

D．Grey.

2. What is the third paragraph mainly about?

A．A legend about the Chocolate Hills.

B．Locals’ opinions about the Chocolate Hills.

C．Who created the Chocolate Hills.

D．What the Chocolate Hills are made up.

3. According to the experts, the Chocolate Hills were formed due to __________.

A．the dissolution of limestone	B．the lack of rainfall
C．human activities	D．the extreme dry climate

4. When is a good time to visit the Chocolate Hills?

A．Early November.	B．Mid-July.
C．Late September.	D．Early January.

5 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Scientists in Florida have     1     (successful) grown plants in moon soil collected during NASA’s Apollo missions (任务) in the 1960s and 1970s.

    2     NASA-supported study at the University of Florida used soil collected by astronauts    3     (grow) Thale Cress 2 (拟南芥). To compare results, plants were also grown in Earth soil    4     was made to be similar to moon soil. The researchers     5     (add) water and then seeds to the soil, as well as daily nutrients (营养物). After just two days, their growth started.

According to Professor Anna-Lisa Paul, all the plants looked the same     6     the sixth day. After the sixth day,     7    , it was clear that the plants growing in moon soil were not as healthy as those growing in Earth soil.

DNA testing showed that those Thale Cress 2     8     (plant) in the moon soil were under stress. It was also found that the plants grew in different ways in soil from different parts of the moon. The soil collected during the Apollo 11 mission had been on the moon’s surface several billion years     9     (long) than the other soil, and the plants grown in it were the weakest.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson believes this research will help future space missions and that resources on the moon and Mars     10     (need) to develop food for astronauts living and working in space.

6 . One of the ocean’s noisiest creatures is smaller than you’d expect — snapping shrimp (鼓虾). They create a widespread background noise in the underwater environment, which helps them communicate, protect their homes and hunt for food. When enough shrimp snap (发出噼啪声) at once, the noise can be deafening.

Aran Mooney, a biologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, suggested that with increased ocean temperatures, snapping shrimp will snap more often and louder than before. This could raise the background noise of the global ocean. “They make a sound by closing a claw so fast. This makes a bubble (泡泡) and when that bubble bursts, it makes that snapping sound,” said Mooney.

Mooney discovered a strong relationship between warmer waters and more frequent snapping shrimp sounds after experimenting with the shrimp in tanks in the lab and by listening to the shrimp in the ocean at various water temperatures. “As the temperature rises, the snap rate increases,” he said. This makes sense because shrimp are essentially cold-blooded animals, meaning their body temperature and activity levels are largely controlled by their living environment. “We can actually show in the field that not only do snap rates increase, but the sound levels increase as well.”

How the louder snapping shrimp would affect or benefit the surroundings remained to be seen. “We know that fish use sound to communicate,” Mooney said. “If the environment gets noisy, it has the possibility to influence that communication. That’s something we have to follow up on.” There is also the possibility that the change of snapping shrimp affects machines humans use to discover mines, which could lead to unpleasant results.

1. What can we know about the snapping shrimp’s sound?

A．It aims to protect the shrimp.	B．It is important to the ecosystem.
C．It has different uses for the shrimp.	D．It is hard to be discovered by other creatures.

2. How does Mooney do the experiment?

A．By observing snapping shrimp in the field.	B．By recording the snap rates in the lab.
C．By analyzing the way shrimp make noise.	D．By comparing shrimp’s sound in different places.

3. What might Mooney research next?

A．Other uses of shrimp’s sound.	B．Influences of the noise on other creatures.
C．Means of communication among fish.	D．Methods of stopping shrimp’s snapping.

4. Which of the following could be the best title for the text?

A．Underwater World Is No Longer Quiet	B．Small Animals Make a Big Difference
C．Warming Oceans Are Getting Louder	D．Snapping Shrimp’s Noise Speaks Much

7 . Native to forests of Central and South America, glass frogs in the Centrolenidae family get their name from their skin and muscles that help them be perfectly fit to live in their jungle environment. Turn the frogs over, where the effect is the most impressive, and you’ll make out their hearts, livers, and other organs through their hyaline bellies (肚子).

And in a study published in the journal Science, researchers have discovered an amazing mechanism (机制) the animals use to become so clear.

When glass frogs go to sleep, they take in 89 percent of their brightly colored red blood cells into sacs (液囊) in their livers, which reflect incoming light and make the frogs appear nearly unseen. With their red blood cells out of view, the frogs become twice to three times more clear — a trick scientists believe helps the animals avoid being killed and eaten by their natural enemies.

“The trick is really hard to do, because their tissues are full of things that take in and spread light. And transparency (透明) is normal for many creatures in water, but hard on land,” says study co-author Jesse Delia. “Red blood cells also take in a lot of light, and we found that the frogs can actually hide themselves by packing them into the liver.”

Not only are the findings interesting, but the researchers attach great importance to them. That’s because many red blood cells in one place usually form a clot (血块), which can block and lead to a potentially life-threatening condition. But the frogs can seemingly clot and expand their red blood cells at will — without any negative effects. This may mean the animals already have what medical researchers have been seeking for decades: a biological mechanism which prevents too much bleeding while also preventing too much clotting.

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

A．See-through.	B．Powerful.
C．Narrow.	D．Good-looking.

2. What is the new discovery about glass frogs?

A．The frogs fit in their environment better.

B．Sacs filled with red blood cells make the frogs clear.

C．Red blood cells in the frogs’ liver reflect light.

D．The frogs are able to take in a lot of bright colors.

3. What does Jesse Delia think of glass frogs’ trick?

A．Interesting.	B．Unusual.
C．Shocking.	D．Annoying.

4. Why do the researchers consider the findings important?

A．They help cure serious diseases.	B．They are a blessing for wild animals.
C．They can lead to advances in medicine.	D．They will prevent all clotting and bleeding.

8 . What is the dog’s name?

A．Robert

B．Scott

C．Michael.

9 . Humans are not the animal world’s only fashion followers. Tits (山雀) can be one of them, too. A study by Sonja Wild and Lucy Aplin shows that, given the chance, they make their nests (巢穴) with this season’s must-have color.

Dr. Wild and Dr. Aplin followed up on a study which noted that the blue tits preferred to put the same plants into their nests. This also suggested fashion-following—and it led Dr. Wild and Dr. Aplin to imagine that birds were studying the nests of others and copying them.

The birds they followed carried instruments on them. That allowed researchers to follow a large number of tits by their arrival at food dispensers (自动取物装置) throughout the woods.

One day in March 2021, Dr. Wild and Dr. Aplin used five dispensers with wool rather than food. Each contained two colors—either orange and pink or blue and purple—but all were rigged to give only one of these. This remained so until at least one local nest was seen to include wool from a dispenser. At that moment, the other color was discovered, too. As a comparison, Dr. Wild and Dr. Aplin set up four wool dispensers in a separate area, each providing two colors from the beginning.

Of 68 tits’ nests, 26 included wool from a dispenser. Of these, 18 were built after both colors had been gotten from all dispensers. Even so, 10 of that 18 included only the color of wool first chosen by a nest makers. By contrast (相比之下), all 8 nests with wool have mixed colors, which showed a clear difference in the record.

Tits, then, do seem to be “in fashion” when it comes to nest-building materials. Tits like those of the leaders of human fashions and it is worth more deep research.

1. Why are the same plants put into nests by the tits?

A．They want to beautify their nests.

B．They find no other plants.

C．They are used to doing this.

D．They want to keep warm.

2. What does the underlined word “rigged” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Refused.

B．Warned.

C．Forced.

D．Arranged.

3. What method is mainly used in the experiment?

A．Testing colors.	B．Observing activities.
C．Comparing results.	D．Checking numbers.

4. What is the author’s attitude to the research?

A．Disappointed.	B．Supportive
C．Doubtful.	D．Unclear.

10 . England is relatively safe when it comes to animals and wildlife. There are no lions, elephants or tigers, or any dangerous spiders and deadly snakes. But there are a lot of cows.

No image of the British countryside would be completely without a cow. In fact, there are more than ten million of them in the U.K. With their sad beautiful eyes, their slow walk and harmless appearance are a key part of the landscape. But they do have another side of their character. And given that they can weigh more than 500kg, this can be a bit of a problem.

In recent weeks, there have been two attacks by cows. Two weeks ago, a cow attacked a policeman. He ended up with a black eye. In another attack, a doctor was hurt by cattle when she was walking with her two dogs. Health and Safety Executive figures show that 18 people have been killed and 481 have been injured by cows in the past eight years. “We hear one or two accidents each week, but these don’t usually involve serious injuries,” a spokesperson explained.

So what can you do if you face an angry cow? “The best advice is to keep calm and carry on,” an animal expert explained. If you find yourself in a field of cattle, move away as carefully and quietly as possible. And above all, keep dogs close. If the cows run toward you, let go of the dog—the cows are more interested in the dog than you.

So next time you go for a walk in the British countryside, watch out for cows, especially if you’re walking your dog.

1. The figures in Paragraph 3 show that cows’ attacks ________ .

A．frequently happen

B．bring about great changes

C．always cause serious injuries

D．attract a lot of media attention

2. When you come across an angry cow, what are you advised to do?

A．Stand still.	B．Run away quickly.
C．Pull your dogs tightly.	D．Stay calm and walk away quietly.

3. What can we learn from the text about dogs in England?

A．They are not allowed in the British countryside.

B．They will prevent you from going out for a walk.

C．They should be guarded against attacking cows.

D．They can help you avoid being attacked by cows.

4. What does the text mainly tell us about cows in England?

A．They are often sad.

B．They are often gentle

C．They are dangerous sometimes.

D．They are unimportant sometimes.