1. What will the weather be like near the ocean this weekend?
| A．Windy. | B．Snowy. | C．Sunny. |
| A．Traveling to the coast. | B．Staying inside. | C．Playing in the snow. |
| A．Roads may become dangerous. |
| B．Temperatures could be very low. |
| C．People might lose electricity. |
| A．On Tuesday. | B．On Friday. | C．On Saturday. |
1. What’s getting less and less these days according to the talk?
| A．Empty land. | B．Garbage. | C．Water. |
| A．Burying it. |
| B．Sending it out of our planet. |
| C．Using it as an energy source. |
| A．It is hardly ever done. |
| B．It causes air pollution. |
| C．It is useless for hard materials. |
3 . Space weather forecasters have issued a geomagnetic storm watch through Monday, saying an outburst of plasma from a solar flare could interfere with radio transmissions on Earth. It could also make for great aurora viewing.
There’s no reason for the public to be concerned, according to the alert issued on Saturday by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado.
The storm could interrupt high-frequency radio transmissions, such as by aircraft trying to communicate with distant traffic control towers. Most commercial aircraft can use satellite transmission as backup, said Jonathan Lash, a forecaster at the center.
Satellite operators might have trouble tracking their spacecraft, and power grids could also see some “induced current” in their lines, though nothing they can’t handle, he said. “For the general public, if you have clear skies at night and you are at higher latitudes, this would be a great opportunity to see the skies light up,” Lash said.
Every 11 years, the sun’s magnetic field flips, meaning its north and south poles switch positions. Solar activity changes during that cycle, and it’s now near its most active phase, called the solar maximum. During such times, geomagnetic storms of the type that arrived on Sunday can hit Earth a few times a year, Lash said. During solar minimum, a few years may pass between storms. In December, the biggest solar flare in years disrupted radio communications.
1. What is the main topic of the passage?| A．The effects of solar flares on Earth. |
| B．The causes of geomagnetic storms. |
| C．The work of the Space Weather Prediction Center. |
| D．The beauty of aurora displays. |
| A．Avoid using high-frequency radios. |
| B．Prepare for possible power outages. |
| C．Enjoy the aurora if conditions are right. |
| D．Stay indoors during geomagnetic storms. |
| A．They use satellite transmission as backup. |
| B．They communicate with nearby traffic control towers. |
| C．They are equipped with special radios for such events. |
| D．They avoid flying during periods of high solar activity. |
| A．Every few months. |
| B．Once or twice a year. |
| C．Once every 11 years. |
| D．Only during solar minimum. |
4 . A multinational team of astronomers, led by Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS), has captured a “once-in-a-lifetime” supernova and mapped it in “unprecedented” detail, the WIS said in a statement on Wednesday.
A supernova is a massive star explosion that occurs when a star burns through its fuel at the end of its lifespan, resulting in a brilliant burst of fiery plasma in vibrant colors radiating with the brightness of a hundred million suns. As described in the journal Nature, the team used NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope to witness in real-time one of the closest supernovae in decades, a red supergiant star exploding in a neighboring galaxy, Messier 101.
The researchers were able, for the first time, to closely follow a supernova while its light emerged from the circumstellar material in which the exploding star was embedded. They then acquired data on the star from times before its demise when it was just a red supergiant star, thus creating the most complete portrait of a supernova, a composite of its last days and death.
The team also found a gap between the mass of material ejected from the star during the explosion and its original mass, suggesting that the supernova left behind a black hole into which the missing mass was swallowed. The researchers concluded that “this study presents a unique opportunity to better understand the mechanisms that lead to the conclusion of a star’s life and the eventual formation of something entirely new.”
1. What is a supernova according to the passage?| A．A star’s natural aging process. |
| B．A brilliant burst of fiery plasma. |
| C．A collision between two stars. |
| D．A black hole swallowing matter. |
| A．Through a ground-based telescope. |
| B．By the Weizmann Institute alone. |
| C．Using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. |
| D．By mapping it in unprecedented detail. |
| A．It left behind a neutron star. |
| B．Its light emerged from circumstellar material. |
| C．It exploded in the Messier 101 galaxy. |
| D．Its mass was similar to that of a red supergiant. |
| A．It was ejected into space. |
| B．It formed a new star. |
| C．It was swallowed by a black hole. |
| D．It turned into circumstellar material. |
1. What are sharks famous for?
| A．Their large bodies. | B．Their high intelligence. | C．Their attacks on sea creatures. |
| A．20 m. | B．10 m. | C．2 m. |
| A．Escape from danger. | B．Find their food. | C．Kill their enemies. |
| A．In warm waters of oceans. | B．In cold areas of oceans. | C．In warm lakes. |
1. What did the woman watch?
| A．A soap opera. | B．A documentary. | C．A news program. |
| A．President Barack Obama’s schedule. |
| B．The release of CO2 by power plants. |
| C．A plan to fight against global warming. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Positive. | C．Negative. |
| A．Go to have supper. | B．Go to have a drink. | C．Keep talking at home. |
7 . Each fall, millions of butterflies across the U. S. and Canada fly up to 4, 000 km to central Mexico. Travelers can see the butterflies overwintering on the Western Monarch Trail, a 465-mile, road trip-friendly conservation initiative that links over a dozen stops along the route.
Helping the butterflies
Organizers created educational panels in English and Spanish explaining the butterflies’ annual traveling and their trouble. The signs also outline ways travelers can help the butterflies recover, such as by supporting chemical-free farms and planting native nectar (花蜜) gardens.
Why butterflies fly to the California coast
Many stops in Pismo State Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove and Andrew Molera State Park, are overwintering sites where, from October to February, travelers can see thousands of butterflies gathering in forests in areas with mild temperatures, dappled (斑驳的) sunlight, high dampness, and little to no wind.
Other sites, like the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden and Avila Valley Barn, growflowers that provide sugary, high-calorie food for the butterflies to eat. Butterflies settling here demonstrate how vital nectaring plants are to their survival.
How to explore the Western Monarch Trail
The butterflies’ behavior varies at different times of day and depending on the weather. In the mornings, while temperatures are still cool, step out of the cabin (木屋) in the Fernwood Resort where you stay overnight, you’ll find many butterflies hanging together on the branches and trunks of trees at the overwintering sites. As the day starts to heat up-typically by late morning or early afternoon — you’ll be amazed at the phenomenon “sunburst” — the butterflies start flying around in search of nearby nectar. Keep your eyes skyward. Don’t grab your camera. Just be in the moment.
1. What’s the Western Monarch Trail initiative aimed at?| A．Providing a travel route. | B．Encountering butterflies. |
| C．Promoting organic farming. | D．Advocating species conservation. |
| A．It holds many nectar gardens. |
| B．It’s pleasant throughout winter. |
| C．It has sufficient food for butterflies. |
| D．It’s home to butterflies all year around. |
| A．Signs to guide the route. |
| B．Cameras for recording videos. |
| C．Ready shelters to stay overnight. |
| D．Experience of watching “sunburst” at dawn. |
8 . New research shows that removing black rhinos’ horns (犀牛角) to make them less attractive to illegal hunters is reducing their territory (领地) sizes and making them less sociable with each other.
The study, published in the journal PNAS, found that dehorned South African rhinos have home ranges that are 45 per cent smaller than those of complete animals, and that they were 37 percent less likely to engage in social interactions.
“The big, dominant bulls that used to have very large territories that overlapped with a lot of females may now have much less territory and much less reproductive (繁殖的) success,” says Vanessa Duthé, who led the work at Switzerland’s University of Neuchâtel.
“It’s really hard to predict the effects of this,” she says. “It doesn’t mean that population success will necessarily decline, because it might open up gaps for younger males that would not have had the space or the means before.” Indeed, a University of Bristol study published last year showed that dehorning (去角) does not negatively affect populations overall.
But such unintended behavioral consequences necessarily feed into judgments about whether this highly invasive procedure is worthwhile. Remarkably, perhaps, there is little hard evidence either way. “No one’s put all the data together to say whether it’s a really effective measure,” says Duthé.
“What is clear is that the introduction of dehorning and a decline in illegal hunting has occurred at the same time,” she adds. “But dehorning has been accompanied by other conservation measures that may be more effective.”
“It’s incredibly complicated,” says Lucy Chimes, a member of the Bristol team. “There are so many other factors involved. You have to consider what other security measures are being carried out — fencing, patrols, staff numbers — and poverty levels surrounding parks, their nearness to national borders and whether there is community engagement.” Chimes is currently planning a project that aims to separate these and other factors. In the meantime, Duthé believes that dehorning is a worthwhile tool of last course of action. “A rhino that is behaving a little bit strangely is better than a dead rhino.”
1. What is the purpose of removing the horns of black rhinos?| A．To make them less sociable. | B．To protect them from being hunted. |
| C．To reduce their home ranges. | D．To affect their reproductive success. |
| A．The removal of rhino horns. | B．The loss of rhino territories. |
| C．The impact on rhino population. | D．The change of rhino behavior. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Opposed. | C．Unconcerned. | D．Uncertain. |
| A．Dehorning rhinos shows satisfying effects. |
| B．Various factors lead to the decline in illegal hunting. |
| C．Dehorning is the last action researchers will take. |
| D．Rhinos are supposed to behave a little bit strangely. |
9 . Re-purposing diapers to make building materials would reduce the amount of garbage that goes to a landfill. It could also make homes more affordable. Maybe giving used diapers a new use could help tackle both problems.
Building material—especially those that are used for strengthening structures — are often expensive. They’re often the biggest hurdle to making homes affordable. So researchers have previously investigated unusual materials that could save costs. These materials included many that would otherwise pile up as waste, such as fly ash.
“There is a big need in developing countries such as the Southeast Asian nation, Indonesia. There, demand for low-cost housing outstrips what’s available. The number of people in Indonesia’s cities has climbed by about 4 percent per year in the last 30 years. By 2025, more than two-thirds of Indonesians are expected to live in urban areas. Indonesia’s population boom is intensifying the demand for housing,” says Siswanti Zuraida, an environmental engineer in Indonesia.
“Despite the need for more affordable housing, there are significant problems that stand in the way of adopting diapers,” Zuraida says. Used diapers contain wood pulp, cotton and plastic, which are potentially useful building materials. Diapers plastic components would have to be separated from the organic fibers, a complicated recycling process currently available only in developed nations. And Indonesia’s building regulations restrict together-materials to bricks, wood, steel and concrete (which is used to hold bricks together) — materials that also bear a high cost in terms of carbon emissions.
But reusing diapers might not be that environmentally friendly, especially on a large scale. “It’s tricky to separate dirty diapers from waste and disinfect them. So it would take a lot of energy to recycle diapers. It’s maybe worthwhile to start thinking about ways to replace single-use diapers with something less frequently thrown away,” says Christof Schrofl, a chemist who works at Technische Universität Dresden in Germany.
1. Which statement describes the idea of re-purposing diapers best?| A．No pains, no gains. | B．Waste not, want not. |
| C．Kill two birds with one stone. | D．Great minds think alike. |
| A．Phase | B．Barrier. | C．Goal. | D．Advantage. |
| A．It is illegal to use diapers as building material in Indonesia. |
| B．Making building materials has little effect on climate warming. |
| C．The plastic components in diapers can make buildings stronger. |
| D．Developed countries have difficulty separating organic fibers on diapers. |
| A．Indifferent | B．Supportive. | C．Admiring. | D．Objective. |
10 . A kindhearted family put themselves in a risky situation to rescue an aggressive owl that had become trapped in a soccer net. One morning, the Larsons discovered a trapped owl on the football field. They immediately wanted to rescue the poor owl, but they found that the owl was very aggressive. Fearful of the owl’s sharp claws and beak, Dave Larson approached with caution when he discovered the bird in his family’s soccer goal in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.
In the dramatic footage, the distressed owl can be seen tangled in the netting while Dave slowly but surely attempts to cut the bird free. During the proceedings, Dave’s wife, Sue, filmed the rescue, which saw the startled bird snap at Dave on numerous occasions, stretching out its claws every time he got close. Fortunately, the family was able to free the distressed bird, with their son Travis sharing the clip online where they were showered with praise for assisting the animal on September 27.
Sue said: “We were very nervous knowing how strong and sharp his beak was, which he kept snapping to scare us. He also kept stretching his claws out every time we got close to him. We were able to feel a little more at ease when the owl eventually realized we weren’t trying to hurt him, and he seemed to relax and let us cut him free. As soon as he flew away, there was instant relief of the situation. But it was more happiness at knowing he was alright and being able to see him fly and move without injury.”
This beautiful story warms people’s hearts and also tells us that man and nature need to coexist in harmony. When we take care to protect Nature, Nature rewards us generously; when we exploit Nature ruthlessly, it punishes us without mercy. We need to have deep reverence for Nature, respect Nature, follow Nature’s laws and protect Nature, so as to build a homeland of harmonious coexistence between man and Nature.
1. Who uploaded the video of freeing the owl online ?| A．Dave Larson. | B．Travis Larson. | C．Sue Larson. | D．Kyle Larson. |
| A．Mean and unfeeling. | B．Objective and impartial. |
| C．Enthusiastic and impractical. | D．Kind and friendly. |
| A．The owl realized they were trying to help him instead of hurting him. |
| B．The owl was severely injured and couldn’t move anymore. |
| C．The owl called the traffic police and the insurance company. |
| D．The owl didn’t sleep well yesterday morning and was tired. |
| A．Protecting the Environment Right Now | B．Keeping Up with the Larsons |
| C．Kindhearted Couple Free Aggressive Owl | D．A Natural Art Museum In the Larsons’ House |
