1. Which of the following countries has NOT found mad cow disease yet?
| A．England. | B．Japan. | C．China. |
| A．By using MBM (meat-and –bone meal) with different plants. |
| B．By eating infected (感染) meal. |
| C．By importing foreign cattle. |
| A．Because it’s a great waste of money. |
| B．Because doing this can keep the disease from spreading in China. |
| C．Because we must use our own feed. |
2 . Scientists in South Africa have found that ceramic (瓷的) nest boxes can protect endangered African penguins from climate change.
In the past, the penguins laid eggs in holes dug into centuries-old layers of their own droppings, most of which was shipped by traders to the United Kingdom as fertilizer (肥料) in the 1800s. Since then, many penguins have nested in the open, exposing their eggs and themselves to the burning heat.
Because penguins evolved to keep heat in cold water, they can easily overheat on land. Typically, penguins leave their nests regularly to cool off in the sea. But without proper holes, this leaves their eggs unprotected. Since 1900, the African penguin population has dropped from three million to only 48,000.
Fortunately, a team of researchers seem to have found a way. Over the past years, the team has put more than 1,500 handmade ceramic nest boxes in five areas where the penguins live, including Bird Island in Algoa Bay, South Africa, which is home to nearly half of the world’s remaining African penguins. Looking like small round houses, the double-walled ceramic nests can keep African penguins cool.
“The nests are so useful,” says Welman, a zoologist, “Even if adults had to leave nests for some reason, their eggs would never be at any risk of overheating.” Christina Hagen of Bird Life South Africa, who was not part of the study, says finding effective conservation solutions is important given the decreasing population of African penguins.
The main threat to African penguins is overfishing of anchovy and sardines, the penguins’ favorite food. Scientists and conservationists are pushing the South African government to close commercial fishing around the five African penguin breeding (繁殖) colonies until populations recover. But without protection from rising temperatures, those efforts alone may not be enough. Ceramic nests could help to give these beloved penguins a fighting chance.
1. What can we learn about African penguins from the passage?| A．They well adapt to high temperatures. |
| B．They are mainly threatened by pollution. |
| C．They are suffering a lot from overheating. |
| D．They have a population of over three million. |
| A．There is a vast population of African penguins. |
| B．It enjoys the best climate for African penguins. |
| C．African penguins there can nest in the open. |
| D．There are holes for penguins to lay eggs. |
| A．To allow the penguins to stay cool inside. |
| B．To protect the penguins from being hunted. |
| C．To provide a place for the penguins to rest. |
| D．To save enough room for the adult penguins. |
| A．Creating more nesting areas for the penguins. |
| B．Stopping people fishing where the penguins breed. |
| C．Introducing new species of fish for the penguins. |
| D．Providing man-made cooling facilities for the penguins. |
Macquarie Island is a beautiful and
4 . Almost a quarter of the UK’s sea swimmers may not swim in the ocean this year because of sewage (污水) dumping by water companies, according to a poll (民意调查). Sewage was dumped into waters near England’s most celebrated beaches for nearly 8,500 hours last year. And there were 1,504 discharges (排出) in 2022 on beaches supposed to be free from such pollution.
The poll spoke to 2,272 UK adults between 21 and 23 on July. Just over 30% said they typically went sea swimming during the summer, and of these 23% said they would not this year because of sewage dumping by water companies. More than two in five of the regular beachgoers also said they were less likely to visit the British seaside this summer because of sewage discharges.
The Department for Environment says government should allow the Environment Agency to charge unlimited fines on rule-breaking water companies. Fines are currently capped (上限) at £250,000. The Department for Environment has been calling for a sewage tax on annual profits and a ban on bonuses of water company managers. “Coastal communities are at the mercy of water companies who unapologetically discharge raw sewage into popular swimming spots,” Tim Farron, the Department for Environment’s spokesperson said. “The government needs to stop letting water companies off the hook and finally ban these terrible sewage discharges and defend our tourism sector.”
A Water UK spokesperson said standards at beaches had greatly improved since the 1990s but that the industry recognized it had been slow to deal with the harm to our seas caused by sewage overflows. “Over the next seven years, water and sewerage companies plan to spend £10bn—doubling current levels of investment—on sewage treatment,” they said. “As part of this, bathing waters will be among the first to receive funding.”
1. What does the poll show?| A．Water companies dumped the most sewage into waters last year. |
| B．Many swimmers avoid the water over fears of sewage on UK beaches. |
| C．Waters near England’s most celebrated beaches are not seriously polluted. |
| D．Over two fifths of the regular beachgoers in UK are between 21 and 23. |
| A．Reducing bonuses of water company managers. |
| B．Shutting down those rule-breaking water companies. |
| C．Fining rule-breaking water companies at least £250,000. |
| D．Introducing a sewage tax on water companies’ yearly profits. |
| A．Develop slowly. | B．Improve too fast. |
| C．Free of responsibility. | D．Attract public attention. |
| A．Environment. | B．Lifestyle. | C．Fitness. | D．Business. |
I was an extremely shy girl in primary school and couldn’t make friends easily. My teacher, Mr. Doocy, called my mother and explained that I hadn’t spoken a single word in class. And we were more than half way through the school year. Even as a little girl, I knew this was unusual. I watched the free and happy interaction of my classmates with envy.
Mom tried to excuse my behavior as something that I would outgrow. But Mr. Doocy was still quite concerned about me. He asked Mom if I had something at home that I liked. He said he would arrange a show-and-tell activity for the class if I brought it to school. My mom told him about my cat who had given birth to several baby cats about three weeks earlier. I was crazy about those baby cats.
Then Mr. Doocy suggested I bring the baby cats to school the next day and introduce them to my classmates. It seemed that Mom didn’t think this show-and-tell activity would help me and hoped to discourage Mr. Doocy. She explained that I would have to bring the mother cat along with the six baby cats because they were too young to be separated from their mother. She probably thought this would put an end to the plan. But Mr. Doocy said that was fine.
I normally walked to school, but my mother drove me the next morning along with a big brown cardboard box. I struggled to walk toward the classroom with the heavy load. In no time, the group of baby cats caught the attention of my classmates. Their eyes lit up in wonder when they caught sight of my tiny treasures. My heart beat quickly against my chest as pride swelled within me. I had never felt so important in my entire nine years of life!
Mr. Doocy instructed me to sit on the steps outside the classroom so everyone could get a good look inside the container. “Can I hold one?” a little girl asked aloud with excitement. Then all the other children chimed in like a choir, begging to hold one of the baby cats.
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。
I nodded and said, “Yes.”
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With everyone sitting in the classroom, Mr. Doocy invited me to say something about my cats.
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Giant panda Ya Ya returned home to Beijing Zoo early on Monday after spending 20 years in the United States.
In 2003, Ya Ya and male giant panda Le Le, traveled to Memphis Zoo in the US state of Tennesse
On April 27,giant panda Ya Ya arrived in Shanghai and was then quarantined（检疫） for a month
Beijing Zoo has prepared
7 . The Great Barrier Reef in Queensland has suffered several mass bleaching events due to the impacts of climate change. The Australian government turned down a proposal for a new open-cut coal mine near the Great Barrier Reef, considering environmental laws and the risk of “irreversible damage”. It was the first time the government had used its powers under environmental laws to reject a mine.
In turning down the project, Tanya Plibersek, the minister for the environment and water, cited significant potential environmental dangers to the reef, which is already heavily threatened by climate change.” The risk of pollution is real and the damage to the reef, once done, will never be repaired. “The project would have had unacceptable impacts on freshwater in the area and potentially on fragile seagrass meadows,” Plibersek said in a video posted on social media. She said that during the public consultation period, her department had received 9,000 public comments about the mine in just 10 business days.
The government has been under pressure from UNESCO to better protect the reef and in 2022, it pledged one billion Australian dollars for efforts to protect the fragile ecosystem, including climate adaptation measures and water quality programs. Last year, the Great Barrier Reef, which stretches for more than 2,300 kilometers, experienced its sixth mass bleaching event, due to warming waters caused by climate change.
The government, elected in 2022, came to power promising stronger action on the climate in a country still heavily depending on fossil fuels. But its climate policies are rated “insufficient” by Climate Action Tracker, which found Australia is not on course to meet targets to limit warming to 1. 5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The government has rejected calls from the country’s Green Party to turn down all new fossil fuel projects.
1. Which of the following can replace “irreversible” in paragraph 1?| A．Permanent. | B．Gradual. | C．Severe. | D．Significant. |
| A．The reef is in good condition now. |
| B．9,000 people made good comments on the mining project. |
| C．The mining project has drawn the attention of the public. |
| D．The mining project has had bad effects on freshwater in the area. |
| A．Fossil fuels are not in demand in Australia. |
| B．The government has made effective climate policies. |
| C．The government failed to carry out its previous promises. |
| D．The Green Party reached an agreement with the government. |
| A．The Great Barrier Reef is faced with mass bleaching events. |
| B．Australia is on the way to protecting the Great Barrier Reef. |
| C．The Great Barrier Reef calls for help due to climate change. |
| D．Australia says “No” to a mine near the Great Barrier Reef. |
8 . If you visited a big aquarium such as SeaWorld or the Miami Seaquarium a decade ago, performances by tiger whales were probably a centerpiece of the visiting experience. However, animal advocates have pushed to end the harmful practice of keeping these enormous whales locked up in small pools and forcing them to perform for audiences. Now the good news is emerging from this continuing movement Lolita, one tiger whale living in the Miami Seaquarium, may soon be released to the Salish Sea where her mother lives.
Lolita’s possible homecoming is a longtime coming. The enormous animal was caught in 1970 in the Salish Sea, a body of water off the coast of Washington, which is home to tiger whales. Until now she has spent the past 52 years in captivity in Miami. Her tank is considered the smallest among those of captive whales in America. She has been forced to perform for crowds for decades. This has resulted in injuries. She has hit her head while performing “fast swims”, and her blood work has been abnormal.
Whales in captivity can suffer severe health issues. Lolita outlived her tank-mate Hugo, who died of aneurism (动脉瘤) caused by hitting his head on the aquarium walls. “Lolita’s lucky,” said Howard Garrett, a whale researcher and activist. “It’s against all odds that she is still alive. I think is her mental health that keeps her physical health in good shape. She is a complete miracle in her ability to stay healthy.”
According to the United States, Department of Agriculture, Lolita may not be getting enough food and water. This only adds to the list of health concerns which can appear in captivity. Activists who have been pushing for decades may at last see Lolita return to the Salish Sea, where her mother, a 93-year old tiger whale known as “Ocean Sun”, leads a pod. Returning these magnificent creatures to their natural habitat is a humane solution advocated for by the likes of the International Marine Mammal Project.
1. Which of the following best describes Lolita?| A．She got many injuries while performing for audiences over 50 years. |
| B．Her blood works well though she suffers severe health problems. |
| C．She was caught on the beach in Miami as a result of her injuries. |
| D．She was switched to a bigger tank because of her mate’s attack. |
| A．Her mental state is sound. |
| B．Hugo influenced her positively. |
| C．She gets timely medical treatment. |
| D．Whale researchers offer necessary aids. |
| A．Activists have succeeded in accomplishing the project. |
| B．Lolita will definitely fit in with the pod led by her mother. |
| C．Joint efforts are being made to release creatures like Lolita. |
| D．There’s little hope for Lolita to return to her natural habitat. |
| A．Lolita, the Last Tiger Whale in the World |
| B．Lolita, Released to the Salish Sea |
| C．Animals in Capacity Are Suffering a Lot |
| D．Lolita May Soon Go Free from Captivity |
Milo is a rescue dog, adopted by twenty-year-old Mary Swift. But the dog is also a rescuer.
One morning in November 2021, Swift was ready to go jogging as usual, with Milo following her happily. To her surprise, as soon as she opened the front door, Milo took off running towards the gate quickly. It was very unusual. He always ran after his master.
Outside the gate, Milo was looking around the neighborhood, looking a little alert. Suddenly, he ran straightly to the house across the street, barking loudly and sniffing around. He seemed unsatisfied with this house. He quickly ran to the one next door. He stopped there and turned to Swift, barking more loudly, with his tail swinging crazily. Swift followed him, shouting sharply “Stop, Milo!” Some passing neighbors were looking disapprovingly (不满地) at them.
Swift was kind of embarrassed. Not everyone wanted a strange dog on their property and liked hearing a dog’s barks in the quiet morning. She tried to get Milo to go back, but Milo seemed not to follow the master’s order. He started to scratch on the front door. Swift wondered, “Why is he trying to break into the house?” She looked at the house, which belonged to Sherry Starr, who was 85 years old and seldom walked out of her house. It was the time for her to trim her bushes in the garden. Somehow, she wasn’t there that day.
Although Swift was a little doubtful, she still tried to drag Milo away. But at this time she could hear a sound coming through an open upstairs window.
注意：1.续写词数应为80左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
It was a voice yelling “Help”.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________10 . Coral creates reefs, structures in the ocean that support entire ecosystems. However, climate change is threatening the existence of such reefs. The Great Barrier Reef has suffered four bleaching events in the last seven years.
Coral bleaching happens when extreme temperatures and sunlight force corals to release algae living in their tissue. This causes them to lose their color and turn white. The experience greatly weakens the coral and can kill them.
Scientists working on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef have successfully tested a new method for freezing and storing coral larvae — the very young form of the small ocean animal.
The science project in Australia involves freezing and storing coral larvae to use later for rewilding. A new material called “cryomesh” is helping the scientists in the effort. Coral is frozen using a special method called cryogenics. This permits the young animals to be stored until they can be unfrozen and placed in the wild. The process currently requires high-tech equipment including lasers and is costly. But, the team in Australia says cryomesh can do a better job of saving the coral and for much less money. The mesh technology helps to store coral larvae at-196 degrees Celsius.
The scientists used the cryomesh to freeze Great Barrier Reef coral larvae at the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences, or AIMS. Workers collected the coral during the animal’s brief yearly reproductive period.
Mary Hagedorn, Senior Research Scientist at Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute explained, “If we can secure the biodiversity of coral...then we’ll have tools for the future to really help restore the reefs.” She added, “...this technology for coral reefs in the future is a real game-changer.”
The cryomesh had been tested earlier on smaller and larger kinds of Hawaian corals. A test on the larger failed. Tests are continuing with larger-size Great Barrier Reef coral. The tests involve scientists from four organizations. Together they are part of the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program.
1. What’s the passage mainly about?| A．A comparison of two experiments. | B．A new method for restoring coral reefs. |
| C．The Great Barrier Reef under great threat. | D．Scientists’ joint efforts to support the ecosystem. |
| A．It is easier to store. | B．It is less expensive. |
| C．It freezes larvae faster. | D．It is environmentally friendly. |
| A．People can do more about the biodiversity of corals. |
| B．The scientists barely have tools to help the reefs restore. |
| C．The cryomesh technology has changed the corals’ situation. |
| D．The mesh technology will play a vital role in restoring the reefs. |
| A．Tests on larger corals are more important. |
| B．It is going to be applied widely to more corals. |
| C．Only scientists of AIMS are involved in the tests. |
| D．More experiments are needed to prove its efficiency. |
