1 . The yogurt that’ s past its sell-by date. The banana in your lunch that turned brown. The leftovers in the fridge that you forgot to eat. For most people, all that food goes right into the garbage can.

Eight to ten percent of global greenhouse gas emissions (放) are related to food waste, according to a report by the U. N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. “When you throw away an egg or a sandwich,” says Yvette Cabrera, food waste vice director at the Natural Resources Defense Council ( N. R. D. C. ) ,“you’ re also throwing away all the resources that went into producing those things.”

That includes not only all the water, land, and fertilizer (化肥) that went into producing that food, but also the massive amounts of fossil fuels used to power the farms, transport the food, and create the packaging.

Then there’s the issue of what happens to food after it’s thrown out. More food ends up in U.S. landfills than any other type of trash. Food rotting in landfills produces methane (甲烷), a greenhouse gas that’s roughly 25 times more powerful at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, which is produced by burning fossil fuels.

Food waste is a difficult problem to solve, though, in part because it happens for different reasons depending on the country. In developing nations,40 percent of food is lost before it ever reaches people’s homes, because many of those countries lack the technology and tools to preserve food.

It's another story in wealthier countries, where most of the food is wasted in people’s kitchens. Americans, for example, throw out a quarter of their groceries each year, on average, according to the N. R. D. C. That's like going to the grocery store, leaving with four bags of groceries, and then throwing one of them into the garbage before you get home.

1. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．The problem of food waste.	B．The awareness of food saving.
C．The necessity of food diversity.	D．The ways of preservation.

2. What does the underlined word “That” in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A．The leftovers in the fridge.	B．The packaging for products.
C．The thrown egg or sandwich.	D．The resources to produce food.

3. What does the author intend to do in Paragraph 4?

A．Provide a persuasive example.	B．Add more background information.
C．Discuss a more serious consequence.	D．Summarize the previous paragraphs.

4. In what stage does food waste mainly happen in developed countries?

A．Storage.	B．Transportation.
C．Processing.	D．Consumption.

2 . Quantum theory (量子理论) is perhaps the most successful scientific idea ever. Yet, a century after its birth, something remains deeply puzzling about quantum theory. It does not tell us how physical systems behave. Instead, it treats any physical system as a black box: if you do this to it now, it will react like that later. What happens in between? The theory simply doesn't tell us.

An idea has recently begun to catch on. Perhaps there is no need to make anything up about what lies behind quantum theory. Perhaps it really does reveal to us the deep structure of reality, where a property is no more than something that affects something else. Perhaps this is precisely what “properties” are: the effects of interactions.

Think of a simple object such as a blue teacup. Its being blue is not a property of the cup alone: colors happen in our brain as a result of the certain biological structure of our eyes and as a consequence of the interactions between daylight and the cup’s surface. Its being “a teacup" refers to its potential function as a drinking container: for an alien who doesn’t know about drinking tea, the very concept of a teacup is meaningless. As quantum theory shows: they are defined by their physical interactions with the rest of the world.

Then, it comes with a lesson. We understand reality better if we think of it in terms of interactions, not individuals. This is why, in classic game theory, the winners in the long run are those who cooperate. Too foolishly we measure success in terms of an individual’s fortunes. It misunderstands the true nature of reality, and is ultimately self-defeating, which leads to unimaginable consequence and prevents us from addressing challenges that all human-kind faces as a whole.

1. What possibly does quantum theory tell according to the text?

A．How physical systems behave.	B．How to treat physical systems.
C．What effects one has on itself.	D．What the structure of reality is.

2. How does the author explain “the effects of interactions”?

A．By giving an example.	B．By making a comparison.
C．By quoting a scientist.	D．By conducting a survey.

3. What does “It” in paragraph 4 refer to?

A．The consequence we bear.	B．The theory in classic games.
C．The fortunes individuals have.	D．The way to measure success.

4. What is the main purpose of the text?

A．To clarify a physics theory.	B．To draw attention to interaction.
C．To challenge a popular idea.	D．To present reflections on games.

3 . For the history of life on Earth, organisms have relied on the light of the sun, moon, and stars to find their way and schedule their lives. While the beginning of electric lighting in the late 19th century may have benefited humans, it has caused problems in the natural world. Among the impacts of artificial light at night(ALAN), light pollution lures migrating birds to cities with shocking consequences, contributes to the alarming decline in insect populations, and convinces sea turtle babies to amble(缓行)away from the water instead of towards it.

Now, a new study from the University of Plymouth adds another disappointing finding about how ALAN is affecting the creatures with whom we share the planet: Light pollution from coastal cities can trick corals(珊瑚)into reproducing outside of the optimum times when they would normally reproduce.

Using a combination of light pollution data and spawning(产卵)observations, researchers were able to show for the first time that corals exposed to ALAN are spawning one to three days earlier and closer to the full moon compared to those on unlit corals. “That shift may reduce the survival and fertilization success of gametes(配子)and genetic connectivity between nearby lit and unlit coral systems,” they explain.

“Corals are among the most biodiverse, economically important, and threatened ecosystems on the planet,” write the authors of the study.

“Climate change has led to mass bleaching(褪色)events. Habitat destruction, fisheries, and pollution have reduced corals substantially since the 1950s,” they write, adding, “The complete loss of corals is anticipated over the next 100 years.”

If we want to reduce the harm ALAN is causing, we could perhaps look to delay the switching-on of night-time lighting in coastal regions to ensure the natural dark period between sunset and moonrise when coral reproduction remains undisturbed.

1. Why is the first paragraph written?

A．To present the topic of the text.	B．To advocate energy conservation.
C．To explain a natural phenomenon.	D．To provide background information.

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

A．Possible.

B．Appropriate.

C．Flexible.

D．Sensitive.

3. What is the researchers’ major concern over corals?

A．Extinction.	B．Losing value.
C．Terrible diseases.	D．Exposure to moonlight.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Creatures Rely on Natural Lights to Schedule Their Life

B．Night-time Lighting Shortens Natural Dark Period

C．Coastal Lights Trick Corals into Early Spawning

D．Light Pollution Leads to Serious Consequences

4 . I once rescued a distrustful horse and now he lives peacefully on my farm. But the________to Bob’s recovery was nothing I did. It was my grandson, Paul.

Paul came with his parents for a vacation. Bob kept his distance from the________, but he seemed________by this little visitor. So we decided to________them. “Move slowly, be quiet and bend down sometimes,” I told my grandson. Paul________approached Bob, step by step, holding a soft comb. He________Bob’s shoulders and neck softly with the comb, removing the remains of Bob’s thick winter coat. It’s hard for a four-year-old to stay________for long, but he did it. Paul made one quick move, and Bob shyly________. But they were not ready to give up. Paul approached again.

To________a preschooler’s learning to control himself in such a short time was________. As we watched, true love ________. Over the next few days, Bob let Paul throw his arms around his________, and pat his legs. And Paul felt________to sit at Bob’s feet while Bob carefully nibbled (咬) his shirt collar and hair. Bob even hugged Paul — yes, a horse can hug — without knocking him off________. Bob is now a(n)________and trusting horse and Paul a miracle worker.

1.

A．approach

B．key

C．road

D．answer

2.

A．lookers-on

B．passers-by

C．grown-ups

D．standers-by

3.

A．attracted

B．puzzled

C．surprised

D．annoyed

4.

A．support

B．treat

C．greet

D．introduce

5.

A．quickly

B．cautiously

C．casually

D．excitedly

6.

A．patted

B．held

C．embraced

D．rubbed

7.

A．calm

B．still

C．out

D．away

8.

A．backed off

B．stepped forward

C．jumped up

D．looked out

9.

A．appreciate

B．witness

C．allow

D．notice

10.

A．amazing

B．promising

C．rewarding

D．disappointing

11.

A．increased

B．restored

C．faded

D．developed

12.

A．body

B．cheeks

C．neck

D．tail

13.

A．free

B．uneasy

C．amused

D．scared

14.

A．position

B．chance

C．balance

D．stage

15.

A．interesting

B．satisfying

C．rescued

D．changed

5 . Architects often spend months or even years perfecting a design to express their ideas more clearly, convey additional information, or outline the right proportions for a building. However, the urgent issue of climate change is placing new demands on their work. For example, in July, Super Typhoon Doksuri battered China, affecting more than 2.66 million people in Fujian Province alone.

Green architecture that conserves energy and reduces carbon dioxide emissions offers a solution, and concerted efforts have been made in diverse research fields over the past three decades to minimize heat loss. In addition, new buildings have to be tailored to the needs of people’s lifestyles.

Ren Jun, a professor at Tianjin University’s School of Architecture, who designed the first near-zero energy house in China in December 2019, said, “You can construct low-energy, environmentally-friendly houses, but if the interior design and environmental quality don’t meet residents’ requirements, these properties won’t be suitable to live in.”

The near-zero energy house, located-in Banbidian village in Beijing’s southern district of Daxing, won the International Design Award in the United States in January last year. The 400-square-meter property, which stands at the entrance to the village, runs on solar power gathered from rooftop panels, with the addition of a small amount of power from the grid (电网).

Ren said the first obstacle to conserving energy in the property was heat retention, which he attempted to achieve by keeping the indoor temperature at a certain level. The property is divided into five areas: a solar garden in the front yard, a central lounge, a water courtyard, a sponge zone, and a back room. For the exterior walls, Ren used three types of insulation (隔热层), including plastic foam, each about 25 centimeters thick.

Ren also looked for ways to deal with emissions at the house. He decided to install a ventilator, which pipes air that is polluted and replaces it with fresh air from outside in every room at the property.

Ren said it would take three to five years before more ultralow or near-zero energy buildings appeared in Chinese cities.

1. Which is not an important factor for designing green houses?

A．Energy consumption.	B．Carbon emission.
C．People’s lifestyle.	D．Architecture style.

2. What can we conclude about the nero-zero energy house?

A．The house consumes little electricity.

B．The house is deliberately designed to keep heat.

C．The house is equipped with many intelligent facilities.

D．The house is the first International Design Award-winning building in China.

3. What did Ren do to build up the house?

A．He designed the house in five stories to trap heat in it.

B．He applied 75 centimeters of plastic foam to exterior walls.

C．He tailored the interior design to the demand of local people.

D．He installed a ventilator to cut down carbon dioxide emissions.

4. Which is the best title for the passage?

A．Green Homes Offer Hope amid Climate Change

B．Green Houses Feature Near-Zero Energy Consumption

C．Ren Jun Won the International Design Award

D．China Strives for Low Carbon Strategy with Green Houses

6 . 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。

Qian Xuesen is a great scientist, a man of distinction. He     1     (bear) in Hangzhou, was admitted to the aeronautics department of the MIT in 1934. After graduating with his PhD, he was employed as     2     assistant researcher at Caltech. Qian’s missile designs laid the foundation for the successful building of missiles in the US in the 1940s and 1950s,     3     (make) him a world-renowned rocketeer.

When he learnt of the     4     (thrill) news of the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, Qian resolutely gave up his privileged conditions in the US and decided to return to his longed-for homeland to contribute as much as he could     5     his own nation.

Upon returning to China, Qian Xuesen was actively involved in research work. Under his     6     (participate) and guidance, China successfully launched its first rocket in 1960,     7     in 1964, it was a great success to run the flight test of China’s first self-designed medium-range rocket. In 1965, Qian’s proposal     8     (develop) an artificial satellite was included in the country’s key projects, after     9     the first artificial satellite was finally launched into space in 1970.

In 1999, Qian Xuesen     10     (award) the “Two Bombs and One Satellite” Meritorious Medal by the government of PRC, and was hailed as the “Father of China’s Missiles” for his significant contributions to China’s space industry.

7 . Evolution (进化) can perform extraordinary makeovers; today’s airborne songbirds evolved from the wingless, earthbound dinosaurs that wandered millions of years ago. But some organisms seem to be unchanged — in other words, escape natural selection. The coelacanth, a modern-day fish, is nearly identical to its410-million-year-old fossils.

Scientists have long wondered how these species do so. It has been assumed that natural selection keeps some species unchanged by selecting for moderate or average qualities (stabilizing selection) rather than selecting for more extreme qualities that would cause a species to change (directional selection).

But a study published in the National Academy of Sciences USA contradicts this idea, showing that evolution constantly favors different qualities in seemingly unchanging animals to improve short-term survival. In the long term, though, “all that evolution cancels out and leads to no change,” says the study’s lead author, James Stroud.

Stroud and his colleagues studied for lizard (蜥蜴) specios; all relatively unchanged for 20 million years. The researchers caught members of these populations every six months for three years. They measured each lizard’s head size, leg length, mass and height, as well as the size of its sticky toes (脚趾头), noting which individuals survived. Stroud expected to observe stabılızıng selection at work preserving moderate qualities. Instead he saw clearer evidence of directional selection: some lizards with unique characteristics, such as stickier toes, survived better.

“The study offers a good explanation for why we see what we think is stabiliring selection,” says Tadashi Fukami, an ecologist studying evolution at Stanford University. Many new qualities are evolving in the short term, but they don’t provide a crucial advantage over the long term. In other words, species staying unchanged may simply have found the best possible combination of qualities for lasting success in their environment. So what happens when the lizards’ environment changes more dramatically? To help answer this bigger question, Stroud is still making trips to visit the lizards.

1. Why does the author mention the “coelacanth fish” in paragraph 1?

A．To demonstrate the power of evolution.	B．To add evidence to natural selection.
C．To give an example of unchanged species.	D．To prove species' extraordinary makeovers.

2. What's the focus of paragraph 2?

A．Unsolved mysteries.	B．A common belief.
C．A sharp contrast.	D．Unique Characteristics.

3. How did Stroud conduct his research?

A．By analyzing lizard fossils.	B．By tracking research objects.
C．By illustrating stabilizing selection.	D．By categorizing qualities of lizards.

4. What will Stroud probably do in the future?

A．Make trips to visit lizard experts.	B．Summarize average features of lizards.
C．Reveal the best combinations of qualities.	D．Examine lizards under extreme conditions.

8 . Some scientists have traced the increase in earthquakes, especially in areas not known for the presence of fault lines or past seismic (地震的) activity, to human actions. The idea of humans causing earthquakes may seem strange at first. After all, you can run around your backyard and jump up and down as you want, and the ground isn’t going to start shaking. However, scientists have identified a variety of large scale human activities that can result in earthquakes.

Scientists have confirmed over 700 places where human activities have caused earthquakes over the last century. While many human-related earthquakes are mild and don’t cause much damage, some of them can be serious and dangerous. In fact, scientists believe human activity has caused earthquakes with magnitudes as high as 7.9 on the Richter scale.

Scientists believe most human-related earthquakes are the result of mining. As companies drill deeper and deeper below Earth’s surface to get natural resources, holes left behind can cause instability that leads to collapses that cause earthquakes. Another human activity leading to earthquakes is fracking (水力压裂) for oil and gas, including the high pressure waste water processing that usually goes with fracking. In this process, water, sand and chemicals are pressed underground under high pressure to break rocks to release natural resources.

Building large dams can also cause earthquakes. For example, about 80, 000 people died in China in 2008 as a result of a 7.9-magnitude earthquake caused by 320 million tons of water that had been collected in the Zipingpu Reservoir after a large dam was built over a known fault line.

These aren’t the only human activities that can result in earthquakes, though. Scientists point out that earthquakes can also be caused by other human activities, such as construction of skyscrapers and nuclear explosions.

1. What does the underlined part “fault lines” in Paragraph 1 refer to?

A．Regions with active human actions.	B．Places associated with natural balance.
C．Zones where natural resources are rich.	D．Areas where earthquakes tend to happen.

2. What do mining and oil producing have in common?

A．They break the balance of nature.	B．They destroy the stability of rocks.
C．They use high pressure to get resources.	D．They do much damage to Earth’s surface.

3. What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?

A．The 2008 earthquake is the worst in history.	B．Construction of dams should be stopped.
C．Tons of water must cause earthquakes.	D．The location of a dam matters much.

4. What does the text mainly tell us?

A．Nature punishes humans by means of earthquakes.	B．Progress has been made on earthquake research.
C．Humans are to blame for some earthquakes.	D．Earthquakes are no longer nature-made.

9 . A man named Joe in Austin spent several months in order to adopt a dog. Alva is a dog with wobbler syndrome(摇摆综合征), but that didn’t _________ Joe from knowing they would be together.

_________ at Austin Pets Alive in November 2020 at just 5 months old, Alva was _________ , skinny, and in need of a helping paw. She had a hard time _________ and walking on account of the _________ . After almost 24 months of shelter stays, the _________ in her life with wobblers and multiple owners had made her self-protective, _________ , and shy.

Joe had originally seen Alva on APA’s Instagram, and determined to do something to help her. “I just _________ her and said, ‘I bet everyone has given up on you,’” Joe told APA! “‘I’m not going to do that to you.’”

Nor did he, but instead visited her at APA every single day for two months to earn her _________ in the hope that he could welcome her into his __________. Seeing that there was a potential end to Alva’s difficulties, APA staff worked hard to treat and __________ Alva. Alva recovered well during the two months, and __________Joe got what he wished for—Alva was able to move in with him.

He __________ his house with various ramps and carpeted corners to ensure she had a safe, comfortable environment.

“Alva gave me a __________ every time I saw her, and that was: inspiration. It is her infectious spirit that makes her __________, and brightens my days,” Joe told APA!

1.

A．defend

B．stop

C．protect

D．excuse

2.

A．Coming

B．Wandering

C．Arriving

D．Shouting

3.

A．bloody

B．tough

C．strange

D．weak

4.

A．barking

B．standing

C．eating

D．shaking

5.

A．disease

B．hunger

C．injury

D．fear

6.

A．prejudices

B．attacks

C．changes

D．sufferings

7.

A．energetic

B．disciplined

C．sensitive

D．adaptable

8.

A．turned to

B．looked at

C．waited for

D．called on

9.

A．trust

B．reputation

C．mercy

D．living

10.

A．home

B．office

C．garden

D．shelter

11.

A．adapt to

B．take after

C．depend on

D．attend to

12.

A．surprisingly

B．immediately

C．eventually

D．exactly

13.

A．assisted

B．associated

C．equipped

D．filled

14.

A．hand

B．lesson

C．hug

D．gift

15.

A．struggle

B．shine

C．stay

D．exist

10 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

When I was a kid, my parents and I lived near the forest. They often told me that our family was a team that needed to work together for the household to function smoothly. There was always an abundance of work to do — cooking, cleaning, and walking dogs. I volunteered to walk our dog, Max, who had been adopted one month before. I never dared let this giant dog off the lead (牵狗绳), just in case he took off.

One morning, we were walking along in the forest when Max started pulling on the lead. At first, I was able to hold on despite the wet ground from a recent shower. But the more I tried to stop him pulling, the more it turned into a tug of war. And thanks to the slippery ground, I lost.

Pulling his lead, Max shot off like a bullet, leaving me screaming behind. I chased him but lost my footing and fell face-first into some mud. I stumbled (踉跄) to my feet, but looking ahead, I found him running back towards me. I thought he was going to stop and give me his “Sorry” look. But instead, the dog shot past me and returned after a while.

As soon as we got home, my mother immediately attended to Max with a warm towel and a doggy treat. I thought seeing me stumbling and covered in mud, I would also get a warm cup of tea and a motherly kiss. Instead, I got a very loud lecture about letting the dog loose in the forest.

I felt frustrated. It wasn’t fair that she didn’t understand how difficult it was to control Max. I fought back, “Stop lecturing me! Why is everything my fault?” With these words, I stormed into my bedroom and slammed the door shut.

In the evening, I heard my mother call Max and take him out. It wasn’t long before I heard my mother screaming and the door opening again.

注意：
1. 续写词数应为150个左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

I walked out of my room.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dad stepped in, suggesting that we work together to train Max.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________