1 . Pictures of the bird called the red siskin appear on Venezuela’s money, on products and in school books.
But the small song bird is disappearing from the wild. It has become the victim of reducing forests and hunters who want to sell their bright red feathers. That threat has brought together an international team. They hope to save the bird. The plan is to have farmers plant organic coffee plants which are covered with branches that make good nesting places for the birds.
Once found in the millions, as few as 300 red siskins remain in Venezuela. “They don’t have many years left, unless we do something right now,” said Miguel Arvelo.
Fanners who meet the project’s rules will win the right to sell their beans with “Bird Friendly” labels. They will be able to set prices for such “high quality” products that can be five times higher than legal prices set by the government.
The male siskin is valued for its red feathers and black head. Breeders cross them with yellow pet birds to create babies with colourful feathers. Protection under Venezuelan law has not prohibited hunters from catching the birds to sell on an illegal international market. Poor Venezuelan families often catch and sell the birds. The money they receive can feed their children for months, said biologist Jhonathan Miranda.
At the same time, a red siskin breeding centre is being built at a private zoo in Venezuela. There, 200 birds are expected to be born next year. Scientists keep the places where the birds live a secret to protect them from hunters. They permitted some reporters to photograph a small number of birds at one of those secret places. Twelve or more of the small, red birds flew into sight just as the sun appeared.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen so many birds together,” said Miranda. “It gives us hope.”
1. What do Miguel’s words in the third paragraph suggest?| A．The red siskins can’t live longer. | B．It is urgent to save the red siskins. |
| C．Organic coffee plants will die soon. | D．Coffee farmers do the right thing now. |
| A．To make them plant less coffee crops. | B．To increase their coffee production. |
| C．To provide red siskins with good habitats. | D．To allow some sunshine into the coffee fields. |
| A．They produce coffee beans of high quality. | B．They have a ban on their coffee planting. |
| C．They enjoy the right to feed birds with beans. | D．They can sell their coffee at a higher price. |
| A．Saving red siskins by planting coffee plants | B．Helping Venezuelans plant more coffee crops |
| C．Preserving the endangered species in Venezuela | D．Building a breeding centre for red siskins |
2 . People love to hate on pigeons (鸽子) for the way they mess up parked cars or rush to food scraps on the sidewalk. But with more than 300 species of wild pigeon found on Earth-many of them amazing it’s time to truly understand the animal. “Pigeons are biological wonders,” says Rosemary Mosco, author of A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching. “They can take off almost vertically (垂直地). They see colors we can’t, hear sounds we can’t, and find their way across hundreds of miles using ways we don’t fully understand,” she says. “They’re the world’s most overlooked birds.”
Pigeons are unbelievably complex and intelligent animals. They are one of only a small number of species to pass the “mirror test” a test of self-recognition. They can also recognize each letter of the human alphabet, differentiate between photographs, and even distinguish different humans within a photograph. Besides, pigeons are known for their outstanding navigational abilities. They use a range of skills, such as using the sun as a guide and an internal “magnetic compass (指南针)”. A study at Oxford University found that they will also use landmarks as signposts and will travel along man-made roads and motorways, even changing direction at crossroads. Pigeons also have excellent hearing abilities. They can detect sounds at far lower frequencies than humans are able to, and can thus hear distant storms and volcanoes.
Despite the social idea as dirty and disease-ridden, pigeons are actually very clean animals and there is very little evidence to suggest that they are spreading disease. Pigeons and humans have lived in close relationship for thousands of years. Although pigeon droppings are seen by some as a problem in modern society, a few centuries ago they were seen as extremely valuable. They were viewed as the best available fertilizers (肥料) and armed guards would even stand by pigeon houses to stop others taking the droppings.
1. What can we know about pigeons from paragraph 1?| A．They do great harm to people. |
| B．They are still unknown to people. |
| C．They are the world’s most amazing birds. |
| D．They have abilities beyond people’s imagination. |
| A．The ability to see colors. |
| B．The ability to detect sounds. |
| C．The ability to guide directions. |
| D．The ability to recognize photographs. |
| A．Pigeons’ hearing. | B．Pigeons’ differences. |
| C．Pigeons’ qualities. | D．Pigeons’ intelligence. |
| A．Pigeons are dangerous. | B．Pigeons are priceless. |
| C．Pigeon waste is valuable. | D．Pigeon waste is poisonous. |
According to a new study, penguins didn’t originate in Antarctica, as scientists
The study suggested that penguins originated in Australia and New Zealand 22 million years ago, not in Antarctica as
Then the opening of the Drake Passage—the body of water
These findings also support the theory that king and emperor penguins are the “sister groups” to all other penguin families,
Today, the flightless birds can
4 . Mr. Asada is just one of many growers in Shizuoka, one of Japan’s largest wasabi-growing(山葵种植)regions, who must face rising challenges from global warming and the effect of untended forests. Already. these hazards have gradually weakened the centuries-old culture of wasabi in the area and damaged the future of one of the area’s most important agricultural products and its tourism business.
Over the last decade, the number of wasabi produced in Shizuoka has dropped by close to 55 percent, according to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The wasabi that comes in tubes and packets is actually a mixture of wasabi and horseradish(辣根)—or includes no wasabi at all. These days. almost only expensive restaurants have access to fresh wasabi. giving their customers a chance to experience the unique flavor and traditional culture of wasabi.
Wasabi plants grow up in spring water that flows down from the mountains, helping to improve their flavor and sweetness. Over time. local growers say, the spring water has worsened in quality due to a large number of cypress trees which grow like crazy in the untended forests.
Global warming has upset the balance even further. The delicate wasabi plants, which take more than a year to be full-grown, do best in conditions no higher than about 70 degrees Fahrenheit. In recent years, heat waves in Japan have regularly pushed temperatures into the 90s and even above 100 degrees. causing more stems to rot.
Government researchers and local growers have started to experiment with crossbreeding in an effort to develop better wasabi varieties that will grow strong even in the rising heat. The challenge is that. unlike with other crops such as cucumbers or tomatoes. getting seeds and growing seedlings from wasabi requires advanced technology. Most growers rely on specialized companies to clone seedlings in labs and greenhouses. Crossbreeding new varieties needs difficult pollination(授粉)efforts, and most of all. time.
1. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “hazards” in paragraph 1?| A．signals | B．adventures |
| C．threats | D．measures |
| A．It is popular in Japan. | B．It likes high temperature. |
| C．It is damaged by the cypress trees. | D．It will develop into new species very soon. |
| A．They attempt to get seeds from wasabi. |
| B．They make efforts to develop species standing the heat. |
| C．They depend on companies to clone seedlings. |
| D．They help complete the process of pollination. |
| A．Wasabi under severe threats | B．Global warming risks wasabi |
| C．Wasabi—a popular food choice | D．Researchers and growers are saving wasabi |
5 . Any 25th birthday is a cause for celebration. But it was even more so for Janus, a two-headed Greek tortoise (龟). Living in the Natural History Museum of Geneva, Switzerland, Janus is now believed to be the world’s oldest two-headed tortoise. The museum celebrated the special occasion with a day-long party filled with fun events, which included taking photos with the birthday “boy”.
In the wild, Greek tortoises can live up to two hundred years in their natural habitat. However, two-headed tortoises, like Janus, usually do not survive for that long. Unlike normal tortoises, they are unable to take back their two heads into their shell, making them highly easy to be attacked.
Janus, who has spent his entire life in the museum, faces no such danger. But life is not without challenges for the two-headed tortoise who also has two hearts and two pair s of lungs. Each head controls the front and back legs on its side of the body. The right head is more curious and more awake. The left head is more passive and loves to eat. This can lead to confusion when the two heads decide to go in different directions. To make matters worse, the two heads frequently rub against each other, resulting in skin sores (溃疡). Janus also has a hard time rolling back onto his feet when he accidentally turns over. If left on their backs for too long, tortoises can get sunburned, dehydrated (脱水的) and even die.
Fortunately, Janus has a special caregiver, Angelica Bourgoin, to make sure he lives along and health y life. The tortoise receives a daily massage and is bathed in green tea and flower water. He eats a special diet of organic fruits and vegetables, keeps active with walks, and rides on his custom skateboard. With such loving care, the two-headed tortoise will surely continue to break many more records for long life.
1. Why is it hard for two-headed tortoises to survive in the wild?| A．They can’t avoid biting each other. |
| B．They can’t find enough food to eat. |
| C．They can’t hide from their enemies. |
| D．They can’t run as fast as normal ones. |
| A．In the museum. | B．In a pet store. |
| C．In the ocean. | D．In Bourgoin’s home. |
| A．Different decisions. | B．The death of thirst. |
| C．The pain on his skin. | D．Two halves of body. |
| A．Free. | B．Tough. | C．Boring. | D．Easy. |
Imagine a place where, as a nature lover, you have a chance to see 17 species of animals, 94 different kinds of birds and 230 types of plants in just four days.
It might seem like an impossible task, especially for someone who is not a
The event,
For the festival, more than 50 wildlife enthusiasts from across China, Australia, France, the United Kingdom and the United States formed 17 teams and did
Members of the local community
Alexis Langlois, who manages a large farm, heard her neighbor crazily knocking on her front door on a Monday afternoon.
“There’s an emergency”, Amber Countryman yelled. “The horses are stuck in the water.” Langlois was struck with “absolute panic”. She threw on her winter boots — without socks — and rushed toward the small pond on the 80-acre property. She was surprised by what she saw: four horses were in the water up to their necks in 10 feet of ice water.
She immediately called 911.While waiting for help to arrive, “people just started showing up,” she said. “Neighbors were pouring in. People came with ropes, chainsaws, shovels and pick axes.”
“I grabbed a bunch of supplies,” said Countryman, whose two teenagers and their friend also as sited with the effort.
“It was-8℃that day,” she said, adding that she brought out handwarmers and water for the helpers.
Everyone was determined to get the horses out of the pond — which is about 15feetwide.
Beneath a six-inch layer of ice, the water was “just barely above freezing”, said Chris Yerkes, the South Kalispell Fire Department chief who rushed to the pond with about a dozen volunteer personnel.
When the firefighters arrived, neighbors had already attempted to pave a path through the ice toward the edge of the pond using pick axes, sledgehammers and shovels, and “we continued with that effort.” Yerkes said. Unfortunately, “as we got closer to the edge, we realized there was about three to four inches of mud.”
The thick layer of mud — which the rescuers couldn’t cut through — blocked the horses from climbing out. Firefighters enlisted additional support from Flathead County Animal Control, as well as staff from local equestrian organization Rebecca Farm.
“There had to have been at least 60 people here,” Langlois said. “It was very swift action on everybody’s part.”
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。
Paragraph 1
It took nearly two hours to find a workable solution that could bring all four horses to safety.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2
To get the horses out, they used a powerful tractor (拖拉机) to get the animals out of the mud and ropes to pull them over the edge.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8 . As the carbon countdown clock ticks on, cities must be more imaginative and cooperative, a lively round table hosted in Newham by a non-profit organization Friends of the Earth said.
“Net zero is around the corner,” said Mike Wake, Director of Friends of the Earth. “The UK has cut greenhouse gas emission (排放) by 40% to date mostly through the growth of large renewable generation on the grid (输电网), but further cuts will be needed as London tries to find new ways of using energy.
“While Newham has lower greenhouse gas emission per head than the UK, it has high levels of fuel poverty, poor air quality and leaky homes. Vastly improved energy efficiency, especially on older and leakier homes, along with more efficient forms of heating and an expansion of low carbon heat networks, will help,” said Wake.
“But the future requires a shift to a more communal solution,” the representatives said. District heating, which pipes hot water from a central source to connected homes or businesses, is often a cheaper and lower-carbon method of heating highly populated areas. “It’s the lowest cost and low carbon solution for the future,” Wake added.
“There are new technologies to use wasted heat,” Wake said. “We worked with businesses to decarbonise (使环保) energy supply. Rather than wasting, spare heat generated by manufacturing and other activities can be captured and used to heat nearby properties. Friends of the Earth has already helped save Newham thousands of tonnes of emissions through district heating plans, solar PV and more energy efficient measures in the homes.”
But the challenges are substantial. Newham has London’s second-highest rate of fuel poverty. “Anyway, I’m confident and hopeful about the collective challenge,” said Wake. “But for Newham to be at the forefront of a green economy, to solve fuel poverty and deal with structural equalities, we must spare no effort.”
1. What does Wake think of cutting greenhouse gas emission in the UK?| A．It doesn’t work at all. | B．It ended a short time ago. |
| C．It is very difficult to continue. | D．It still needs to be improved. |
| A．Expensive. | B．Peaceful. | C．Public. | D．Complex. |
| A．By releasing wasted heat. |
| B．By starting up many businesses. |
| C．By making national heating plans. |
| D．By solving the issues about energy. |
| A．Worried. | B．Positive. | C．Uncaring. | D．Critical. |
9 . In the heart of Texas, “Bee Czar” Walter Schumacher is saving the world—one hive (蜂群) at a time. And he does it without wearing a protective bee suit. What is his technique? He “communicates” with the bees to avoid being bitten. Walter and his team at the American Honey Bee Protection Agency rescue hives from places that are unwanted—inside the walls of a house or 30 feet up in a neighborhood tree, and relocate the hives where the bees can grow and pollinate (授粉) in peace.
According to Walter, every third bite of food we eat was pollinated by bees; without them, life would cease existing. But saving bees costs money, so they have got to sell honey to make money.
Walter’s business once was booming with $200,000 in yearly sales. But after losing everything in the past three years, Walter wants to rebuild his honey business so that he can afford to rescue unwanted hives. With his oldest son Will and a small but dedicated team, Walter has a plan to transform their old family farm into their new headquarters, to save more bees and sell more honey.
Saving bees is a big affair. Will runs the business, trying to keep his dad organized; Walter teaches his younger sons Bodhi and Odin the skills of keeping bees, and Will’s wife Meredith is experiencing her first bee rescue. Walter also invites bee technician Jonathan who seeks inner calm by rescuing bees and scaffolding (脚手架) pro Sandy, who can reach angry bees in places ladders can’t and dreams of talking to bees herself. Walter brings audiences into the hive when he trains beekeepers to safely handle millions of bees Will plans to sign big contracts selling honey to businesses like restaurants and supermarkets, meanwhile undertaking dangerous hive rescues.
1. Which of the following can best describe Walter’s work of rescuing bees?| A．Interesting. | B．Tough. | C．Tiring. | D．Simple. |
| A．They are important to us. | B．They are not in danger. |
| C．They can’t grow in peace. | D．They can bite many people. |
| A．To find more hives. | B．To expand his team. |
| C．To rebuild his business. | D．To train more bee raisers. |
| A．Why Walter started the big affair. |
| B．What Walter’s family do to save bees. |
| C．Whether Walter sticks to his business. |
| D．How Walter teaches his sons to keep bees. |
10 . 4 Best Places to Travel in 2023
2023 is the year when travel returns in a big way. To get you started, we’ve rounded up some of the best places to travel in 2023. All you need to do is pick the place that appeals to you.
Copenhagen
With its fantastic houses, clean streets and colorful architecture, Copenhagen is regarded as the most livable city on the earth. Named the World Capital of Architecture for 2023, Copenhagen will offer a series of major artistic events and programs sure to delight architects and design lovers.
Bhutan
For travelers with a sense of adventure and a love of discovery, Bhutan has always been a must-go destination. In 2023, travelers can once again explore the Trans Bhutan Trail, which runs 250 miles from east to west, offering visits to the century-old communities along the journey. The trail spans (横跨)18 major bridges and national parks and connects more than 400 historic and cultural sites.
Bordeaux
The coming years will be sporty in the historical wine region of Bordeaux in France. In 2023, the city will host the Rugby World Cup, an intense and stressful game. Beyond sports, Bordeaux is one of the favorite historical cities, with more than 350 structures that are either nationally or regionally listed as historical monuments.
Namibia
Wildlife and adventure lovers looking for a unique path in African Safari trips should head straight to Namibia in 2023 — this country in southern Africa is the perfect place to travel to reconnect with nature and escape the modern stresses of life. On the wildlife front, you may see lions along with giraffes and elephants.
1. What is Copenhagen well-known for?| A．The natural landscape. | B．The adventure travel. |
| C．Eye-catching architecture. | D．Famous art designers. |
| A．Modern communities. | B．Cultural relics. |
| C．Historical wine regions. | D．National monuments. |
| A．Copenhagen. | B．Bhutan. | C．Bordeaux. | D．Namibia. |
