1 . A planet that suffers 475 C beneath a thick acid atmosphere may be the last place you'd expect alien (外星的) life in our solar system. But one NASA scientist claims that extraterrestrials (天外来客) are most likely hiding on Venus amid conditions that are unbearable for humans. The new theory was put forward by the research scientist Dr Michelle Thaller. She says that possible signs of life have already been seen within the carbon-dioxide filled atmosphere, adding that she was absolutely certain that life exists somewhere.

Venus is often described as Earth's twin due to its similar size and structure. But their conditions couldn't be further apart, as astronomers believe it would be impossible for humans to exist on Venus. Positioned 67 million miles from the Sun, Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system, suffering temperatures that can even melt lead. Its atmosphere also adds to the uninhabitable situation.

Despite this, scientists have long debated whether Venus' clouds may host microbial (微生物的) life forms that can survive. Many scientists think that photosynthesis (光合作用) is possible on the planet's surface as Venus receives enough solar energy to pass through its thick clouds.

However, Professor Dominic Papineau, a biologist at the University College of London, believes Dr Thaller's views are “difficult to realistically assume”. He explained, “For life-related chemical reactions to take place, liquid water is necessary. Hence, to find extraterrestrial life, we need to find liquid water, and to find extraterrestrial fossils requires looking for special rocks that were associated with liquid water in the past.”

This makes life on Venus today difficult to realistically assume, because its surface is too hot, although Venus might have had liquid water in its past. Even still, both Professor Papineau and Dr Thaller agree that the icy moons of our solar system could also be sites of potential microbial life. NASA suggests there are 290 “traditional moons” in our solar system-excluding 462 smaller minor planets.

1. What can we know about Venus?

A．Its atmosphere is thin acidic.

B．It is much bigger than Earth.

C．It is 77 million miles from the Sun.

D．Venus and Earth are considered as twins.

2. Which statement would Papineau agree with?

A．Photosynthesis can happen on Venus's surface.

B．Thick clouds make photosynthesis in Venus hard.

C．Liquid water is important for the extraterrestrials.

D．Some rocks can prove life exists on Venus.

3. What can we know from the last paragraph?

A．The surface temperature of Venus is high.

B．It's very easy to confirm life on Venus.

C．Venus might have liquid water now.

D．Many icy moons go around Venus.

4. In which section of a newspaper can you find this text?

A．Education.

B．Science.

C．Culture.

D．Sports.

2 . 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。

It all began when my younger brother, Chris, and I went over to Aunt Barbara and Uncle Howard’s for Thanksgiving. My aunt and uncle live on a farm at the opposite end of town, and Chris and I love going there. The farm is situated in a valley surrounded by rolling hills. The fields are lush and green, with crops growing as far as the eye could see. The sound of chickens clucking and cows mooing fills the air. For my brother and me, it is a wonderland where we have a lot of fun.

We got up early and did the morning chores before we left. As kids, we talked happily about the feast along the way. Roasted turkey, cornbread stuffing, sweet potato, and cranberries were awaiting us. We were curious to know how a turkey could grow so big. When we finally got to my aunt and uncle’s, Chris and I went outside to see if Uncle Howard needed help with anything. He and Dad had decided to clean out the turkey coop (笼子) before dinner. Since Chris was only nine, he got the easier job of scrubbing out the watering cans. I was twelve, old enough to help load the wheelbarrow (手推车). Work was tough, but we still found time to ask Uncle Howard a lot of questions about turkeys. He must have been impressed, because when we were finished, he winked at my dad and handed me a turkey egg. “You kids put it under a setting hen,” he said, “and in twenty-five days, you’ll have a fine turkey!” Chris was so excited that he nearly dropped his egg on the way to the house. We both stuffed ourselves at dinner and then couldn’t wait for the grownups to finish talking so we could go home and tend to our egg.

Dad put the egg under an old hen, and every day Chris and I would check to see if it’d hatched yet. Twenty-five days seemed like forever.

Para. 1. Finally, on the twenty-sixth day, Chris and I walked into the coop after school.

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Para. 2. We waited nervously for the coming of the next Thanksgiving Day.

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3 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What is the report about?

A．A movie.

B．A storm.

C．A village.

2. How many houses were damaged altogether?

A．36.

B．14.

C．200.

3. What were the farmer couple probably doing when hearing a loud noise?

A．Looking for their children.

B．Repairing their house.

C．Preparing breakfast.

4. What was the old woman’s first reaction when her house began shaking?

A．Rushing out with her grandchildren.

B．Taking something out.

C．Calling her husband.

4 . A recent study conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has discovered that river erosion (侵蚀) can lead to increased biodiversity in areas with minimal tectonic (地壳构造的) activity. The researchers focused their attention on the Tennessee River Basin and examined how the erosion of various rock types by the river had led to the separation and diversification of a type of fish called the greenfin darter. As time passed, these separate fish populations evolved into distinct families with genetic differences.

Scientist Thomas Near observed that the greenfin darter was exclusively found in the southern half of the Tennessee River Basin. The researchers analyzed the genes of each fish in Near’s data set and constructed an evolutionary tree. This tree helped them comprehend the evolution and differences of the greenfin darter species. They discovered that the fish within the same branch of the river were more closely related to each other than to the fish in other branches.

This study provides evidence that river erosion significantly impacts biodiversity in regions with low tectonic activity. It illustrates how changes in the landscape caused by river erosion can lead to the division and diversification of species over time, even in peaceful environments. These findings enhance our understanding of the mechanisms (机制) that drive biodiversity and evolution, even in areas that are not typically associated with intense tectonic activity.

Subsequently, the team discovered a strong correlation between the habitats of the greenfin darter and the type of rocks present. The southern half of the Tennessee River Basin consists of hard, tightly packed rocks, resulting in turbulent (湍急的) waves in the rivers that flow through it. This characteristic may be favored by the greenfin darter. As a result, the team assumed whether the distribution of greenfin darter habitats had been influenced by the changing rock types, as the rivers eroded the land over time. To test this assumption, the researchers developed a simulation model. Remarkably, the results confirmed their assumption.

1. What is new about the MIT study?

A．It finds river erosion can enhance biodiversity.

B．It further proves the mechanisms of river erosion.

C．It proves the geographical features of biodiversity.

D．It classifies a type of fish called the greenfin darter.

2. What can we learn about the greenfin darter?

A．Their appearances vary between families.	B．Their genetic constitutions have diversified.
C．They prefer the deep and slow-flowing river.	D．They go extinct in the changing landscape of rivers.

3. How did Near help the researchers reach their conclusion?

A．By creating an evolutionary tree of the fish.

B．By offering the fish’s genetic data.

C．By reasoning out the time the fish evolve and separate.

D．By analyzing the genetic similarity between different fish.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．River Erosion Can Shape Fish Evolution	B．Genetic Change in the Greenfin Darter
C．Evolutionary Tree Analysis of the Greenfin Darter	D．The Impact of Climate Change on Fish Diversity

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。

Lǎozìhào refers to the old and famous shops, which have always been reliable and trustworthy and still enjoy     1     irreplaceable position in people’s minds since long time. Not only do they represent high quality and good reputation, they have also become an indispensable part in     2     (people) daily life.

These famous and time-honored shops, eg, Quanjude and Tongrentang,     3     (locate) in Qianmen, the center of Beijing, all have represented the highly developed     4     (commerce) culture of old Beijing.

But these shops are more about businesses; they are also a historical and cultural phenomenon. He     5     has never tasted a roast duck will regret his whole life--such common sayings have made Quanjude a     6     (represent) of Beijing. Many other similar two-part allegorical sayings among the folks have also     7     (vivid) revealed the very characteristics of these old shops.

Nowadays, with the rapid development of economy and fierce competition in modern society, some Lǎozìhào shops have been keeping pace     8     the times and carrying forward their brands through continuous reforms and innovations. That’s why they    9     (stand) the test of time and survived in competition, while some others have faded into the history due to their inability     10     (adapt) to the rapid changes in modern social life.

6 . The big French pet care company AgroBiothers Laboratoire will no longer sell very small containers for raising fish.

The company has a 27 percent share of the French market for products used by people who raise animals at home. But it said it would no longer sell any fishbowls that hold less than 15 liters of water. They will only offer four-sided ones.

The company said it was animal abuse (虐待) to put fish in small bowls without added oxygen and filtration. Filtration is the process of removing small waste from the water with a device.

AgroBiothers chief Matthieu Lambeaux recently used the term “impulse”—meaning a sudden strong desire to do something—to describe why many adults buy goldfish. “People buy a goldfish for their kids on impulse, but if they knew what torture it is, they would not do it. Turning round and round in a small bowl drives fish crazy and kills them quickly,” Lambeaux added.

Goldfish can live up to 30 years and grow to about 25 cm in large aquariums (养鱼缸) or outdoor ponds. But in very small bowls they often die within weeks or months. Lambeaux said goldfish are social animals that need other fish, lots of space and clean water. He added that having an aquarium requires some special equipment and knowledge.

Germany and several other European countries have long banned (禁止) fishbowls, but France has no laws on the problem.

Lambeaux explained the company’s decision further by saying, “We cannot educate all our customers by explaining that keeping fish in a bowl is terrible. We consider that it is our responsibility to no longer give customers that choice.”

“There is demand for fishbowls,” he said, “but the reality is that what we offer children is the possibility of seeing goldfish die slowly.”

1. What makes the French company stop selling certain fishbowls?

A．Their size.	B．Their price.
C．Their weight.	D．Their popularity.

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

A．Progress.	B．Pleasure.
C．Difficulty.	D．Suffering.

3. What is paragraph 5 mainly about?

A．The age goldfish can reach.	B．Costs of keeping goldfish.
C．Proper living conditions for goldfish.	D．The advice on how to choose fishbowls.

4. What does the company prefer to do based on Lambeaux’s words?

A．Raise the price of the fishbowls.	B．Remove the chances of harming goldfish.
C．Keep goldfish outside in the wild.	D．Educate parents to care for goldfish.

7 . 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。

This gateway town to Yellowstone National Park has become     1     dead end and a sufferer of the extremely serious flooding that tore through one of America’s most beloved natural     2     (attraction) and swept away roads, bridges and homes.

The unprecedented (前所未有的) flood has affected the entire park     3     forced the evacuation (撤离) of 10,000 visitors. And towns like Red Lodge that lead to Yellowstone’s northern entrances and rely on tourists passing through could suffer all summer.

Officials have said the park’s southern part, which     4     (feature) Old Faithful, can reopen as soon as next week. But the north end,     5     includes Tower Fall and the bears and wolves of Lamar Valley, can stay     6     (close) for months after sections of major roads inside Yellowstone were washed away or buried in rockfall. Roads     7     (lead) to the park also have widespread damage that it can take months     8     (repair).

Red Lodge is facing a double disaster: It will have to clean up the damage     9     (do) by the flood and also figure out how to survive without the summer business that     10     (normal) supports it for the rest of the year.

8 . 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.

2. Where was Janus born?

A．In the museum.	B．In a pet store.
C．In the ocean.	D．In Bourgoin’s home.

3. What will be Janus’s biggest threat if he’s left alone on its back?

A．Different decisions.	B．The death of thirst.
C．The pain on his skin.	D．Two halves of body.

4. Which of the following can best describe Janus’s life?

A．Free.

B．Tough.

C．Boring.

D．Easy.

9 . Biologists who study evolution (进化) have always been interested in animals that developed on islands. In some situations, animals on islands changed over time and came to look very different from the same species that lived on the mainland.

The experts point to animals such as the dwarf elephant that once lived on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. The animal is now extinct. When it lived, however, it was only the size of a small horse. Elephants that live today in Africa and Asia are much larger than that. In the West Indies, researchers found a giant rodent (啮齿动物) that looked like a rat. However, it was about the same size as an American black bear. Rats are, of course, many times smaller than bears.

Evolutionary experts came to call this phenomenon “island effect”. They used this term to describe the fact that animals who normally have small bodies “upsize” on an island, while the opposite is true for animals who usually have large bodies.

The “island effect” produces strange-sized animals because large animals require more food than small animals. On an island, there is a limited amount of food. As a result, larger animals become smaller over generations in order to survive with lower food intake. For small animals, there is not as much risk from predators on an island, so they often grow larger.

Recently, researchers released their findings about 1,231 existing animals and 350 extinct ones that represent 23 million years of life. They found that animals on islands were more at risk of extinction compared to their relatives on the mainland. The arrival of human settlers increased the extinction risk for these strange animals.

Roberto Rozzi, a paleoecologist at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg in Germany said that the extinction line has become even sharper in recent decades.

The researchers call the islands “biodiversity hotspots”. Even though they only make up 7 percent of the Earth’s land mass, they account for 20 percent of the land species.

1. Why are the animals introduced in paragraph 2?

A．To compare the two species.	B．To lead in the “island effect”.
C．To show two kinds of rare animals.	D．To stress the change of surroundings.

2. What does “the opposite” refer to in paragraph 3?

A．Animals of normal small bodies “upsize” on an island.

B．Animals of normal small bodies “downsize” on an island.

C．Animals of normal large size have small bodies on an island.

D．Animals of normal large size have larger bodies on an island.

3. Which of the following does the “island effect” agree with?

A．Some things never change.	B．The gain outweighs the loss.
C．Humans live in harmony with nature.	D．The fittest animals survive in natural selection.

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

A．The History of Unique Island Animals	B．The Benefits of Saving Island Animals
C．Unique Island Animals at Greater Changes	D．Biological Diversity Threatened by Humans

10 . Dolphins are social and intelligent animals. And, like the way humans maintain relationships by hugging or giving a handshake, dolphins breathe together at the same time when they come up from the water for air. This shared act is important for creating social connections. But sharing the same air and area is also spreading an infectious and deadly disease among the dolphins.

Janet Mann and other scientists are trying to understand the virus. They discovered it in the water off the American states of Virginia and Maryland. It is now spreading to other Atlantic coast dolphins.

Mann explains that the dolphin virus is in the lungs. “When dolphins breathe together at the surface, they’re sharing tiny droplets just like we do when we’re talking with each other,” she said.

During her 35 years of studying dolphins, Janet Mann has noticed that even though dolphins have close friends, they visit other dolphins and leave the groups often. Following the social lives of dolphins in the Chesapeake Bay has permitted researchers to identify over 2,000 dolphin individuals. They can remember them by their special shapes and markings on their back fins.

Two researchers, Melissa Collier and Ann-Marie Jacoby, saw two dolphins. A third dolphin joined his friends. All three dolphins came to the surface of the water and breathed together. “This is typical, male behavior. The males stay pretty coordinated (协调) with each other. The females sync (同步), but not as regularly. They syne mostly with their offspring (幼崽).” Mann says. This behavior pattern might explain why more male dolphins have died in the most recent outbreak of the virus.

Viruses are naturally occurring in the wild, but human activities in the ocean can make the virus worse by wakening environments and populations even more. Pollution from carbon and plastics, limited food sources, along with ocean warming from climate change, harm the animals. These factors weaken the dolphins’ immune systems. “So, they are extremely vulnerable (脆弱的,易受伤的) to virus outbreaks.” Mann says.

1. What are Mann and other scientists trying to do?

A．Record the dolphins’ social habits.	B．Increase the population of dolphins.
C．Compare the viruses among dolphins.	D．Study the spread of the virus among dolphins.

2. What does the underlined word “them” in paragraph 4 refer to?

A．Researchers.	B．Close friends.
C．The social lives of dolphins	D．Over 2,000 dolphin individuals.

3. Why did more male dolphins die in the recent outbreak of the virus?

A．They absorbed more air than females.	B．They did more social activities together.
C．They came to the surface of the water more	D．They were more vulnerable to viruses.

4. Which is a cause of the decline in dolphins’ immune system?

A．Ocean warming.	B．Dolphins breathing together.
C．Researchers studying dolphins.	D．The growing population of dolphins.