In order to save this species from
The measures were
2 . Bringing species like beavers (河狸) back to England is no longer a priority, the government said on Friday to criticism from wildlife groups.
A recent report shows that one in six UK species are at risk of extinction. In September more than 60 conservation organisations reported a significant decline in species due to expansions in farming and the effects of climate change. In recent years, animals and plants have been reintroduced by charities as part of efforts to restore the country’s reduced biodiversity.
Despite the government allowing this, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee concluded in July that there was an absence of long-term plans on how to manage this. In response, the government has now said that the “reintroduction of species is not a priority”.
The government said it was focused on increasing biodiversity through habitat restoration. The government’s environment department has come under scrutiny (详细审查) for not doing more to prevent sewage dumping and other forms of pollution in England’s waterways.
Sir Robert Goodwill, chair of the Committee, said he was disappointed with the government response. Bringing back extinct species is a controversial issue — although farmers and landowners appear broadly supportive, there are risks of reintroducing new species, and without clear guidance, problems could arise.
A recent study showed that river barriers similar to those built by beavers can protect communities at risk of flooding. But there have also been cases documented in Europe where beavers have built their dams in places that have damaged crops and changed rivers.
Joan Edwards, director of Policy & Public Affairs at The Wildlife Trusts said, “Reintroducing wildlife must be part of the UK government’s arsenal (武器) for tackling nature loss and climate change — it is astonishing there is no strategy for doing so.”
“The return of wild beavers can help to recreate lost wetlands, with a knock-on effect that benefits other wildlife including insects, invertebrates and birds. Beavers also slow the flow of water, which can reduce flood risks to towns and villages,” she said.
1. What does paragraph 2 want to convey?| A．The situation of species in the UK is severe. |
| B．Reintroduction of species in the UK is not a priority. |
| C．Expansions in farming have a great effect on climate change. |
| D．The UK government’s response to reduced biodiversity is disappointing. |
| A．By developing strategy. |
| B．By offering guidance. |
| C．By expanding farming. |
| D．By restoring habitat. |
| A．It was messy. | B．It was limited. |
| C．It was beneficial. | D．It was costly. |
| A．The advantages of reintroducing wildlife. |
| B．The responses to a government statement. |
| C．The effects of climate change on farming. |
| D．The approaches to increasing biodiversity. |
3 . The Sahara Desert
Location
Filling nearly all of northern Africa, the Sahara Desert measures approximately 3, 000 miles from east to west and between 800 and 1, 200 miles from north to south.
Landscape
The Sahara Desert features iconic sand dune (沙丘) fields, which cover about 15 percent of the entire desert’s surface and lie primarily in the north-central region.
Water
Climate
Across the Sahara Desert, the annual average rainfall equals no more than a few inches or fewer. In the summer, daytime air temperatures often soar to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, with the hottest air temperature meteorologists have ever recorded — 136 degrees — occurring at EL Azizia, Libya, on September 13, 1922.
| A．No rain at all may fall for several more years. |
| B．It has a total area of some 3,320,000 square miles. |
| C．The dunes usually take on varied and complex forms. |
| D．Star dunes form under winds that blow from several directions. |
| E．The Sahara Desert has some lakes, but only one with drinkable water. |
| F．The Sahara Desert has only two permanent rivers and a handful of lakes. |
| G．Under the clear skies, the temperature may fall 40 degrees or more during an evening. |
4 . Once there were many thousands of Gourma Desert (沙漠) elephants in Mali, a country in West Africa. Now, there are fewer than four hundred.
Why did the number of the elephants drop so quickly? On the one hand, the elephants’ main lake, their only water source (来源), dried up. On the other hand, the land which the elephants lived on was overused by humans.
To protect the elephants’ living environment, the Mali Elephant Project (MEP) was started in 2007. MEP met with local people and helped them make rules of using land and water. As a result, the situation became better and there was more food, forest and grassland.
However, from 2012 to 2016, poaching (偷猎) and illegal trade in the elephants increased rapidly. Eighty-three elephants were lost in 2015 alone, and another fifty-one elephant were killed in 2016. “If this situation goes on, all the Gourma elephants will be killed by 2020,” said a member of MEP.
Luckily, the voice of MEP was heard. More organizations (组织) have joined together to educate the local people that trading elephants is against the law. Elephant poaching has dropped to a very low level. The local people have learned to live peacefully with the elephants, one of the wildlife treasures in the world.
1. MEP was started to ________.| A．raise more elephants in Mali | B．stop the main lake from drying up |
| C．discover water source for elephants | D．protect the elephants’ living environment |
| A．公平的 | B．亏损的 | C．非法的 | D．合理的 |
| A．in 2012 | B．in 2015 | C．in 2016 | D．in 2020 |
| A．the number of organizations has dropped | B．there is much less elephant poaching now |
| C．the local people keep the elephants at home | D．the whole world live peacefully with elephants |
5 . It would be easy to think that since houseplants live inside , they don’t really experience seasons as their outdoor relatives do. It’s true that they’re provided a lot more protection inside.
If you’ve given your houseplants outside time in summer , bring them in before temperatures reach a low of 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
Give them a trim( 修剪). Remove any dead or dying leaves ：cut the leaves that are brown or yellow at the base. For brown or yellowing tips, you can just cut off the unhealthy leaves.
Be mindful of extreme temperatures. Being extremely hot or cold can stress plants out.
| A．Be careful with watering. |
| B．Give them a good shower. |
| C．Note when you bring houseplants outside. |
| D．But you have to give them a thorough check. |
| E．So be careful about where your plants are living. |
| F．However, this doesn’t mean that they don’t know what’s going on. |
| G．But please remember not to remove more than 20% of the entire plant. |
Upon her arrival at the South Pole Penguin Research Lab, Mary observed her friend Tom tenderly caressing a penguin cradled in his arms. As the offspring of the lab’s scientific staff, Mary and Tom were frequently in the presence of emperor penguins, which were under scrutiny to discern how they coped with the harsh climatic conditions — a knowledge that could be instrumental in enhancing human endurance in extreme environments.
“We’re thirteen, Tom. It’s the age to mature and cease interacting with the lab’s penguins as if they were playmates,” Mary remarked, commencing her cleaning duties. “These creatures are subjects of research, not domestic animals.”
“But these avians are responsive to my touch!” Tom defended, his exhalation manifesting as a mist in the icy atmosphere. “You’re merely attempting to become a penguin whisperer once more,” Mary retorted, a soft grin playing on her lips as she shook her head. The penguins exhibited a playful demeanor as they strolled, plunged, swam, and frolicked in pursuit of their live piscine quarry before partaking in their meal.
A sudden blare of an alarm, accompanied by the flashing of red lights, interrupted the scene, indicating an issue at hand. The siblings hastened to investigate. “The temperature has plummeted further — there’s ice crystallizing on the water’s surface,” Tom observed. Despite the perpetual cold, Mary had never witnessed ice forming in that location before. Upon inspecting the habitat monitor, she realized that the temperature had dipped significantly. “The heating system must have malfunctioned!”
Promptly, Mary dispatched a message to their parents' research team, who were immersed in field studies outside. With the adults indisposed, the children were left to manage the plummeting temperatures until reinforcements arrived.
As they waited apprehensively, time seemed to dawdle, and the escalating cold induced shivers. “I ponder what emperor penguins accomplish amidst such frigid conditions, considering they remain at the Pole throughout the winter rather than migrating to warmer climates,” Mary mused. “They huddle,” Tom replied. “They cluster so closely that those in the core remain sufficiently warm.” “What occurs with the ones on the periphery?” Mary inquired. “They press inward toward the center, then subsequently migrate back to the periphery, and once again grapple against the flow of their peers to regain the warmth of the huddle’s heart. This behavior was documented by scientists in the early 21st century,” he stated, his gaze fixed on the sizable assembly of penguins within the lab.
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 have an idea to stay warm!” Tom shouted excitedly.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Two and a half hours later, the parents returned with help.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________7 . Nature has provided us with many kinds of resources. It is like a great magician(魔术师), creating wonders on Earth. One of them is the Amazon rainforest, the world’s largest and home to millions of plants and animals. Nicknamed”the lungs of our planet”, it produces about one-fifth of Earth’s oxygen. However, this wonderful natural wonder is now in danger.
Thousands of fires have broken out in Brazil, endangering much of the rainforest. These flames have lasted several weeks and are believed to be the”most intense”in almost ten years, according to BBC News.
The Amazon has seen a large number of fires in 2019. Between January and August, there were over 74,000 fires – the highest number since 2013, the BBC reported.
Forest fires are common during the dry season, which runs from July to October. They are usually caused by natural events like lightning. However, most of the fires this year are believed to be caused by farmers, who use fire as a traditional part of tropical agriculture(农业) to clean land, reported CNN.
“It’s the best time to burn because the plants are dry. Farmers wait for the dry season and they start burning and clearing the areas so that their cattle can have grass,”wrote CNN meteorologist Haley Brink.
The disaster has raised concern(关注) around the world. The Amazon rainforest is important for preventing climate change, said the BBC, absorbing millions of tons of carbon annually. When trees are cut down or burned, the rainforest’s ability to absorb carbon is reduced.
Brazilian climate expert Carlos Nobre told Reuters he’s worried. If more than 20 percent of the ecosystem is destroyed, the Amazon rainforest could reach a”tipping point (临界点)”, where the thick jungle will turn into a tropical savannah(大草原).
Nobre warned that it is not far off, with between 15 and 17 percent of the rainforest having already been destroyed.
The Brazilian government has sent soldiers to fight the fires. Many people have offered their support and called for recovery efforts. For example, Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, said he wanted to donate money and US Actor Leonardo DiCaprio’s environmental charity, Earth Alliance, created a donation fund to help deal with the disaster.
The public are also encouraged to donate to charities concerned with rainforest protection. “Every little bit helps in a bad situation like this,”commented Gizmodo.
1. The underlined word”intense”probably means ______.| A．natural | B．terrible | C．common | D．unexpected |
| A．Lightning. | B．Hot weather. |
| C．Agricultural activities. | D．Garbage left by tourists. |
| A．Global temperatures will rise. |
| B．The Amazon rainforest is close to disappearing. |
| C．Animals in the Amazon rainforest are under threat. |
| D．It will take tens of years for the Amazon rainforest to recover. |
| A．Efforts made to save the Amazon rainforest. |
| B．The possible future of the Amazon rainforest. |
| C．What the Brazilian government has done to fight fires. |
| D．Celebrities(名人) who care about rainforest protection. |
At 3:42 a.m. everything began to shake. It seemed as if the world was at an end! Eleven kilometres
9 . On the way to his home the child turned many times and beat the dog, declaring with childish gestures that he held him in contempt (蔑视) as an unimportant dog. The dog apologized for being this quality of animal and expressed regret in fine form, but he continued stealthily to follow the child.
When the child reached his door-step, the dog was a few yards behind moving slowly toward him. He became so anxious with shame when he again faced the child that he forgot the dragging rope. He tripped (绊倒) upon it and fell forward.
The child sat down on the step and the two had another interview. During it the dog did his best to please the child. He performed a few playful jumps with such abandon (尽情地) that the child suddenly saw him to be a valuable thing. He made a swift, greedy charge (猛冲) and seized the rope.
He dragged his captive (俘虏) into a hall and up many long stairways in a dark building. The dog made willing efforts, but he could not walk very skillfully up the stairs because he was very small and soft, and at last the pace of the child grew so energetic that the dog became panic-stricken. In his mind he was being dragged toward somewhere unknown. His eyes grew wild with the terror of it. He began to wiggle his head wildly and to brace his legs.
The child redoubled his efforts. They had a battle on the stairs. The child was victorious because he was completely absorbed in his purpose and because the dog was very small. He dragged his acquirement to the door of his home, and finally with victory across the doorway. No family member was in. The child sat down on the floor and made overtures to (向……示好) the dog. These the dog instantly accepted. He smiled with affection upon his new friend. In a short time they were firm and abiding (矢志不渝的) comrades.
1. What might have happened before the first paragraph?| A．The child had wanted to own the dog for a long time. |
| B．The dog had been someone else’s pet but lost his way. |
| C．The child had been looking for the lost dog for a long time. |
| D．The dog had been driven out of home by the child’s family. |
| A．The dog’s apology. | B．His first interview with the dog |
| C．His pity on the dog. | D．The dog’s pleasing performance. |
| A．Frightened-relieved-anxious-happy. | B．Worried-angry-scared-delighted |
| C．Guilty-anxious-nervous-pleased. | D．Angry-regretted-scared-puzzled. |
Are you worried about our earth? Do you want to do what you can to save it?
Turn off anything that uses electricity when not in use.
It's not just paper, plastic and glass that can be recycled — clothes can be, too.
You don't have to travel far to get what you need, and products don't have to travel far to get to you, either. Shop at farmers' markets and buy food that was produced as close to your home as possible. And when you're online shopping, try to find things that won't have to travel long distances.
Save water.If you don't let the water run when you're brushing your teeth and take showers instead of baths, you will be using less water and less energy — but you'll still be just as clean!
| A．Buy things nearby. |
| B．Think before you eat. |
| C．It's hard to know where to start. |
| D．Turn short jeans you've grown out of into shorts. |
| E．Also, don't wash dishes with the water running continuously. |
| F．This goes for lights, televisions, computers, printers, and so on. |
| G．Bring a reusable water bottle with you when travelling or at work. |
