1 . Milu is also known as Pere David’s deer. They are herd animals (群体动物) that usually ________ from humans, but when Diandian comes into contact with people at a nature ________ in Yueyang, Hunan province, she is ________.

Eight years ago, one-week-old Diandian was left behind by her ________. When people found her in the reeds of a lake, she looked too weak and thin to ________.

________ by keepers at the East Dongting Lake National Nature Reserve, Diandian ________ started treating people as her friends. Today, she is the mother of three milu, thanks to the ________ and care shown to her by ________ members at the reserve. “Most milu run away ________ someone approaches, but Diandian is deliberate (从容的) in her ________ and unhurried,” said Li Zheng, a keeper at the reserve who has taken care of Diandian for years.

With the help of people like Li Zheng from a milu ________ association in Yueyang, 11 deer, including Diandian, have their families. The staff have done many things to help protect and expand the ________ of the animal. Each member has a ________ research role, with some flying drones (无人机), some ________ the number of milu and some estimating the age of the male ________ the shape and size of their antlers (鹿角).

Thanks to their efforts, the past several years have ________ the gradual ________ of the milu population. Once ________ in China, its native land, and with only 18 ________ surviving in the world, the milu deer is now prospering in its home country.

1.

A．prevent

B．escape

C．benefit

D．differ

2.

A．reserve

B．interest

C．landscape

D．attraction

3.

A．curious

B．lonely

C．nervous

D．calm

4.

A．organization

B．enemy

C．herd

D．keeper

5.

A．survive

B．perform

C．rescue

D．monitor

6.

A．Found

B．Trained

C．Ruled

D．Raised

7.

A．constantly

B．gradually

C．extremely

D．especially

8.

A．advice

B．attention

C．research

D．command

9.

A．party

B．freedom

C．staff

D．senior

10.

A．unless

B．until

C．though

D．once

11.

A．action

B．options

C．tone

D．thought

12.

A．commercial

B．advertisement

C．conservation

D．transformation

13.

A．capability

B．company

C．knowledge

D．habitats

14.

A．specific

B．complicated

C．noble

D．wonderful

15.

A．making

B．imagining

C．counting

D．predicting

16.

A．based on

B．named by

C．owing to

D．apart from

17.

A．changed

B．promoted

C．witnessed

D．experienced

18.

A．recovery

B．decline

C．limitation

D．study

19.

A．famous

B．extinct

C．important

D．prosperous

20.

A．females

B．groups

C．males

D．individuals

2 . The population of a sea creature known as the sunflower sea star, which was once plentiful along the Pacific coastline from Mexico’s Baja California peninsula to Alaska, has been reduced sharply these years. Approximately 90% of them have disappeared since 2013 due to a mysterious sea star wasting syndrome (海星消瘦综合症).

One of the factors likely to have led to the death of sea stars is rising ocean temperatures caused by climate change, according to some scientists. The ocean absorbs most of the excess atmospheric heat caused by greenhouse gas emissions, which has the effect of increasing the temperature of the water. Many sea creatures can only tolerate very small changes to their environment.

Sunflower sea stars feed on sea urchins. Sea urchins feed on seagrass. Without the presence of sunflower sea stars, their key predator in the food chain, sea urchin populations have boomed. That has led to the death of many seagrasses — which in turn contributes to the climate crisis, as seagrass is a valuable tool to store carbon dioxide.

Scientists at the University of Washington have been working on that. They have been raising a new generation of sunflower sea stars that can be used to repopulate coastal waters. Jason Hodin, a research scientist at the University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Labs, said that they’re hoping the program can help recover the sunflower sea star and, ultimately, recover the health of ecosystems like seagrass that is under threat right now.

To test the sea stars’ ability to tolerate warming seas, scientists have these tiny creatures subjected to fluctuations (波动) in water temperatures in the lab. Some of the young adult sea stars are being raised in water that is slightly warmer than normal, and are showing signs of being able to adjust to the added warmth. “These are not typical ocean temperatures around here, but the success indicates that they at least have the ability to endure the warmer water,” said Hodin.

1. Which could be a possible reason for the death of sunflower sea stars?

A．Habitat loss.	B．Climate change.
C．Food shortage.	D．Ocean pollution.

2. What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A．The living habits of sunflower sea stars.

B．The importance of seagrass to the environment.

C．The key role of sunflower sea stars in the food chain.

D．The consequences of the increasing sea urchin populations.

3. How do scientists help increase the population of sunflower sea stars?

A．By developing devices to cool sea water.

B．By improving the environment of coastal waters.

C．By growing plentiful seagrass to absorb carbon dioxide.

D．By experimenting on raising a new generation of the creature.

4. What does Jason Hodin think of the program?

A．It is meaningful.	B．It is complicated.
C．It is bizarre.	D．It is disappointing

3 . Scientists are excited by the rediscovery of the giant lacewing. It is an insect which looks like a cross between a fly and a moth. It has spotted wings with a span of roughly 50 millimeters, holding the wings over its body like a tent.

Giant lacewings have been around since the Jurassic era, a period of time about 150 to 200 million years ago. In the 1950s, scientists thought giant lacewings had disappeared from eastern North America. However, scientists recently confirmed that one had been spotted.

Michael Skvarla works for Penn State University, who is the director of its insect identification lab. Skvarla found the giant lacewing in 2012. He remembers it clearly, “I was walking into Walmart to get milk and I saw this huge insect on the side of the building,” Skvarla said. “I thought it looked interesting, so I put it in my hand and did the rest of my shopping with it between my fingers. I got home, mounted it and promptly forgot about it for almost a decade.”

Then, in late 2020, Skvarla was teaching biodiversity in a Zoom class during the pandemic lockdown. During the class, Skvarla showed his students microscopic images of the insect he had seen at Walmart. Together, they stared at the images. They studied the insect closely. Then, they realized that the insect had been wrongly labeled. Many scientists are stirred by this discovery. Now they have started wondering if there may be entire populations hiding out, which requires for further investigation.

And the causes of the supposed disappearance of the insect have long been a mystery. With a deeper research, there are some possible explanations. One is light pollution, which is the brightening of the night sky from man-made light sources such as street lights. Light pollution can disrupt the natural cycles of living things. Another cause could be the introduction of non-native insects such as ground beetles. They can cause harm to the environment. Ground beetles prey on giant lacewings. People’s stopping forest fires may also play a part in the disappearance of the lacewing. This is because giant lacewings need ecosystems that rely on natural fires.

1. What can we know about the appearance of the giant lacewing?

A．It looks like a mix of a fly and a moth.

B．Its body length is about 50 millimeters.

C．Its wings are tiny and rough.

D．Its body shape is like a tent.

2. Which of the following correctly describes the process of the rediscovery?

A．The researcher accurately recognized it at first sight.

B．It was spotted at Walmart during the pandemic.

C．It had been incorrectly labeled initially.

D．Researchers closely studied the insect for nearly a decade.

3. Why did the giant lacewing disappear according to Paragraph 5?

A．The lengthening of natural sunlight time.

B．The increase in the number of native attackers.

C．The frequent occurrence of forest fires.

D．The biological rhythms were messed up by man-made light.

4. Where is the passage most probably taken from?

A．A biology magazine.	B．A science fiction.
C．A research plan.	D．A medical report.

4 . It’s well-known that being in green spaces is good for physical and mental health.     1     A population-based study published in Scientific Reports looked at the effect of urban waterways on mental health and found that proximity (接近) to water increased positive feelings of wellbeing.

“If you’re in a body of water, your internal state just becomes calm,” Dr Natalie Azar, NBC News medical contributor, told TODAY. “    2     However, we’ve never really been intentional about it.”

Being near water gives people a consciousness of something greater than themselves. The sounds and movement of water can get people to focus their attention and this invites calm. “You don’t have to go to the coast to experience this wellbeing,” said Azar. “Any waterway will do, including lakes, rivers, canals or ponds.     3    ”

A new study conducted by King’s College London has also proved that spending time near urban canals and rivers is linked to feeling happy and healthy, stressed a press release from the college. Moreover, it has found that urban waterways are superior to feelings of wellbeing than just being near the ocean.

“    4     This means their capacity to improve mental wellbeing is likely to be due to the multiple benefits associated with both green and blue spaces,” said Andrea Mechelli, professor of early intervention in mental health at King’s College London.

The study has also found that there are continuous improvements to mental wellbeing for up to 24 hours after visiting urban waterways.     5     In England and Wales, people have access to 3,218 kilometers of rivers and canals that are readily accessible. In fact, 9 million people live within 1 km of a canal—something that is easily walkable.

A．These results remain to be tested.

B．Even a flowing fountain will work.

C．This is good news for urban people.

D．It’s something that I think we’ve all experienced.

E．Our findings show that blue spaces are naturally calming.

F．Canals and rivers contain not only water but also trees and other plants.

G．Now scientists have discovered blue spaces are also connected to better mental health.

5 . You’ve heard of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday—they’re major shopping days. Now there’s another shopping day, and it’s called Secondhand Sunday, which is the brainchild of Poshmark, a social commerce marketplace that enables users to buy and sell clothing online, mostly used.

Poshmark asked global research firm Morning Consult to assess the secondhand market. It found over 90% of American adults say they would be willing to receive a secondhand or resold gift this season, but that only 34% are likely to buy them for others. This suggests a massive opportunity to close the gap—a task that Poshmark has undertaken with enthusiasm. Thus, Secondhand Sunday was born.

Poshmark is a platform on which individual sellers run their own shops and make extra cash. Secondhand Sunday has become a hit among them. While sellers have varying motivations for doing business, most are driven by the belief that buying secondhand items is important for the environment.

One such seller is Ashley Wheeler. Her husband worked as a truck driver at a landfill (垃圾填埋) site. They were both shocked at the amount of secondhand items that were getting dumped (倾倒), just because they were considered old or useless. Even when her husband asked to bring home items that still had value, he was rejected, because companies had paid the landfill site to deal with their garbage.

Wheeler said, “For us, that was a wake-up call. We realized it wasn’t just about us bringing our pre-owned items back into the market but finding other used items that companies were ready to deal with and help recycle back into use. That’s when we started to learn about Goodwill Outlets and other similar stores, where we source a majority of items. She now buys cast-off items from Goodwill’s “last chance” bins and resells them on Secondhand Sunday.

Amber McCasland, vice-president of Global Brand and Communications, said, “Secondhand Sunday is our first joint effort to change how people shop and gift during the holidays. The hope is that, instead of running out to buy new items as gifts, people will realize that it’s acceptable and even preferable to source used items instead.”

1. What drove Poshmark to start Secondhand Sunday?

A．The findings of an assessment.

B．The increasing shopping waste.

C．Booming gift-exchange seasons.

D．Buyers’ strong desire for old items.

2. What is the key factor for the popularity of Secondhand Sunday according to the text?

A．The great demand for more shopping days.

B．Some local landfill sites’ generous donation.

C．Shoppers’ curiosity about running businesses.

D．The improved public environmental awareness.

3. What does the underlined word “that” in paragraph 5 probably refer to?

A．Working as a truck driver at a landfill site.

B．Being rejected by some brand companies.

C．Seeing valuable used items dumped and landfilled.

D．Looking for secondhand items to resell.

4. What does Secondhand Sunday encourage people to do?

A．Buy used items as gifts on holidays.

B．Be cautious of online shopping.

C．Donate used items to companies.

D．Form the habit of recycling waste.

6 . Ms Yuting Zhou is an early-career environmental advisor working on industrial wastewater pollution management, In her work, she’s learning about an important type of environmental pollution, and finding ways to help companies manage water resources better.

When we asked Yuting how old she was when she got interested in environmental problems, we were surprised by her response. “I must have been about six years old. I used to watch an American TV series about an environmentalist Superhero named Captain Planet.”

There is one serious pollution event somewhere in the world. The concern about environmental issues deeply influenced Yuting. But how does one prepare to be a “Superwoman”? For Yuting, it came down to a reflection on what she might be good at — in her case, the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects-and making considered choices in her education.

She began to study environmental engineering, and found a passion for the subject. “During my graduate studies.” I researched different kinds of health effects.

While she developed valuable skills that would help her in her career, she also learnt more about herself and her role in the world. “I learnt that science requires a scientific proof through repeated and sometimes long processes. Although I completed and published my research in a top academic journal, I realized that I’m not fit for laboratory work. I needed more interaction with people, and to solve real-life problems.”

Within three days of graduating, Yuting was on a plane heading to Kenya. She was excited about working for the United Nations because there were people from various industries and backgrounds gathering to improve the environment and create a more sustainable (可持续的) future — a lot like the setting of Caprain Planet which brought light to her in the first place.

1. What first exposed Yuting to environmental problems?

A．An American TV series.	B．A famous environmental expert.
C．A famous and popular hero.	D．A serious pollution event.

2. What did Yuting consider when she faced the environmental issues?

A．How she could make use of her talent.	B．What organization she should join.
C．How she could become a superwoman.	D．What she would focus on studying.

3. What did Yuting think really help her to deal with environmental problems?

A．Publishing lots of papers about them.	B．Conducting many researches on them.
C．Carrying on many a related experiment.	D．Reaching out to as many people as possible.

4. What did Yuting benefit from working in the UN?

A．She met with people from all walks of life.	B．She knew the key to success.
C．She changed her attitude to life.	D．She learned how to chat with others.

7 . What to See in Dujiangyan City

Dujiangyan Irrigation (灌溉) System

Dujiangyan water conservancy (保护) project makes full use of local geographical conditions of high northwest and low southeast, according to the special natural feature of mountains and rivers and according to water potential to draw water without dam to irrigate by gravity. What is great is that it exists for more than 2,250 years, and it produces more and more benefits. After the completion of Dujiangyan Irrigation System, the Chengdu plain became a vast rich land.

Two Kings Temple

Two Kings Temple is located in the Minjiang River right bank slope (斜坡) and it closes to Dujiangyan in the front. It was Emperor Temple originally in memory of the king of Shu and later, it was offered sacrifices to Li Bing and his son, renamed the “Chongde Temple”. In the main hall, there is the statue of Li Bing and his son and there was water conservancy quotes, poet inscriptions (题词) and so on.

Fulong Temple

Fulong Temple is located in the Lidui Park. It is said that Li Bing and his son were here to prevent floods by water control. So in the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty, in order to honor Li Bing, it was named “Fulong Temple”. In the middle of front hall there is Li Bing stone figure carved in the Eastern Han.

Anlan Suspension Bridge

Anlan Suspension Bridge is also known as “Anlan Bridge” and “Couple Bridge”. It is located in Dujiangyan Fish Mouth, known as the one of the five bridges of ancient China and is the most typical landscape of Dujiangyan. It was built before the Song Dynasty. The original bridge used wood block as base, hanging a thick bamboo cable cross the river.

1. By what was Dujiangyan water conservancy project mainly built?

A．Wide plains.	B．High dams.
C．Artificial rivers.	D．Geographical conditions.

2. What do Two Kings Temple and Fulong Temple have in common?

A．They were built in parks.

B．They have statues of Li Bing.

C．They were located on the left bank of the Minjiang River.

D．They were the most typical landscape of Dujiangyan.

3. What do we know about Anlan Suspension Bridge?

A．It was built in the Ming Dynasty.	B．It is the earliest bridge in China.
C．It was originally built on stones.	D．It is one of the five bridges in ancient China.

8 . Earthquake forecasting is one of the most ancient skills known to mankind. From ancient Greece to the present day, countless scientists have tried to develop tools to predict earthquakes. Their attempts usually focused on searching for reliable evidences of coming quakes.

However, there are many reasons why predicting quakes is so hard. “We don’t understand some basic physics of earthquakes,” said Egill, a research professor at the California Institute of Technology. Scientists have also attempted to create mathematical models of movement, but precisely predicting would require great mapping and analysis of the Earth’s crust. Other challenges include a lack of data on the early warning signs, given that these warning signs are not yet entirely understood. Actually, real earthquake prediction is very similar to the diagnosis of potential human illnesses based on observing and analyzing each patient’s signs and symptoms. As it turns out,quake prediction is extremely difficult.

Many sources show that earthquake forecasting was a recognized science in ancient Greece. Ancient Greeks lived very close to nature and were able to detect unusual phenomena and forecast earthquakes. The first known forecast was made by Pherecydes of Syros about 2500 years ago: he made it as he scooped water from a well and noticed that usually very clean water had suddenly become muddy. Indeed, an earthquake occurred two days later, making Pherecydes famous. Nowadays, seismic and remote-sensing methods are considered to have the greatest potential in terms of solving the earthquake prediction problem.

Currently, Terra Seismic can identify a forthcoming earthquake with a high level of confidence. Generally, Terra Seismic does not predict a quake if the earthquake’s epicenter is located beyond a depth of 40 km. Fortunately, such quakes are almost always harmless, since quake’s energy reduces before reaching the Earth’s surface. “Scientists have tried every possible method to try to predict earthquakes,” Bruneau said. “Nobody has been able to crack it and make a believable prediction.”

1. Why is earthquake forecasting so difficult?

A．Some basic physics of earthquakes is unknown.

B．Data on early warning signs are fully understood.

C．Mapping and analysis of the Earth’s crust are impossible.

D．Earthquake prediction is the same as the diagnosis of human illness.

2. Why does the author give the example of Pherecydes?

A．To explain why Pherecydes was famous.

B．To explain Ancient Greeks lived very close to nature.

C．To show earthquake forecasting is a science with a long history.

D．To show remote-sensing methods are the best solution to earthquake prediction.

3. What does Bruneau mean in paragraph 4?

A．Scientists have methods to predict earthquake.

B．Terra Seismic can predict an earthquake.

C．Some quakes are harmless if quake’s energy is released.

D．Scientists have no reliable method to predict an earthquake.

4. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．The reasons for earthquake forecasting.	B．The history of earthquake forecasting.
C．The methods of earthquake forecasting.	D．The future of earthquake forecasting.

9 . A 9-year-old girl from Maryland has made an important discovery: a 15 million-year-old megalodon (巨齿鲨) tooth.

Molly Sampson, along with her sister Natalie, 17, and her dad, Bruce Sampson, went out to hunt “treasure” in a bay near Calvert Cliffs on Christmas morning. At around 10:30, Molly saw her Christmas miracle: a 5-inch-long megalodon tooth. Her sister and father went over to see what Molly was so excited about. Bruce said he was shocked by his daughter’s “once-in-a-lifetime find.” “This is the kind of find every fossil hunter dreams of,” he said. They were amazed by the discovery.

“I was so excited because of the size and rarity of the find, and I kept thinking I was dreaming,” Molly said. “It was something I have always wanted to find, and I couldn’t believe it.” This is not the first time she’s found a megalodon tooth during her fossil hunts — but she’s never found one that large. “I have found five other megalodon teeth, but they are only an inch or two in size,” she said.

“Molly’s tooth would have come from a teenager shark between 45-50 feet long. The largest megalodons could have grown to be 65 feet long. Based on the tooth, the creature was about 15 million years old,” said Dr. Stephen Godfrey, a famous paleontologist (古生物学家).

Megalodons lived from about 25 million years ago to about 2.5 million years ago. They were one of the—if not the largest marine predators (海洋捕食性动物) the world has ever known. “They shaped the global marine ecosystem, and global marine food-webs,” said Godfrey.

Molly Sampson has been fossil hunting with her dad ever since she was little. “I will never stop!” she said. “When I grow up, I want to collect fossils and study them like a paleontologist.”

1. Which aspect of the shark tooth shocked Bruce?

A．Its age.

B．Its size.

C．Its quality.

D．Its owner.

2. What can we learn about Molly?

A．She received a Christmas gift from his dad.

B．She disliked staying at home at Christmas.

C．She came across a teenager shark.

D．She has found at least 6 megalodon teeth.

3. What can we infer from Dr. Stephen Godfrey’s words?

A．Megalodons shouldn’t be hunted.

B．The tooth belonged to the largest megalodon.

C．The tooth dates back to 25 million years ago.

D．Megalodons once played a critical role in the ocean.

4. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To introduce megalodons to readers.	B．To report a little girl’s unusual discovery.
C．To excite readers’ interest in fossil hunting.	D．To promote the public’s awareness of animal protection.

10 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

In Sarek National Park, I wake up to the sound of the wind    1    (buffet) the cloth of my tent. Standing at the edge of the mountain, I find    2    (branch) of the Rapa River flowing through the valley below. Sarek’s mountains used to     3    (cover) by vast sheets of ice. Around 9,000 years ago, this ice melted, with about 100 glaciers     4     (leave) behind. Soon after, reindeer began to arrive. Following the reindeer     5     (be) the Sami people, who made this territory their home. In 1909,    6    (keep)the land’s natural state, the government made Sarek a national park.

For hundreds of years, the Sami lived     7     reindeer. With reindeer on the move, the Sami would pick up their tents and accompany them. Today, most Sami have houses in villages near Sarek and live     8    modern life. But every spring, a small number of Sami still follow their reindeer into the valleys of Sarek,    9     they live in tents and enjoy their traditions. Nothing could be     10     (good) than breathing the fresh air and enjoying this great adventure in such a beautiful and wild place.