1 . A flood hit Yellowstone National Park on June 13, 2022. The disaster was caused by a combination of unusually heavy rains and rapid snow melt. The high and fast water flows destroyed bridges and swept away entire roadways, leaving communities and homes isolated. Fortunately, the approximately 10,000 park visitors were safely evacuated.
The town of Gardiner, along the Montana-Wyoming border, was particularly hard hit. The floodwaters left almost 900 people with no power or water for many days. Gardiner’s economy, which depends on the almost three-quarters of a million visitors who pass through the park’s north gate annually, is likely to take a hit. The floodwaters severely damaged the main north entrance road to Yellowstone, and could take years to rebuild.
Park officials have begun work on improving an alternative road to Gardiner. This will ensure that locals can access food, supplies, and other essential emergency services. A limited number of tourists may also be allowed into Gardiner once the road is stable.
Yellowstone’s north gate is closed indefinitely. But the park’s south gate opened to visitors on June 22, 2022. Park officials have started a new entry system to prevent overcrowding. It is based on the last number of the visitor’s vehicle license plate and the calendar date of the month. Cars with odd (奇数的) numbers can visit the park on odd days of the month, while those with even (偶数的) numbers can go on even days.
Established in 1872, Yellowstone is America’s oldest national park. The 3,472-square-mile reserve spans three states and is home to many unique wildlife. It is known for its natural beauty that includes mountains, rivers and lakes. The forces of fire and ice shaped the park over thousands of years.
1. What does the underlined word “isolated” in paragraph 1 probably mean?A.Tracked. | B.Separated. |
C.Decorated. | D.Improved. |
A.Gardiner’s economy would get into trouble. |
B.Communities and homes were left in ruins. |
C.Almost 900 people were trapped in the park. |
D.The park’s south gate was closed for a while. |
A.Local people can get daily necessities from visitors. |
B.The park has adopted a new system to recognize faces. |
C.The license plate number decides when cars enter the park. |
D.More tourists may flood into the park for geological features. |
A.Flooding has caused widespread damage in the US. |
B.Yellowstone National Park is closed due to flooding. |
C.People can visit Yellowstone National Park any day. |
D.Natural beauty makes Yellowstone famous. |
My motherland, China,
3 . My husband, Russ, and I drove through our neighborhood, the place we’d called home for 28 years. The foothills (山麓) once thick with pines, were
Two weeks earlier, we’d gotten an early-morning call telling us to
Now we’d been allowed to return. Russ and I brought
“How will we survive this?” I wondered. “How will we go on?” It felt as if our lives had been destroyed. Later that afternoon Russ
I turned to get in the car. That’s when I
Words that must have come from one of my books, a passage I couldn’t recall but now said everything I needed to
A.beautiful | B.greenish | C.unrecognizable | D.unfit |
A.remained | B.painted | C.destroyed | D.saved |
A.enjoy | B.leave | C.help | D.rescue |
A.happy | B.sorry | C.famous | D.eager |
A.bad | B.good | C.useful | D.impressive |
A.tools | B.books | C.sweaters | D.posters |
A.take | B.bring | C.save | D.understand |
A.waited | B.helped | C.awarded | D.prevented |
A.something | B.anything | C.nothing | D.everything |
A.improved | B.enjoyed | C.put | D.exchanged |
A.suffered | B.trapped | C.figured | D.noticed |
A.easy | B.sharp | C.helpful | D.clear |
A.courage | B.happiness | C.sadness | D.anger |
A.say | B.hear | C.sing | D.give |
A.stop | B.begin | C.live | D.read |
4 . How to create an indoor garden
If you’re looking for a way to brighten up your home, consider creating an indoor garden.
Deciding is probably the hardest part when it comes to creating an indoor garden because there are just so many plants to choose from. Start by thinking about what type of plants you want.
Now that you know what type of plants you want, it’s time to get the right potting soil and containers. Make sure to get a potting mix that is specifically designed for indoor plants.
Choose a bright location Once you have your plants and pots, it’s time to choose a location for your indoor garden.
In addition to watering, you’ll also need to add substance to your plants about once a month. This will help them grow and stay healthy. Just be sure to follow the instructions on the package. Don’t overdo it.
A.Give fertiliser monthly. |
B.How exactly can we make one? |
C.Follow the instruction correctly. |
D.But don’t worry, we’re here to help. |
E.This will help your plants grow strong. |
F.Do you want something that will blossom? |
G.Look for a spot in your home that gets a lot of natural light. |
5 . Tall, long-necked giraffes are famous for their spots which are believed to help the animals hide from their enemies. Just like no two humans have the same fingerprints, each giraffe has its own special pattern of spots. However, a Tennessee zoo made headlines recently after it welcomed one of the world’s most uncommon giraffes.
On July 31, a baby giraffe was born at Brights Zoo with light brown fur which is a reticulated (网状的) giraffe, one of the four different kinds of giraffes. Unlike most giraffes, she was born without spots, a unique feature of the reticulated giraffe. At six feet tall, this baby giraffe is growing well under her mother’s care. She shows typical baby giraffe behavior, such as eating rocks.
Experts said the young giraffe was the only single-colored reticulated giraffe living anywhere on the planet. The last time this happened was 1972 in Japan. A giraffe’s pattern of spots is created when the animal is still growing inside its mother. That means that this giraffe will never have spots.
“The new giraffe might not have survived if she had been born in the wild. Being single-colored, she may not be able to hide quite as well,” said Mr. David Bright, who runs the zoo, “It will easily be a key target for poachers (偷猎者) because she’s so unusual.”
Brights Zoo stressed that reticulated giraffes had already become imperiled. In 2018, they were officially listed as “threatened”. Thirty-five years ago, there were 36,000 reticulated giraffes. Now, the number has been cut by more than 50%. Only about 16,000 reticulated giraffes remain.
This brown giraffe’s birth is not only a rare and fascinating event, but also an opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges faced by giraffes in the wild. By supporting efforts like this, we can contribute to the conservation of these large creatures and ensure their survival for generations to come.
1. What do we know about the spots of giraffes?A.They help protect giraffes. | B.They are the same pattern. |
C.They look like giraffes’ footprints. | D.They appear on giraffes occasionally. |
A.Its extremely large size. | B.Its light brown fur. |
C.Its unusual eating habit. | D.Its absence of spots. |
A.Recognized. | B.Endangered. | C.Doubled. | D.Balanced. |
A.Awkward. | B.Worrying. | C.Meaningful. | D.Foreseeable. |
6 . Along the Ulungur River in Altay, the northernmost area of Xinjiang, lives a species of beaver. This animal, which feeds on the shrubs (灌木) that grow near the river, has a strong sense of territory (领地) and won’t leave its surroundings easily. So if people ruin the river, the beavers’ homes will be destroyed and they will no longer survive. But fortunately for these picky animals, they have a responsible protector, Beaver Princess, Chu Wenwen.
Chu had a very different childhood. She was introduced to the wild at the age of 2 by her father who is an animal conservationist. So when the other children were reciting ancient Chinese poems and English alphabet,Chu was working hard to remember the names of different animals and plants. So instead of being a white-collar worker after graduating from Beijing Forestry University, Chu decided to return home and follow in her father’s footsteps.
In Chu’s hometown of Altay, there are 466 species of wild animals and 74 state-protected ones living in the surrounding 110,000 square kilometers. In 2018, Chu founded the Altay Natural Conservation Association which is aimed at animal protection.
The first public project Chu started was for beavers. “We took the beavers as a priority because they were greatly endangered at that time,” Chu said. “The beavers, which can build dams, are known as ‘engineers’ in the animal kingdom. Their dams can change water levels, gather fish, attract birds to nest and bring insects,” Chu explained.
Chu developed the “Beavers Canteen” program which calls on people to donate to help plant a species of shrub that is an important food resource for the beavers. The shrub is also the building material of the beavers. The clever animal makes full use of it.
1. What can we know about beavers?A.They feed on shrubs and fish. |
B.They abandon their homes easily. |
C.They are good at finding new territory. |
D.They are particular about their surroundings. |
A.Chu had a difficult childhood. |
B.Chu dreamed of being a white-collar worker. |
C.Chu could identify different plants and animals. |
D.Chu preferred reciting poems to English words. |
A.Chu likes beavers most. | B.Beavers can build dams |
C.Chu took her father’s advice. | D.Beavers will probably go extinct soon. |
A.Beaver Princess | B.Beaver Projects |
C.How to Protect Beavers? | D.How to Improve Environment |
7 . Why is pink or purple a color for girls and blue or brown for boys?
The answer depends largely on cultural values as well as personal experiences. To the Egyptians, green is a color that represents the hope and joy of spring, while for Muslims, it means heaven. Red is a symbol of good luck in many cultures. In China, children are given money in a red envelope to bring good fortune in the New Year. For many nations, blue is a symbol of protection and religious beliefs. Greek people often wear a blue necklace hoping to protect themselves against evils.
People’s choice of colors is also influenced by their bodies’ reactions toward them. Each color has its own function (功能). Red can cause a person’s blood pressure to rise and increase people’s appetites (食欲). Many decorators will include different shades of red in the restaurant. Similarly, many commercial websites will have a red “Buy Now” button because red is a color that easily catches a person’s eye.
Blue is a calming color. Unlike red, blue can cause people to lose appetite. So if you want to eat less, some people suggest that eating from blue plates can help. Green is said to be the most restful color. It has the ability to reduce pain and relax people both mentally and physically. People who work in green environment have been found to have fewer stomachaches.
The next time you are deciding on what to wear or what color to decorate your room, think about the color carefully.
1. How is paragraph 2 mainly developed?A.By listing numbers. | B.By following time order. |
C.By giving examples. | D.By discussing problems. |
A.To make people eat more. | B.To draw people’s attention. |
C.To make people calm down. | D.To bring good luck to people. |
A.Red. | B.Blue. | C.Green. | D.Brown. |
A.People’s Choice of Colors | B.The Cultural values of Colors |
C.Colors and Personal Experiences | D.The Meaning and Function of Color |
8 . Recycling is good for our planet, but it can be confusing. Can I recycle plastic bags? What about pizza cartons? Toothpaste tubes? Which bin should I use? There are so many questions, and more than half of Americans are unsure about how to recycle.
Know what to put in the recycling bin. Keep it simple and focus on the most commonly recycled items, such as paper, glass, aluminum and plastic.
Wash or clean items. Do a quick clean to make sure there is no food left in containers before you put them in the bin.
Don’t bag it. Unless you live in a place that requires it, like New York City, keep the recyclables lost in the bin. “A lot of the time, it’s not safe for our employees to tear those bags open, or it takes too much time,” said Keller. “
A.Know what is not recyclable. |
B.The answers are not hard to find. |
C.A lot of bagged stuff goes right to the landfill. |
D.Plastic bags can be used again or returned to grocery stores. |
E.If you really don’t know if an item is recyclable, then just throw it in the garbage. |
F.This is really important if you only use one bin because food items could ruin paper. |
G.Hard plastics like water and soft drink bottles or anything like these can be recycled. |
9 . Most environmental pollution on Earth comes from humans and their inventions, such as cars or plastic. Today, car emissions(排放物) area major source of air pollution leading to climate change, and plastics fill our ocean, creating a significant health issue to marine(海洋的) animals.
And what about the electric light, thought to be one of the greatest human inventions of all time? Electric light can be a beautiful thing, guiding us home when the sun goes down,keeping us safe and making our homes bright. However, like carbon dioxide emissions and plastic, too much of a good thing has started to impact the environment. Light pollution, the inappropriate use of outdoor light, is affecting human health, wildlife behavior and our ability to observe stars.
Light pollution is a global issue. This became obvious when the World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness, a computer-generated map based on thousands of satellite photos, was published in 2016. Available online for viewing, the map shows how and where our globe is lit up at night. Vast areas of North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia are glowing(发光) with light, while only the most remote regions on Earth(Greenland, Central African Republic and Niue) are in total darkness. Some of the most light-polluted countries in the world are Singapore, Qatar, and Kuwait.
Sky glow is the brightening of the night sky, mostly over cities, due to the electric lights of cars, street lamps, offices, factories, outdoor advertising, and buildings, turning night into day for people who work and play long after sunset.
People living in cities with high levels of sky glow have a hard time seeing more than a handful of stars at night. Astronomers are particularly concerned with sky glow pollution as it reduces their ability to view stars.
More than 80 percent of the world’s population, and 99 percent of Americans and Europeans, live under sky glow.
1. What can we learn from paragraph 2?A.The use of outdoor light must be forbidden. |
B.Electric light has both advantages and disadvantages. |
C.Electric light is the main factor to keep us safe. |
D.Electric light is the greatest human invention. |
A.Qatar. | B.Singapore. | C.Kuwait. | D.Niue. |
A.Sky glow costs too much. |
B.Sky glow has a bad effect on their sleep. |
C.Sky glow affects their viewing stars. |
D.Sky glow wastes too much electricity. |
A.Light pollution | B.Plastic pollution |
C.Different kinds of pollution | D.Air pollution |
10 . Many children want to have their own pets, but how to be a good pet owner? Besides giving them food and water, what else can we do to give our pets much love?
Provide your pet with the correct diet.
If you prefer to change the previous diet of your pet, do it slowly so that they adjust (适应) properly.
Clean their housing often.
Clean your pet’s home at least once a week and any other times if necessary. Generally, a pet’s home should be clean so it is a good environment for the animal.
Keep your pet clean.
If you have a dog that always plays in the mud, it’s necessary to give it a shower every day!
Train your pet.
Put a collar on your pet with your personal information and the pet’s name. Remember to close the cage door so there is no chance of escaping and being in an unsafe place.
A.Never hurt or harm your pet. |
B.Be an owner with a sense of duty. |
C.No one wants a cat that jumps on the table. |
D.Animals require different diets based on age. |
E.Remember that you should check the water first with your hand. |
F.Water should be fresh, clean and changed daily to keep your pet healthy. |
G.Without good living conditions, an animal will get sick more, and feel unhappy. |