1 . Desperate to protect his farmland from a group of troublesome monkeys, a farmer in Karnataka, India decided to paint his dog to look like a tiger in the hope that it would frighten the monkeys away.
Srikant Gowda, a farmer from Karmataka’s Shivamogga region, recently made international news headlines after it was reported that he used hair dye (染发剂) to paint his watchdog in the clear lines of a tiger. The dog already had a red hair color, so all he had to do was add the black lines and some white lines to give it the tiger look. It wasn’t that Gowda had always wanted to own a tiger, but that he hoped the make-up would help the dog drive away the monkeys destroying his crops.
The Indian farmer told reporters that he got the idea four years ago when he visited Uttara Kannada and encountered a fanner in Bhakal who was using a fake (假的) tiger doll to scare away monkeys. It seemed silly but he tried himself and was surprised to see that it actually worked. However, he was convinced that the toy tiger wouldn’t fool the monkeys for long, so he decided to try something else as well.
Last year Gowda not only used hair dye to make his watchdog look like a small tiger, but he also placed large posters of real tigers and his own fake tiger all over his farmland, hoping that they would keep the monkeys running away. The “paint job” in fact doesn’t harm the dog. It’s actually hair dye and lasts up to a month before fading away. According to The Youth, Srikanl Gowda’s method was so successful that it inspired other Indian farmers to follow his steps.
1. What can we infer about the monkeys from Paragraph 1?| A．The monkeys are afraid of the dog. |
| B．The monkeys do damage to the farm. |
| C．The monkeys like to play tricks on the farmers. |
| D．The monkeys have trouble protecting the farmland. |
| A．He painted some red lines. | B．He cleaned the dog with paint. |
| C．He added some black lines and white lines. | D．He attached a tiger doll to the dog. |
| A．From a friend. | B．From a journey. |
| C．From a doll shop. | D．From international news. |
| A．The monkeys will leave the farm forever. |
| B．The tigers will have a threat to monkeys. |
| C．There will be more dogs painted like tigers. |
| D．The paint job will last for only a month. |
2 . A company in San Francisco, California, has found a way to turn used plastic bottles into women's shoes. Every day, millions of Americans drink water and other liquids from plastic bottles. More than 60 million of them are thrown away each day. Many of the plastic bottles end up in landfills or are burned with other waste products.
A San Francisco-based company called Rothy's, however, turns this plastic waste into environmentally friendly shoes. Roth Martin is the company's co-founder. He explains how they turn plastic into soft material for women's feet. They take plastic, clean it, and break it down into small pieces. Then they press them through a device that makes soft fibers. Those fibers are then bonded together. This is done by a 3-D machine. It is designed to reduce waste while people are making the shoes. The knitted stuff and the inner part of the shoe are then attached to the shoe's outer part called the sole（鞋底）. This outer sole is also made from environmentally friendly material: responsibly sourced no-carbon rubber.
Rothy's shoes are sold online. They are flat shoes, with either a rounded or pointed toe. They come in different colors and designs. They cost either $ 125 or $ 145 per pair, depending on the design. After American actress Gwyneth Paltrow discovered them, the demand for the shoes grew. Martin says there is no shortage of material to fill that demand. “We're not going to run out of water bottles any time soon, so we have a limitless supply of material, and I think that is a good sign for our future.” When the environmentally friendly shoes wear out, customers can return them at no cost to a company that uses the recycled material to make other products.
For now, the shoes are only available to be shipped in the United States. However, the company says it will add international shops in the near future.
1. How are used plastic bottles usually dealt with?| A．They are used to make shoes. |
| B．They are buried or burned. |
| C．They are changed into soft material. |
| D．They are returned to factories for reuse. |
| A．Combined. | B．Fixed. |
| C．Spotted. | D．Repaired. |
| A．The design and color. |
| B．The reasonable price. |
| C．The power of famous people. |
| D．The company's advertisement. |
| A．To advertise a new kind of shoes. |
| B．To describe the process of making shoes. |
| C．To introduce a new way of recycling plastic waste. |
| D．To stress the importance of environmental protection. |
3 . As COVID-19 continues to spread among humans around the world, conservationists（环境保护主义者）are warning of its possible danger to another group: Africa's endangered mountain gorillas（大猩猩）. Congo's Virunga National Park is home to about 30 percent of the world's mountain gorillas.
The park is closed until June 1 because scientists believe the gorillas may be able to catch COVID-19. Mountain gorillas can get some diseases that humans get. A simple cold can kill a gorilla，says the Worldwide Fund for Nature. That is why park visitors are not allowed to get too close to gorillas. Rules call for a 7-meter distance between gorillas and humans.
Conservationists have welcomed the decision. Paula Kahumbu leads the Kenya-based conservation group WildlifeDirect. She says that “every possible effort must be made” to protect mountain gorillas because so few are left in the wild.
Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka is the leader of the Uganda-based Conservation Through Public Health. She noted a study done this year by her organization and Ohio University. She said the study showed that the rule separating gorillas and tourists was not effective.
Kalema-Zikusoka said the study showed that the seven-meter rule was useless almost every time a group of visitors entered the park. She said visitors were responsible for that about sixty percent of the time. In the other cases, it was the gorillas that moved too close to the humans.
Uganda has not announced a shutdown of gorilla park tourism. However, the number of visitors from Europe and other places has sharply reduced.
Mountain gorillas have been listed as endangered since 1996.But their population is now growing. Tourism brings much foreign money into Rwanda and Uganda. The money got from tourism is important in efforts to protect mountain gorillas. Officials can use it to help local communities. Some observers worry a fall in tourism during the COVID-19 crisis（危机）could endanger gorillas.
1. Why is the Congo's Virunga National Park closed?| A．Because scientists have made some new rules. |
| B．Because scientists think gorillas may get COVID-19. |
| C．Because there are no tourists during the COVID-19 crisis. |
| D．Because there is no money to run it. |
| A．the 7-meter rule is useful |
| B．the visitors are breaking the rule all the time |
| C．we can not separate gorillas and tourists effectively |
| D．every possible effort must be made to protect the gorillas |
| A．The money from tourism has a great effect on the protection of gorillas. |
| B．The money from tourism could endanger gorillas in Africa. |
| C．The number of gorillas is getting smaller in Rwanda an Uganda. |
| D．Gorillas could easily catch COVID-19 in Rwanda and Uganda. |
| A．Gorillas Are in Danger | B．COVID-19 Affects the Tourism |
| C．The Outbreak of COVID-19 | D．COVID-19 Could Endanger Gorillas |
4 . The Mississippi is a romantic river whose relationship with man goes back beyond its discovery by the Spaniards in the 16th century. Indians used the river as a highway and as a source of food, and it was they who gave it its name —''misi'', meaning ''great'' and ''sipi'' meaning ''water''.
When the length of its great tributary (支流), the Missouri, is added to it, the Mississippi becomes the third longest river in the world. From the source of the Missouri to the tip of the delta (三角洲), it is 2,480 miles long. Its head waters have been compared to a healthy, thick-branched tree, healthy because its main branches, or tributaries, are navigable for most of their length.
The Indians paddled up and down the river in their canoes. The first streamer was launched in 1810. It had a single great paddle-wheel at the stern, and was known as a ''paddle-wheeler.'' Throughout the 19th century these unique ships were queens of the Mississippi. They have become part of American history and American literature. The noted writer, Mark Twain, immortalized (使不朽) the river in his greatest novel, Huckleberry Finn, and Oscar Hammerstein immortalized it in his song, Old Man River, which was made popular all over the world by the great black American singer and actor, Paul Robeson.
1. The Mississippi was discovered by the .| A．Americans | B．Indians |
| C．Spaniards | D．Queens of the Mississippi |
| A．the Mississippi | B．the Missouri |
| C．the tributary | D．the delta |
| A．branch | B．river | C．paddle | D．tree |
| A．the 16th century | B．the 19th century |
| C．the 17th century | D．the 15th century |
Hurricane Katrina has been one of the strongest storms that affect the coast of the United States during the last 100 years. Once a hurricane starts it can
Some scientists claimed that global warming was
6 . Mandara seemed to know something big was about to happen. So she let out a yell, caught hold of her 2-year-old daughter Kibibi and climbed up into a tree. She lives at the National Zoo in Washington D.C..
And on Tuesday, August 23rd, witnesses said she seemed to sense the big earthquake that shook much of the East Coast before any humans knew what was going on. And she’s not the only one. In the moments before the quake, an orangutan (猩猩) let out a loud call and then climbed to the top of her shelter.
“It’s very different from their normal call,” said Brandie Smith, the zookeeper. “The lemurs (monkey like animals of Madagascar) will sound an alarm if they see or hear something highly unusual.”
But you can’t see or hear an earthquake 15 minutes before it happens, can you? Maybe you can——if you’re an animal.
“Animals can hear above and below our range of hearing,” said Brandie Smith. “That’s part of their special abilities. They’re more sensitive to the environment, which is how they survive.”
Primates weren’t the only animals that seemed to sense the quake before it happened. One of the elephants made a warning sound and a huge lizard (蜥蜴) ran quickly for cover. The flamingoes (a kind of birds) gathered before the quake and stayed together until the shaking stopped.
So what kind of vibrations (震动) were the animals picking up in the moments before the quake? Scientist Susan Hough said earthquakes produce two types of waves——a weak “P” wave and then a much stronger “S” wave. The “P” stands for “primary”. And the “S” stands for “secondary”. She thinks the “P” wave might be what sets the animals off.
Not all the animals behaved unusually before the quake. For example, Smith said the zoo’s giant pandas didn’t jump up until the shaking actually began. But many of the other animals seemed to know something was coming before it happened. “I’m not surprised at all,” Smith said.
1. Why did Mandara act strangely one day?| A．Because it sensed something unusual would happen. |
| B．Because its daughter Kibibi was injured. |
| C．Because it heard an orangutan let out a loud call. |
| D．Because an earthquake had happened. |
| A．many animals hearing is sharp |
| B．earthquakes produce two types of waves |
| C．primates usually gather together before a quake |
| D．humans can also develop the ability to sense a quake |
| A．A giant panda. | B．A flamingo. |
| C．A lemur. | D．A lizard. |
| A．How animals survive a quake |
| B．How animals differ from humans |
| C．How animals behave before a quake |
| D．How animals protect their young in a quake |
7 . Steven Stein likes to follow garbage trucks. His strange habit makes sense when you consider that he’s an environmental scientist who studies how to reduce litter, including things that fall off garbage trucks as they drive down the road. What is even more interesting is that one of Stein’s jobs is defending an industry behind the plastic shopping bags.
Americans use more than 100 billion thin film plastic bags every year. So many end up in tree branches or along highways that a growing number of cities do not allow them at checkouts(收银台). The bags are prohibited in some 90 cities in California, including Los Angeles. Eyeing these headwinds, plastic-bag makers are hiring scientists like Stein to make the case that their products are not as bad for the planet as most people assume.
Among the bag makers’ argument: many cities with bans still allow shoppers to purchase paper bags, which are easily recycled but require more energy to produce and transport. And while plastic bags may be ugly to look at, they represent a small percentage of all garbage on the ground today.
The industry has also taken aim at the product that has appeared as its replacement: reusable shopping bags. The stronger a reusable bag is, the longer its life and the more plastic-bag use it cancels out. However, longer-lasting reusable bags often require more energy to make. One study found that a cotton bag must be used at least 131 times to be better for the planet than plastic.
Environmentalists don’t dispute(质疑) these points. They hope paper bags will be banned someday too and want shoppers to use the same reusable bags for years.
1. What has Steven Stein been hired to do?| A．Help increase grocery sales. |
| B．Recycle the waste material. |
| C．Stop things falling off trucks. |
| D．Argue for the use of plastic bags. |
| A．Bans on plastic bags. |
| B．Effects of city development. |
| C．Headaches caused by garbage. |
| D．Plastic bags hung in trees. |
| A．They are quite expensive. |
| B．Replacing them can be difficult. |
| C．They are less strong than plastic bags. |
| D．Producing them requires more energy. |
| A．Plastic, Paper or Neither |
| B．Industry, Pollution and Environment |
| C．Recycle or Throw Away |
| D．Garbage Collection and Waste Control |
8 . When Columbus ‘sailed the ocean blue in 1492’ he wasn't looking for America, he was searching for a route from Spain to China; America just got in the way.
The Spanish were after the riches of Asia: silk, dates, spices. Until later adventurers discovered how to sail to the Far East, trade with China depended on the Silk Road. The trade between China and Europe brought huge wealth, so the Spanish had a strong desire to find a new way to the East. Eventually a way appeared; as sea traffic developed from the 17th Century onwards, the overland route diminished.
Now China is seeking to revive(复兴)the Silk Road and is preparing to invest 4 trillion pounds in new roads, rail links, oil pipelines and other basic facilities. It is hoped that goods can be shipped westwards by land far more quickly and economically than by sea.
But the plan is also to attract more tourists. Actually, China does pretty well for tourists already; it's the world's fourth most visited country. Two cities — Beijing and Shanghai—possess the tourism business, with significant interest in destinations such as Xi'an and Chengdu. While Beijing is modern, cities such as Lanzhou and Dunhuang have one foot planted firmly in old China.
Other places featured include Xi'an, the former capital of China, where you can come face to face with the Terracotta Army built to protect China's first emperor in the afterlife. From Lanzhou tour members take the train to Jiayuguan, China's western gateway and a key location on the Silk Road.
There is also a fourday coach journey along the original Silk Route through the Xinjiang region to Kashgar. Along the way, at Kurla, you can visit the ruins of the Iron Fortress.
1. What does the underlined word “diminished” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Discovered. | B．Disappeared. |
| C．Disturbed. | D．Displayed. |
| A．To rebuild the ruins of the Iron Fortress. |
| B．To construct new roads and other basic structures. |
| C．To make transportation westwards faster and cheaper. |
| D．To draw more inland tourists' attention to the western gateway. |
| A．It is nothing but a trade route. |
| B．It may destroy some cities' ancient style. |
| C．It attracts foreign investment of ￡4 trillion. |
| D．It promotes the tourism industry of China. |
| A．The charming of the Silk Road |
| B．The function of the Silk Road |
| C．The origin of the Silk Road |
| D．The future of the Silk Road |
