1 . You look up at the sky on a clear and dark night, you’ll see more stars than your eyes can count. Most of these stars have planets, similar to our own, orbiting them. With so many celestial bodies floating out in space, you can’t help but question whether other forms of life exist in the universe. And if that’s the case, is it possible to contact them?
Science is still somewhat divided on this issue. Currently, no evidence exists to suggest that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe. Yet with an estimated one trillion planets in our galaxy alone, it seems highly likely that Earthlings aren’t the only intelligent creatures out there. Some claim that life can only develop under perfect circumstances, and Earth is perhaps the only example of this. Other scientists object to this claim, and point out that even on Earth, life can find a way under the most extreme circumstances.
Some people believe that aliens have already visited our planet, but this information is being kept secret by governments. The most famous incident of this kind occurred in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947. On that date, many residents reported seeing an unusual flying disc streak through the sky, before it crashed in a field. When the military heard about the crash, they quickly sealed off the area. A few hours later, the army base announced that it had recovered a flying disk. Shortly after, this statement was retracted and it was said that it was a weather balloon that crashed. However, years later one local mortician even claimed that the military had him secretly perform an autopsy on a dead alien body.
Others believe that there certainly are other life forms out there, but the distance between us is too great. Even if we could somehow create a spaceship that travels at the speed of light, it would still probably take several lifetimes to reach them. Then again, we might never have to do this if aliens reach us first.
1. Why do some scientists think there is life on other planets?| A．Because an unusual flying disc was ever witnessed. |
| B．Because life exists despite extreme conditions as those on the Earth do. |
| C．Because the government’s statement seemed suspicious. |
| D．Because there are a great number of planets in the universe. |
| A．Examined again to guarantee the correctness. | B．Emphasized again to persuade people. |
| C．Formally taken back what has been said. | D．Seriously criticized due to poor evidence |
| A．Are we alone in the universe? | B．Is it possible to contact aliens? |
| C．Intelligent life in the universe. | D．Planets floating out in space. |
| A．Objective. | B．Humorous. | C．Cautious. | D．Anxious. |
2 . Coming upon a clear - cut in an old forest is a shocking experience. Tees large and small are collapsed one above the other in pile, and the ground is covered with the tracks of heavy machinery. Such was the scene when forest activist Zack Porter and I hiked a newly built logging (伐木) road in Green Mountain National Forest.
Clear - cutting in the American forests has long been widespread. But now, the Forest Habitat Creation Project represents new reasoning which is hotly debated - that clear - cutting benefits native creatures. The thinking is that clear - cutting done wisely can mimic natural disturbances, for example, from insect invasions or from storms overturning older trees that produce what ecologists call Early Successional Habitats - places where young trees and bushes get the upper hand and animals that depend on such habitat thrive.
The project also states that forests “can only be saved by being destroyed” - by keeping them young. Timber (木材) interests are enthusiastic about the approach because it lets them profit from cutting trees while claiming the significance of conservation. Hunting groups favor it because a younger, less thick forest makes it easier to find the game and birds they're tracking.
Nevertheless, Porter says, “Allowing some of the oldest standing trees in New England to be removed is equal to dereliction of duty on the part of the government, who sees the forests as commodities (商品).” “Forests can produce clean water, clean air, carbon storage, and biodiversity that we need,” he continues as we walk among lovely mixed hardwoods and evergreens that are cut down for logging. “We shouldn't be removing them for short - term gain.”
In this sense, Zack Porter's description of logging for wildlife for short - term gain - the short - term gain of favoring habitat for species people today want to see and hunt - is reasonable.
1. How does the author start the text?| A．By presenting some ideas. | B．By listing some evidence. |
| C．By comparing different views. | D．By stating his own experience. |
| A．Profits can be made from logging. |
| B．Clear - cutting is beneficial to the wildlife. |
| C．The conservation of forest is of significance. |
| D．Clear - cutting can cause natural disturbances. |
| A．Fulfillment. | B．Promise. | C．Misconduct. | D．Exposure. |
| A．A New Approach to Forest Protection |
| B．A Hiking Experience in the Logging Road |
| C．How to Build Early Successional Habitats? |
| D．Is Clear - cutting Forests Good for Wildlife? |
3 . When you throw something in the recycling bin, do you think about what it could become? And when you do, does it make you more likely to use that recycling bin? Recently, a study was conducted in an effort to decide whether or not explaining to people what their recyclables are transformed into would help increase recycling rates.
The researchers started with a group of 111 college students, asked to draw on paper before watching one of three ads.One was a public service message that showed paper going into recycling bins.The other two also showed the paper either being transformed into new paper or a guitar.After completing a survey, the students were asked to deal with the paper when they left. Half of those who saw the first ad recycled their paper, while the recycling rate jumped to 80% for those who'd seen the other ads.
After doing a few more lab experiments, the researchers headed into the real world.At a party, volunteers spoke with attendees (出席者) about recycling, with half mentioning transformed products and half keeping it general.They discovered the subject of the talks came into play.After the game, the recycling and trash bags were weighed.Those who received a message recycled over half of their waste, while those who did not recycled less than a fifth.
All this is to say that details matter.People want to know what treasures their trash can become, and when that's laid out clearly, they' re more likely to do it.Perhaps recycling companies should redesign signs to describe the items being created.Recycling is far from a perfect solution,but it doesn't hurt to manage to improve its rates.
1. What's the function of the first paragraph?| A．To lead to the main topic. |
| B．To reflect the author's attitude. |
| C．To introduce a new recycling bin. |
| D．1 To emphasize the benefits of recycling. |
| A．Took effect. |
| B．Broke down. |
| C．Took off. |
| D．Came to mind. |
| A．Sign the names on the items. |
| B．Find perfect ways of recycling. |
| C．Examine the details of items. |
| D．Show the transformation of waste. |
| A．Sports and games. |
| B．Travel and tourism. |
| C．Entertainment and recreation. |
| D．Science and human life. |
4 . When clouds of radiation began streaming into the air around the Fukushima nuclear plant, 160, 000 residents were told to simply cut and run. However, it seems only 159, 998 residents listened. The other two — Naoto Matsumura and Sakae Kato — remained. The two men would give up everything rather than let other beings starve.
Living within the 12.5-mile exclusion zone around the damaged reactor, the two men, unrelated to one another, both live alone while taking care of dozens of animals that were left behind when the evacuation order was given.
Reports from Reuters and DW state that 57-year-old Kato has 41 cats who live with him in his home in the mountains—along with a dog he adopted named Pochi. Kato says he will stay with his cats and ensure they are comfortable all through their lives.
Matsumura left the city at first, but returned shortly after for his own animals. Once returned, the now 55-year-old realized that everyone else's pets and livestock were still there, so he began taking care of a broad community of animals including pigs, cats, dogs, ponies, ostriches, and cows.
GNN reported that he went back inside the exclusion zone and realized local pet dogs had not eaten in several days. After it became clear that no-one was coming back to the neighborhood, he went around unchaining dogs from trees, letting cows out of their barns, and feeding anything in need, earning him the nickname the “Guardian of Fukushima's Animals”.
Everything both Kato and Matsumura are doing is risky. Though proud of what Kato and Matsumura have done, their friends and families hope that they can leave the dangerous area. Yet they seem to be determined in what they are doing and both plan to stay there with their animals, come what may.
1. What does the phrase “other beings” in paragraph 1 probably refer to?| A．Animals. | B．People. | C．Plants. | D．Residents. |
| A．Curious. | B．Caring. | C．Ambitious. | D．Lonely. |
| A．He is 57 years old. | B．He knows Kato very well. |
| C．He has dozens of animals to look after. | D．He lives 12. 5 miles from the exclusion zone. |
| A．They will follow the advice of their families. | B．They will call on more people to protect animals. |
| C．They stay in the mountains to enjoy loneliness. | D．They have no regard for their own safety. |
5 . There are few places on Earth that humans haven’t messed up. Now even Antarctica, the only continent with no permanent human inhabitants, is being altered by us. A study found that the increasing human presence in Antarctica is causing more snow melt-bad news for a frozen world already battling the effects of human-caused global warming.
Black carbon, the dark, dusty pollution that comes from burning fossil fuels has settled in locations where tourists and researchers spend a lot of time, scientists found. Even the smallest amount of the dark pollutant can have a significant impact on melting because of its very low reflectiveness: things that are light in color, like snow, reflect the sun's energy and stay cool; things that are dark, like black carbon, absorb the sun's energy and warm up.
“The snow albedo (反射率) effect is one of the largest uncertainties in regional and global climate modeling right now,” Alia Khan, a snow and ice scientist at Western Washington University, told CNN. “That’s one of the motivations for the study, to quantify the impact of black carbon on regional snowmelt, which is important for quantifying the role of black carbon in the global loss of snow and ice.”
“Antarctica is sitting there pretty much silently all year. But, if it weren’t there, in the state that it is meant to be, the balance that we have in the climate system will no longer be,” Marilyn Raphael, a geography professor said. “Antarctica’s sea ice is also important to maintain a balance in atmospheric circulation,” he added. As waters get warmer, some Antarctic creatures are finding their homes more and more unlivable.
“Everything we do has consequences,” Raphael said. “We need to educate ourselves about those consequences, especially in systems that we know relatively little about. We have to be careful that we don’t upset the climate balance.”
1. Why can the smallest amount of black carbon have huge impact on melting?| A．It is highly reflective. | B．Its dark colour absorbs heat. |
| C．It produces vast energy. | D．It causes much pollution. |
| A．To measure the impact of black carbon on melting. |
| B．To quantify the cost of battling against climate change. |
| C．To remove the uncertainties of global warming effects. |
| D．To urge people to pay more attention to melting problem. |
| A．The change caused by Antarctic melting. | B．The methods to stop Antarctic ice melting. |
| C．The significance of Antarctic being in its state. | D．The sufferings Antarctic creatures are experiencing. |
| A．Reduce tourist numbers. | B．Face the consequences. |
| C．Acquire professional education. | D．Stop disturbing the climate. |
6 . Alaska's Arctic is experiencing surprising changes with the effects of climate change occurring at twice the rate of the rest of the world. Significant loss of sea ice from a warming climate is one example of this change. Polar bears rely on sea ice — their primary habitat — to hunt seals, which are their primary food source. In certain regions of the Arctic, loss of sea ice has sharply reduced the ability of polar bears to hunt for seals, and it has resulted in polar bears coming to shore to look for food and den in greater numbers.
There are 19 polar bear populations throughout the circumpolar Arctic, two of which include the Chukchi and Southern Beaufort Sea Populations. The Southern Beaufort Sea population is considered the most endangered on the planet, and Defenders has prioritized our polar bear work to focus on this population.
Defenders has a multi-pronged approach to protecting the Southern Beaufort Sea population of polar bears. We are working to protect its critical habitat, minimize climate change effects and reduce human-polar bear conflicts. To reduce human-polar bear conflicts, we promote and support a variety of coexistence measures, including the use of polar bear-proof food storage lockers and polar bear patrols in Arctic communities that use non-lethal hazing and deterrence measures as a first line of defense.
The Southern Beaufort Sea population of polar bears has experienced such a dramatic rate of decline in the past few decades that it's possible that this population could be extinct within our lifetime. Clearly strong measures are needed to limit greenhouse gas emissions to lessen the effects of climate change and slow the loss of sea ice.
In the case of the Southern Beaufort Sea population of polar bears, in addition to reducing climate impacts, we need to continue to work to reduce human-polar bear conflicts so that community residents remain safe and fewer of these polar bears are lost to “defense of life and property” kills. Defenders is grateful to be able to work with Arctic communities, families and residents to do what we can't to ensure community safety and preserve and ultimately recover this polar bear population.
1. How has climate change influenced polar bears?| A．It has threatened their freedom and security. |
| B．It has created increasing conflicts among them. |
| C．It has caused a dangerous population imbalance. |
| D．It has destroyed their habitats and food source access. |
| A．The effects of human activities on polar bears. | B．The measures taken to preserve polar bears. |
| C．The current living situations of polar bears. | D．The favorable environment for polar bears. |
| A．Their population has recovered. |
| B．Their self-protection efforts have worked. |
| C．Some have lost their lives to residents' defense kills. |
| D．Some have adapted to changes in their surroundings. |
| A．Encountering polar bears | B．Coexisting with polar bears |
| C．Polar bears are making a comeback | D．Polar bears may survive the ice melt |
7 . Lacey, 13, found a large bumblebee(大黄蜂)lying in the road while walking her dog. She picked up the bee and noticed it had a broken wing. She tried to put it on some flowers in a nearby park, but it refused to stay there and climbed back to her hand. After an hour, she gave up and headed home with the little creature.
On the way home, the bumblebee was resting on Lacey’s glasses as she went into a local shop to buy milk-shocking other shoppers. Despite many attempts to leave the insect outside, the lovely bee refused to leave Lacey’s side.
Now recovered and named Betty, it follows her everywhere. And once it even stayed with Lacey during the games with her friends at the bowling room.
During the day, Betty rests on the back of Lacey’s neck, or hides inside her clothes or flies around the living room. At night, Lacey puts Betty in a little bottle beside her bed. While there is no lid(盖子), it stays inside quietly until morning.
“I’m so happy and I love spending my time with her,” said the girl. “She’s so lovely and I love our friendship.”
The bee likes Lacey’s food, but also gets sugar water, honey and strawberry jam. Lacey also takes her bee-pal into the garden to enjoy flower honey, but as soon as the girl goes back inside, Betty is right beside her.
“It’s really lovely and so beautiful,” said her mother, Laura. “I’m also glad that Lacey has a new close friend.” Betty enjoys a touch between the wings, but stays away from the rest of the family—mom, dad and two younger brothers. “We have all the doors open a lot and she’s just never gone—I don’t know why,” said Laura.
1. What did Lacey find in the road?| A．A lost dog. | B．An injured bumblebee. | C．A girl called Betty. | D．Some beautiful flowers. |
| A．Shocked. | B．Angry. | C．Delighted. | D．Excited. |
| A．In the living room. | B．On Lacey’s glasses. | C．In a nearby park. | D．In a little bottle. |
| A．Betty loves every one of Lace’s family. |
| B．Betty dislikes touches from humans. |
| C．Laura also likes the presence of Betty. |
| D．Laura is worried about Lacey’s safety. |
8 . If you walk into Larkin Street Laundry around closing time, you might get an extra-special greeting. Every night, an 8-year-old golden retriever (猎犬) named Cody helps Stephanie’s dad close up the laundromat (自助洗衣店). Cody takes his job very seriously; While Stephanie’s dad cleans and puts everything away, Cody takes a nap on top of the washing machines.
Luckily, Stephanie’s dad doesn’t mind that Cody isn’t the best worker. “My dad owns the laundromat and has always taken our dogs there with him when he closes up at the end of the day,” Stephanie told The Dodo. “Our old dog loved to sit in the chairs to watch customers and people pass by, but Cody is more flexible than him.” “After we tried to get him to just sit on the chairs, be figured out a way to climb from the chair to the smaller washers and then to the bigger ones,” she added. “He’s a little lazier than our old dog, so he’d rather lay down and wait for pets and treats.”
Cody has become the main attraction at the laundromat, providing the perfect distraction for customers waiting for their clothes to finish drying. This arrangement works out for the independent Cody, who loves attention but prefers people come to him. And from his high—up advantage point, Cody can keep watch on everything going on at the laundromat. “I think helikes how he can see everyone at eye level when he’s on top of the washers,” Stephanie said. “I have a theory he likes to feel like a king up there.”
After years of laundromat service, Cody has become famous in local— and even the subject of a few big activities, But the good boy doesn’t let fame distract him. After all, he has a job to do, and those washers aren’t going to sit on themselves.
1. What will Cody do when Stephanie’s father put away things?| A．Help to do some cleaning. | B．Play games happily. |
| C．Help put away things. | D．Take a sleep. |
| A．Quiet. | B．Lazy. | C．Lovely. | D．Humorous. |
| A．Cody often offers service for Stephanie’s father. |
| B．Cody may enjoy seeing things happening at the laundromat. |
| C．Cody can lead customers to wait for their clothes. |
| D．Cody looks like a king that frightens customers. |
| A．He likes waiting for pets and treats. |
| B．He likes sitting on tops of the washers. |
| C．He is the subject of several big activities. |
| D．He does a good job at the laundromat. |
9 . Some ways to help and protect wildlife
There are more than 7 billion people on Earth. Imagine what will happen if every one of us is willing to do one thing — no matter how small — to protect wildlife every day.
Take a walk and see and enjoy the wildlife all around you — the birds, reptiles and small and large mammals (哺乳动物). Spend more time outside appreciating, enjoying and learning about wildlife.
Speak up for wildlife
Pick up litter
Picking up litter can save the life of an animal. Litter isn’t just ugly, it’s harmful. Birds and other animals can trap their heads in plastic rings. Fish can get stuck in nets. Plus, trash pollutes everyone’s natural resources.
Donate or volunteer
When you visit your local zoos and nature reserves, pay the recommended entry fee. Your donations help maintain these conservation areas.
| A．Go outside and connect with wildlife |
| B．Do your part by putting trash in its place |
| C．Become a voice for wildlife on social media |
| D．Find new ways to use things you already own |
| E．If you don’t have money to give, donate your time |
| F．Learn more about our planet’s species from experts |
| G．Even minor actions can have a difference when we all work together |
| A．Wildlife. | B．A project. | C．Task time. |
