4 . One afternoon in 2022, something on the Internet caught my eye：a tiny hedgehog (刺猬) held by a big hand. The post read: “HELP! My hedgehog abandoned (抛弃) her two babies, and I cannot raise both of them because I have to go to school full­time. Good home with experience needed as soon as possible!”

   

I had no experience with baby hedgehogs. I was an animal person through and through and had raised cats, dogs, birds, and guinea pigs. But this tiny animal was new to me, and it touched me that he was abandoned, that maybe I could love him and be the best mom for him.

I wrote the most heartfelt email I could. That was how I found my Louie. True to my word, he was my baby. Louie didn’t know he was a hedgehog. He never curled (蜷缩) into a ball, and he liked my two cats, no fear. The cats, however, were afraid of him, as he often moved into the room, running after the cats and blocking my way.

By the time he reached old age, Louie had only three feet. However, he still managed to climb the stairs to visit other animals. He helped me realize my dream of hedgehog photography, a hobby that began during childhood with cats and dollhouses. I love showing off his modeling.

Life has meaning because of the purpose we have. Louie needed a good home and mom, and in return, I got to be a good mother and be needed. Hedgehogs require great amounts of patience, trust, and knowledge—but the payoff (回报) is pretty great.

1. The author got Louie from           .

A．a pet shop	B．a family friend
C．a hedgehog owner	D．a hedgehog rescue center

2. How did Louie seem to feel at the author’s home?

A．Frightened.

B．Relaxed.

C．Lonely.

D．Tired.

3. What can we learn about Louie from paragraph 4?

A．He disliked climbing stairs.	B．He enjoyed being left alone.
C．He always refused to be in photos.	D．He was active despite his difficulty in moving.

4. What does the author say about raising Louie?

A．It was easier than expected.	B．It gave her a sense of safety.
C．It made her lose her patience.	D．It was satisfying and meaningful.

5 . Since the rise in car ownership in the 1950s, the US has started building roads in cities and across the country to provide enough room for automobiles. Houston, like many cities, is turning back the clock to make room for passers-by, cyclists and parks.

Memorial Park in Houston, Texas was halved by the Memorial Drive Highway in the1950s. It has now been reunited. The highway is still there, but the road goes underneath the 1,500-acre park.

The restoration (修复) of Memorial Park is part of a larger plan that was made after the city suffered from a serious drought. It was thought that 80 percent of the forested canopy (树冠) was dead. One of the ways to fight that was to reintroduce native plants and animals.

The city hired the landscape architectural company, Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, to work with the Houston parks and the Memorial Parks Conservancy. The architects, led by Woltz, were inspired by wildlife crossings in the Northwest US and explored the possibility of using this idea in Memorial Park. Over the years, the park was cut into 20 pieces that were divided by highways, roads and parking lots. The only crossing was a 12-foot bridge.

After 10 years of planning and constructing, the Kinder Land Bridge officially opened in early February, 2023. The bridge consists of 100 acres of greenery, and while designed for people, has reconnected wildlife corridors (廊道). The reconstruction added 45 acres of native Gulf Coast prairie (草原) that’ll increase biodiversity in the park. “This project is not just about creating a passage or a bridge. This project is about ecology, it’s about biodiversity and water management. This project is a bridge into Houston’s future.” said Shellye Arnold, president of the Memorial Park Conservancy.

1. What led to the restoration of the Memorial Park?

A．A company’s suggestion.	B．A terrible natural disaster.
C．The demand from the public.	D．The recovery of native plants.

2. How did wildlife crossings in the Northwest US affect the architects?

A．They knew how to restore the Memorial Park.

B．They got the inspiration for rescuing animals.

C．They gained a sense of achievement for working.

D．They developed a new way to protect the landscape.

3. What do we know about the Kinder Land Bridge from the text?

A．It is about 12 feet in length.	B．Its aim is to save water.
C．It benefits the wild animals.	D．Its birth is a short process.

4. What is a suitable title for the text?

A．A Highway Connects a Park in Houston

B．The Importance of Building Land Bridges

C．Efforts to Restore Parks in American Cities

D．Houston Creates a Creative Way to Restore Nature

6 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What will be replaced by thicker ones?

A．Some plastic cups.

B．Some plastic bags.

C．Some ice cream sticks.

2. Which is covered by the ban?

A．Plastic cups.

B．Water bottles.

C．Bags of snacks.

3. What is the appeal of plastic producers?

A．Putting off the ban.

B．Providing alternatives.

C．Creating job opportunities.

4. What is the concern of many people regarding the ban?

A．Waste of wood.

B．Profits of their businesses.

C．Lack of government support.

8 . Unlike other natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes are very hard to see coming, even for scientists.    1    Thus, specific practices for earthquake preparedness are necessary. Here are four steps you can take to prepare yourself in advance.

Drop, cover and hold

If you feel the ground start to shake, drop, take cover under as table piece of furniture, and hold on. You can hide under something like a desk or table, with one arm holding on to a leg of the table and your other arm protecting your neck and head.    2    In modern homes, it is no stronger than any other part of the house and will not protect you from injury.

Make a family plan

    3    Create a meeting point—somewhere easy for everyone to remember, or you could also meet at home. Whatever plan you decide on, don’t rely on your phone as your main form of communication. Technology fails all the time in disasters. A major earthquake in California, for example, damaged cell towers and knocked out communication services for days.

Secure your furniture

Those hanging shelves above your bed could be a danger during an earthquake. People often get injured from “flying or falling objects” like furniture or glass during earthquakes. So examine your home and ask yourself, “What could be a potential danger to my safety?”    4    

Make digital copies of important documents

Important documents may get destroyed during earthquakes. Therefore, scan or take photos of your important documents, such as your license, financial records and insurance policy information.    5    This step can help ensure your documents will be available even if your computer is lost in a quake.

A．Then send them to your e-mail.

B．These are all important personal documents.

C．Make sure your household has a plan of action.

D．Whatever you do, do not stand in a doorframe.

E．If you find the answer, you need to runaway immediately.

F．Nowadays early detection systems can only give seconds of warming ahead.

G．If possible, remove those heavy and big objects above your bed immediately.

9 . 4 Best Places to Travel in 2023

2023 is the year when travel returns in a big way. To get you started, we’ve rounded up some of the best places to travel in 2023. All you need to do is pick the place that appeals to you.

Copenhagen

With its fantastic houses, clean streets and colorful architecture, Copenhagen is regarded as the most livable city on the earth. Named the World Capital of Architecture for 2023, Copenhagen will offer a series of major artistic events and programs sure to delight architects and design lovers.

Bhutan

For travelers with a sense of adventure and a love of discovery, Bhutan has always been a must-go destination. In 2023, travelers can once again explore the Trans Bhutan Trail, which runs 250 miles from east to west, offering visits to the century-old communities along the journey. The trail spans (横跨)18 major bridges and national parks and connects more than 400 historic and cultural sites.

Bordeaux

The coming years will be sporty in the historical wine region of Bordeaux in France. In 2023, the city will host the Rugby World Cup, an intense and stressful game. Beyond sports, Bordeaux is one of the favorite historical cities, with more than 350 structures that are either nationally or regionally listed as historical monuments.

Namibia

Wildlife and adventure lovers looking for a unique path in African Safari trips should head straight to Namibia in 2023 — this country in southern Africa is the perfect place to travel to reconnect with nature and escape the modern stresses of life. On the wildlife front, you may see lions along with giraffes and elephants.

1. What is Copenhagen well-known for?

A．The natural landscape.	B．The adventure travel.
C．Eye-catching architecture.	D．Famous art designers.

2. What can you visit on the Trans Bhutan Trail?

A．Modern communities.	B．Cultural relics.
C．Historical wine regions.	D．National monuments.

3. Which place attracts those who want to be free from stressful city life?

A．Copenhagen.

B．Bhutan.

C．Bordeaux.

D．Namibia.

10 . One man’s trash is another man’s treasure is absolutely the case in Turkey where garbage collectors started collecting books that have been thrown away and ended up opening a library.

It started when garbage man Durson Ipek found a bag of abandoned books when he was working and then it snowballed from there. Ipek and other garbage men started gathering the books they found on the streets that were ready for landfills (垃圾填埋地) and as their collection started to grow, so did word of mouth. Soon, local residents started donating books directly. The library was initially available only to the garbage employees and their families to use but as the collection grew, so did public interest and the library was opened to the public in 2017.

“On the one hand, there were those who were leaving these books on the streets. On the other hand, others were looking for these books,” Ankaya mayor Alper Tasdelen told CNN. “We started to discuss the idea of creating a library from these books. When everyone supported it, this project happened.”

All the books that are found are sorted and checked for condition. If they pass, they go on the shelves. Today, the library has over 6,000 books that range from fiction to nonfiction and there’s a very popular children’s section that even has a collection of comic books. An entire section is devoted to scientific research and there are also books available in English and French. The collection has grown so large that the library loans books to schools and educational programs.

“Village school teachers from all over Turkey are requesting books,” Tasdelen told CNN. The government has to hire a full-time employee to manage the library.

This library is incredibly popular. It is frequently filled with the children of the city’s workers and students from nearby schools. There is a waiting room set up for readers and chess boards for the people who visit the library. You can even enjoy a cup of tea in the waiting room.

1. What does the underlined word “snowballed” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Declined quickly.

B．Grew slowly.

C．Developed rapidly.

D．Worsened steadily.

2. What does paragraph 4 mainly tell us about the library?

A．Its great popularity.	B．Its potential significance.
C．Its huge collection of books.	D．Its wide variety of readers.

3. Why did the government hire a full-time employee?

A．To raise people’s awareness of recycling.	B．To classify and check the donated books.
C．To expand the social influence of the library.	D．To meet the huge demand from rural teachers.

4. What can be inferred about the library from the last paragraph?

A．It’s an excellent place to enjoy tea.	B．It’s crowded with readers every day.
C．It needs to improve its management.	D．It provides a very considerate service.