1 . The Mysterious World of Deep-Sea Creatures
The deep sea remains one of the least explored and understood environments on our planet. Lying below the sunlit upper layers of the ocean, the deep sea is a region of permanent darkness, freezing temperatures, and massive pressure. Yet, life thrives (茁壮成长) here in some of the most astonishing ways.
* The Black Dragonfish *
Residing at dephs of up to 2,000 meters, the black dragonfish is a predator with a thin and long body and sharp teeth. What makes it unique is its ability to produce its own light, a phenomenon known as bioluminescence. This helps it attract prey (猎物) and communicate with potential mates.
* The Giant Squid *
Long a stuff of legends and tales, the giant squid, which occasionally attacks whales, can reach lengths of up to 43 feet. Its massive eyes, the size of dinner plates, allow it to detect weak light in the deep dark waters. Encounters with this enormous creature are rare, and much of its life remains unknown.
* Tube Worms at Hydrothermal Vents *
In the depths of the ocean, hydrothermal vents (热液喷口) shoot superheated water packed with minerals. Around these vents, communities of tube worms thrive, reaching lengths of up to 2 meters. They possess no mouth or digestive system; instead, bacteria inside them process the minerals from the vents to produce energy.
Modern technology has enabled humans to explore deeper into the ocean than ever before. Using remotely operated vehicles and deep-sea submersibles (潜水器), scientists can now study these creatures in their natural habitats, uncovering secrets that could hold the key to understanding life’s adaptability.
1. What ability is unique to the black dragonfish?| A．Generating light for itself. | B．Attracting and capturing prey. |
| C．Discovering light in the deep water. | D．Communicating with other creatures. |
| A．The black dragonfish | B．The tube worm. | C．The giant squid. | D．The whale. |
| A．An academic article. | B．An experimental report. |
| C．A travel guide. | D．A natural science magazine. |
1. What is the main topic of the talk?
| A．Energy conservation. |
| B．New housing construction. |
| C．The number of bicycles and cars. |
| A．To keep out the cold. |
| B．To keep other houses warm. |
| C．To avoid being overheated in summer. |
| A．By cutting back on parking. |
| B．By building 24 miles of bicycle paths. |
| C．By encouraging university students to use bicycles. |
| A．To save gas. | B．To relieve traffic jams. | C．To test new energy alternatives. |
1. What’s the weather like in the morning of May and June in Costa Rica?
| A．Cloudy and warm. | B．Rainy and cold. | C．Dry and hot. |
| A．There are more interesting things. |
| B．The weather is better. |
| C．The prices are lower. |
| A．In January. | B．In May. | C．In December. |
| A．From February to April. | B．From May to June. | C．From July to August. |
4 . The problem with a catchy name is that sometimes it catches on too well. Take the hygiene hypothesis (卫生说) outlined in 1989 by David Strachan of St George’s, a hospital and medical school in London. It suggests that the rise of allergenic (致敏的) sensitivity observed in rich countries over the course of the 20th century may have been caused by a shift from rural to urban living, so that children are no longer routinely exposed to farm animals.
Dr Strachan’s work still has much to recommend it. What the catchy label has encouraged, however, is a false belief that cleanliness is not necessarily a health benefit. In reality, says Thomas Marrs, an allergist at King’s College, London, hygiene is usually about bacteria (细菌) causing infection—and the bacteria that may be beneficial are different from those which do that. But it is plain to see why alternative descriptions, such as “the high turnover and diversity hypothesis” or the “the microbial deprivation hypothesis (微生物剥夺假说)”, have not caught on, more accurate though they may be.
In an attempt to collect further data on the matter, Hisao Okabe of Fukushima Medical University and his team have looked through the Japan Environment and Children’s Study, which tracked over 100,000 births between 2019 and 2022.
Pursuing the animal connection, they looked for correlations between household pet ownership before and immediately after a child’s birth, and any food allergies found in that child’s first three years.
Of the 66,000 or so children they chose to look at, 22% had been born into households with pets. Children in households with dogs, the researchers found, had lower rates than average of allergies to eggs, milk and nuts. Those cohabiting with cats seemed more tolerant of eggs, wheat and beans. However, children whose parents kept turtles (龟) appeared unaffected. And, curiously, those exposed to hamsters (仓鼠) appeared more likely than average to be allergic to nuts.
Confirming or denying this will need more study. Nevertheless, Dr Okabe’s contribution is an interesting addition to the debate about Dr Strachan’s brainchild.
1. What does the hygiene hypothesis suggest?| A．Children in rich countries are more likely to have allergies. |
| B．Urban living leads to less exposure to allergens. |
| C．Allergies are linked to bacteria that cause infection. |
| D．Farm animals reduce childhood allergies. |
| A．Doubtful | B．Favorable | C．Critical | D．indifferent |
| A．pet ownership and uncomfortable childbirth | B．pet ownership and child food allergies |
| C．environments and animals | D．food and allergies |
| A．Dogs and cats | B．Dogs and turtles | C．Cats and hamsters | D．Turtles and hamsters. |
1. What does the man need help with?
| A．The planting. |
| B．The harvest. |
| C．The building. |
| A．Give the man a discount. |
| B．Let the man try out the animal. |
| C．Give the man the best horse. |
| A．The man sent the horse back. |
| B．The man began to like the horse. |
| C．The man got the horse as a gift. |
Macquarie Island was a beautiful place where its native
1. What is the main topic of the talk?
| A．How weather can affect everyone. |
| B．What people can do on a fine day. |
| C．How people prepare for bad weather. |
| A．Play a game. | B．Go out for a walk. | C．Check the weather. |
| A．Arrange activities. | B．Analyze news reports. | C．Predict the weather. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Grateful. | C．Confused. |
8 . Have you heard of shark fin (鲨鱼鳍) soup? This famous and expensive dish is especially popular in southern China. But do you realize that you are killing a whole shark each time you enjoy a bowl of shark fin soup?
When people catch sharks, they cut off their fins and throw them back into the sea where they die slowly and painfully. In fact, around 70 million sharks are caught and traded (交易) in this industry every year. The numbers of some kinds of sharks have declined by over 90 percent in the last 20 to 30 years.
Environmental protection groups around the world, such as WildAid and the WWF, are teaching the public about “finning”. They have even asked governments to develop laws to stop the sale of shark fins. So far, no scientific studies have shown shark fins are good for health, so why eat them? Help save the sharks!
1. Where is shark fin soup especially popular?| A．In eastern China. | B．In southern China. | C．In western China. | D．In northern China. |
| A．Fallen. | B．Added. | C．Doubled. | D．Increased. |
| A．They are afraid of sharks. |
| B．They catch sharks for fun. |
| C．They consider sharks lovely. |
| D．They cut off shark fins for money. |
| A．WTO. | B．UNESCO. | C．WildAid. | D．WHO. |
| A．Respect Nature | B．Value the Planet | C．Save the Sharks | D．Keep Balance |
1. How many hectares of tea trees are there in Jiajiang county?
| A．20,000 hectares. | B．35,000 hectares. | C．46,000 hectares. |
| A．To South Africa | B．To East Asia. | C．To Central Asia. |
| A．By using good farm chemicals. |
| B．By watering tea trees on time. |
| C．By focusing on the soil. |
| A．A farmer. | B．A director. | C．A businessman. |
Jiuzhai Valley. or Jiuzhaigou, is a picturesque fairyland, featuring fascinating scenery of colorful lakes, breathtaking waterfalls and mountains. People say that if there should be a wonderland on earth, Jiuzhaigou National Park must be one.
Jiuzhai Valley is
