1 . Seven out of the eight planets in our solar system were named after Greek or Roman Gods. You’re living on the only exception to that rule.

The word “earth” has roots in the Old English term “eorþe”. Eorþe had multiple meanings like “soil”, “dirt”, “ground”, “dry land” and “country”. Yet the story didn’t begin there. Old English is the earliest known stage of what became our modern English tongue. Used until about 1150 C.E., it evolved from a parent language that scholars call “Proto-Germanic”. The German that’s spoken today is part of the same linguistic family. “Earth” and “eorþe” are therefore related to the modern German word “Erde”. Not only is this the German language’s name fox our home planet, but it can also be used to refer to dirt and soil.

Our dear Each has relatives in some other languages, too, For example, there’s the Old Saxon “ertha”, the Old Frisian “erthre” and the Dutch word “aarde”. All these likely originate from a Proto-Germanic term that was never recorded. Nevertheless, linguists have been able to go back and reconstruct this mystery word. Spelled “ertho” in scholarly texts, it’s always marked by an asterisk (星号). This asterisk acknowledges the lack of written confirmation that the word was really used.

Nobody knows when people started using words like “Earth” or “Erde” to refer to the planet as a whole and not just the ground they walked on. Back in 1783, German astronomer Johann Elert Bode named the seventh planet from our sun “Uranus” (after a Greek god). And though Pluto is no longer considered a planet, we know that 11-year-old Venetia Burney named it in 1930. But if a single person gave planet Earth its English name, his or her identity has been lost to the sands of time.

Still, it’s clear that while Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune all started out as the proper names of ancient gods, “Earth” did not. That’s why our planet is sometimes called “the earth” with a lowercase (小写字母) “e”.

1. Which language does the word “Erde” belong to?

A．Old English.	B．Old Saxon.
C．Modern German.	D．Proto-Germanic.

2. Why is the word “ertho” usually seen with an asterisk?

A．To stress its importance.	B．To indicate its unconfirmed source.
C．To remind readers of its spelling.	D．To challenge its academic value.

3. Who named our planet “Earth”?

A．Johann Elert Bode.	B．Venetia Burney.
C．A Greek god.	D．Nobody knows.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．The ways of naming the “earth”.	B．The origin of the name “earth”.
C．The meanings of the word “Earth”.	D．The uniqueness of the name “Earth”.

2 . Dogs need regular exercise to stay healthy and to stop them from getting bored. But the amount of time dogs need outdoors varies based on their age, size and breed.

Based on their age

While puppies are often bundles of energy, it is important not to over-exercise young dogs. A good rule of thumb for puppies is that they should enjoy five minutes of a movement twice a day per month of their age; so, for example, if your puppy is 12 weeks old, keep walks or play sessions to around 15 minutes each.

Elderly dogs may struggle to take long walks, but should still be given the opportunity to go outside and move around at their own pace at least twice daily.

Based on their size

All dogs should be let outside for exercise twice a day, but how intense that exercise should be depends, partly, on the size of the dog. Larger breeds need more space to wander around so, in addition to regular play in the house or garden.

Smaller dogs often require less space of a workout, so letting them out for a runaround, in addition to their daily walk, can be an appropriate form of exercise.

Based on their breed

Some breeds, such as border collies, springer spaniels, German shepherds and Siberian huskies, have been bred as “working dogs”, so are suited to covering long distances. Dogs such as labradors and poodles have bundles of energy, so they are also great companions for a long walk.

Brachycephalic breeds, such as pugs or bulldogs, are more likely to struggle with intense exercise. For these breeds, two shorter walks each day may be the best option; make sure to incorporate some rest breaks, and plenty of drinking opportunities, too.

1. How long exercise is suitable for a 4-month-old puppy?

A．10 minutes.

B．15 minutes.

C．20 minutes.

D．25 minutes.

2. What might be the major concern in terms of the dogs of different sizes?

A．Location.

B．Time.

C．Space.

D．Frequency.

3. Which of the following breeds is suited to workouts of low intensity?

A．Labradors.

B．Bulldogs.

C．German shepherds.

D．Siberian huskies.

3 . My love for animals began through watching wildlife documentaries when I was a kid. I went on to ________ Environmental Science at university, and became ________ in marine biology when I did my PhD. at the University of Hong Kong. That’s when I ________ that there was a possibility to do more for Hong Kong.

I was very lucky to ________ Ms. Claire Nouvian when I graduated from my PhD. in 2009. At that time, Claire was ________ another non-profit organization, BLOOM Hong Kong, after founding the Bloom Association in France a few years before, and she hired me to work on ________ marine conservation. We do this mainly by being research focused, arousing public ________, and trying to fill knowledge ________. We then share our information with frontline officer, such as fishery managers and customs officers, to help them ________ how important their role is in implementing (贯彻执行) regulations to the wildlife trade, and ________ suggestions on how to make implementation work more ________.

We are sill a city in love with ________ and Hong Kong has the second highest annual seafood ________ in Asia — but consumers are ________ aware of where their seafood comes from and which species are ________.

With the marine ecosystem already ________, the greatest threat is continued ignorance and inaction. We humans have been a ________ part of the problem, but now it is time for us to show that we can also be a part of the ________. If each person around us ________ their part — even for just one meal a day Hong Kong would already be on its way to making considerable ________ towards sustainable seafood consumption.

1.

A．appreciate

B．choose

C．study

D．observe

2.

A．interested

B．skilled

C．careful

D．experienced

3.

A．swore

B．realized

C．witnessed

D．admitted

4.

A．meet

B．help

C．accompany

D．obey

5.

A．looking into

B．leaving for

C．working for

D．setting up

6.

A．reforming

B．promoting

C．changing

D．assessing

7.

A．response

B．memory

C．concern

D．worry

8.

A．funds

B．forms

C．levels

D．gaps

9.

A．understand

B．consider

C．inform

D．announce

10.

A．ask

B．hear

C．accept

D．offer

11.

A．cautious

B．private

C．efficient

D．admirable

12.

A．wildlife

B．seafood

C．trade

D．health

13.

A．distribution

B．consumption

C．occupation

D．donation

14.

A．hardly

B．simply

C．exactly

D．fully

15.

A．adopted

B．rejected

C．processed

D．threatened

16.

A．reliable

B．hopeless

C．fragile

D．promising

17.

A．unique

B．significant

C．useless

D．conservative

18.

A．solution

B．conclusion

C．procedure

D．development

19.

A．votes

B．sorts

C．plays

D．limits

20.

A．profits

B．connection

C．mistakes

D．progress

4 . The Adélie penguin, who has been named Pingu, was discovered by a local resident Harry Singh “looking lost” on the shores of New Zealand, over 3,000 kilometers away from its natural habitat.

“At first I thought it was a soft toy,” Singh told the BBC. “But suddenly the penguin moved his head, so I realized it was real. It didn’t move for one hour... and looked exhausted.” He then called penguin rescuers as he was concerned that it was not getting into the water, making it a potential target for any predatory (捕食性的) animals wandering on the beach.

On arriving at the scene, Thomas Stracke, who has been rehabilitating (康复) penguins on New Zealand’s South Island for the last 10 years, was shocked to find that the penguin was an Adélie — a species that lives exclusively on the Antarctic peninsula. Stracke said, “It is quite unusual since they are known only living in the Antarctic area. Fortunately, apart from being a bit starving and severely dehydrated, he was actually not too bad, so we gave him some fluids and some fish smoothie.”

It is only the third recorded incident of an Adélie penguin being found on New Zealand’s coast — the previous were in 1962 and 1993 — and although sitings remain incredibly rare, if they become more common it could be a worrying sign, say experts.

“I think if we started getting annual arrivals of Adélie penguins, we’d go actually, something’s changed in the ocean that we need to understand,” Otago University zoology professor Philip Seddon told The Guardian. “More studies will give us more understanding where penguins go, what they do, what the population trends are like — they’re going to tell us something about the health of that ocean ecosystem in general.”

Pingu has now been released into a bay on the Banks Peninsula, and it is hoped he may be able to make the journey home.

1. What happened to Pingu?

A．He was hunted by local people.	B．He lost his food and looked upset.
C．He was finding a new natural habitat.	D．He landed New Zealand by accident.

2. What does the author intend to do in paragraph 4?

A．Introduce a new topic to discuss.	B．List numbers to prove an opinion.
C．Add some background information.	D．Summarize the previous paragraphs.

3. What can be inferred from Philip’s words?

A．The number of penguins is on the decrease.

B．The health of ocean ecosystem should be concerned.

C．More studies about penguins have been undertaken.

D．Adélie penguins have built habitats in New Zealand.

4. What can be the best title of the text?

A．Unexpected Arrival of Rare Penguin	B．Dangerous Situation of Adélie Penguins
C．Amazing Discovery by Local Resident	D．Magical Travel to New Zealand

5 . Scientists know quite a lot about stars. After centuries of pointing telescopes at the night sky, astronomers and amateurs alike can figure out key traits of any star, such as its mass or its composition.

To calculate a star’s mass, just look at the time it takes to orbit a companion star. Then do a bit of calculation. To determine what it’s made of, look to the spectrum of light the star sends out. But one question scientists haven’t quite cracked yet is how to calculate the exact time of a star.

“The sun is the only star we know the age of,” says astronomer David Soderblom. He works at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Md. We use what we know about it and how it compares to others, he says, to figure out the age of other stars.

Even well-studied stars surprise scientists every now and then. In 2019, the red supergiant Betelgeuse became gradually dark. At the time, astronomers weren’t sure if this star was just going through a phase. The alternative was more exciting: It might be ready to explode as a supernova. (Turns out it was just a phase.) The sun also shook things up when scientists noticed that it wasn’t behaving like other middle-aged stars. It’s not as magnetically active as other stars of its age and mass. That suggests astronomers still might not fully understand the timeline of middle age.

Using physics and indirect measurements, scientists can make a rough estimate of a star’s age. Some methods, it turns out, work better for different types of stars.

Why do we even care? Galaxies are huge collections of stars of different ages. Star ages might help us figure out how such galaxies grow and evolve or how planets within them form. Knowing star ages might even assist in the search for life in other solar systems.

1. What may scientists want to research about stars most now?

A．Their companions.	B．Their types.
C．Their ages.	D．Their characteristics.

2. What does the underlined word “cracked” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Discussed.

B．Described.

C．Touched.

D．Solved.

3. Why is the example in 2019 mentioned?

A．To show scientists still have puzzles about stars.

B．To prove scientists have studied stars to the full.

C．To provide facts for scientists’ researches on stars.

D．To warn scientists to notice some surprising stars.

4. What does the author want to tell us in the last paragraph?

A．The reasons for caring about the space.	B．The significance of researching star ages.
C．The ways of measuring a star’s age.	D．The benefits of figuring out solar systems.

6 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Huang He or The Yellow River, flowing through nine provinces, is the second longest river in China. It is also the sixth longest in the world at the estimated     1    (long) of 5, 464 kilometers. The distinctive yellow color is from the silt (泥沙) and dust it collects     2     the environment.

The Yellow River is called "the cradle (摇篮) of Chinese civilization" as     3     (it) basin — the Wei valley —was the birthplace of ancient Chinese civilizations and the most prosperous (繁荣的) region in early Chinese history. Both the river and the people along its shores have shaped each other     4     (deep).

    5     you're a history fan or not, the river is appealing.

    6    (Originate) in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and runs into the Bohai Sea. The Yellow River basin has     7     east-west extent of 1,900 km and a north-south extent of 1,100 km. Its total basin area is 742,443 km². Two of     8    (popular) spots to visit are the Hukou Falls and the Silk Road Crossing at Lanzhou.

The Yellow River used to be called "China's Sorrow" because of the frequent floods hitting. In 1955, Chinese government developed a plan     9    (control) flooding. Since 1960, tens of thousands of trees     10    (plant) along the banks.

7 . With sunset on the horizon, Chad Rissman and his uncle Darrin Vick had waited all day for one bite. They were just sitting there talking when ______ the line got tight and ______. With that light bite, they got ______ in an unforgettable fishing tale.

Darrin was going to grab the ______. As the leader (接钩线) was coming up, Chad said he'd get hold of the shark. But before Darrin could, an eagle swept in and ______ the shark as its own. "In the sunset, the way ______ lined up for shooting; I couldn't have ______ a better time," said Chad. The family ______ their phones and ______ the moment.

Then, they ______ the line and got the line and hook away from the eagle.

"I think they did a really great job. It could have been a lot ______," said Kim Begay with the Clearwater Audubon Society and Audubon Center for Birds of Prey. Begay ______   that eagle as Eugene, first ______   in Bradenton in 2017, after breaking her leg. "The first time she broke her leg, she was in rehab (康复中心) for about eight ______   and she was in rehab at a very ______ time when she would be learning how to hunt and ______ her parents' hunt. Eugene appears to now be looking for easy ______," Begay explained.

If Eugene or any other bird is hooked, Begay suggested following these steps. "If you hook a bird ______, or the bird has line wrapped around them, you have to remove and then ______. If not, a bird could end up in ______."

1.

A．gradually

B．suddenly

C．permanently

D．hardly

2.

A．broken

B．long

C．loose

D．smooth

3.

A．interested

B．involved

C．lost

D．absorbed

4.

A．line

B．shark

C．eagle

D．phone

5.

A．killed

B．attacked

C．swallowed

D．claimed

6.

A．anything

B．everything

C．something

D．nothing

7.

A．asked for

B．run out of

C．escaped from

D．got rid of

8.

A．lost

B．threw

C．grabbed

D．delivered

9.

A．hid

B．shared

C．celebrated

D．recorded

10.

A．took out

B．cut off

C．tidied up

D．rolled up

11.

A．easier

B．healthier

C．worse

D．slower

12.

A．knows

B．regards

C．treats

D．accepts

13.

A．raised

B．witnessed

C．trained

D．rescued

14.

A．hours

B．days

C．months

D．years

15.

A．critical

B．enjoyable

C．relaxing

D．carefree

16.

A．protecting

B．ruining

C．discovering

D．following

17.

A．meals

B．tasks

C．journeys

D．methods

18.

A．with luck

B．by accident

C．in flesh

D．on purpose

19.

A．report

B．realize

C．release

D．recommend

20.

A．safety

B．relief

C．freedom

D．trouble

8 . The Mekong flows through an extremely diverse landscape and surprises once again with its richness of species. But an unbroken construction trend threatens the ecosystem.

In the Mekong area, 110 new species have been discovered in the past two years. The World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) on Thursday called Southeast Asia a true treasure for animals and plants. A turtle with a trunk and a fish named after the river Bruinen in the fantasy classic “Lord of the Rings” were found. According to WWF, a newly found plant reminds people of the eggs in the film “Alien”, from which the Facehugger jump.

The Mekong region, which covers China, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia, is a melting pot of biodiversity. But it is in danger. “Massive habitat ruin and huge hydropower plants threaten the treasury,” says Stefan Ziegler of WWF-Germany. “Our goal must be to protect the biologically valuable areas of the Mekong across borders and permanently, as well as to make sustainable use of natural resources.”

Over the past 20 years, more than 2, 500 new species have been discovered in the Mekong region, including numerous mammals and birds. “The combination of mountains, dry forests and wet lands, as well as heavy rainfall and a humid climate, is unique,” says the WWF. Many of the resident species could not be found anywhere else.

However, 150 large and small hydropower plants are planned on the Mekong. “The dams would primarily benefit construction companies and their associated politicians,” said Pou Sothirak, director of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace, in a recent interview. “They are not interested in the social impact and the damage to the environment.”

1. What is it that makes Mekong in danger?

A．Terrible climate.	B．Unique landscape.
C．Abundant species.	D．Unbroken construction.

2. Why is the film “Alien” mentioned in paragraph 2?

A．To describe the appearance of the plant.

B．To present the damage to the environment.

C．To raise the readers' awareness of new species.

D．To compare the newly found plant with the old one.

3. What is Pou Sothirak's attitude towards the hydropower plants?

A．Supportive.

B．Interested.

C．Doubtful.

D．Opposed.

4. What might be the author?

A．A politician.	B．An ecologist.
C．A company director.	D．A power plant's designer.