1. Who started the competition?
| A．A bus company. | B．A teacher. | C．A student. |
| A．Organize a program. | B．Write an essay(文章). | C．Plant a garden. |
| A．A lot of computers. | B．A hybrid school bus. | C．Some beautiful lights. |
| A．It is much safer. | B．It runs much faster. | C．It creates less pollution. |
2 . American love pets. Many pet owners treat these friends as part of the family. Sometimes they spice their pets’ life with entertaining videos and amusing toys. If they have an eye for fashion, pet owners can dress their pets in fashionable clothes. For special occasions, they can use perfume to make their dogs smell well.
Leading a dog’s life in America isn’t such a bad thing. Many grocery stores sell various pet foods to owners eager to please their pets. In Houston, Texas dogs can have their dinner delivered to their homes. Well-to-do dogs can attend doggy daycare center, which is usually expensive, while their owners work. Pets can even accompany their owners on vacation. Fancy hotels are beginning to accommodate both man the beast.
Beneath all these things, there lies a basic American belief: pets have a right to be treated well. At least 75 animal welfare organizations exist in America. They provide care and adoption service for homeless and abused (被虐待的) animals. Vet (兽医) can give animals an incredible level of medical care for an incredible price. People can even bury their pets in a respectable cemetery.
The average American enjoys having pets around for a good reason. Researchers have discovered that interaction with animals lowers a person’s blood pressure. Dogs can offer protection from burglars and unwelcome visitors. Cats can help rid the home of unwanted pests. Pets even encourage social relationships: they give their owners an appearance of friendliness, and they provide a good topic of conversation.
Pets are basic to American culture as hot dogs or apple pies. To Americans, pets are not just property, but part of the family. After all, pets are “people”, too.
1. The underlined phrase “have an eye for” (in Paragraph 1) probably means ________.| A．look down upon | B．look up to |
| C．have a proper sense of | D．keep a watch on |
| A．their owners are wealthy | B．their owners are eager to please them |
| C．they do well while their owners are at work | D．they are very clever |
| A．medical care for animals is free |
| B．the price of medical care for pets is extremely low |
| C．Americans believe that pets have a right to be treated well |
| D．there are many animal welfare organizations in America |
| A．can deliver dinner to their homes in Houston |
| B．are liked by Americans better than cats |
| C．can offer burglars and unwelcome visitors protection |
| D．can provide companionship and love for people |
| A．Americans have many reasons to love pets. | B．Pets are part of American families. |
| C．Pets have a comfortable life in America. | D．Americans have a childish love for pets. |
3 . 
It may sound like the plot of a Disney movie, but Todd, a fox, really does think he’s a dog. The animal was tamed after being rescued as a 4-month-old cub (幼崽) and was raised as a pet by owner Emma D’ Sylva. Since then the lovable fox has picked up a number of dog characteristics such as tail wagging (摇尾巴), playing with toys and even walking on a lead.
The 11-month-old animal accompanies Emma’s pets Sky and Oakley on walks, drawing double attention from other dog-walkers when they see Todd moving quickly through the local park with Sky and Oakley. They thought as a fox, he has too many dog characteristics. He also sleeps in a kennel (狗窝) , plays with the other dogs and even wags his tail during its feeding time.
“I’ve had Todd since he was about 4 months old because his previous owners couldn’t look after him anymore. He was a bit crazy when he first came to me last year, but now he has a really strong bond with me. He will run up to me wagging his tail when I go to feed him.” Emma, 25, from Stanfield, said.
“Sometimes he comes into my room, but he prefers being outside. He gets on well with my two dogs, and wants to play with them all the time. If people or dogs come up to him in the park, he will lie down at first and freeze but after a few seconds he will sniff (嗅) around the dogs or sit patiently.”
Emma takes some of her 40 pets into schools and care homes to enable children and the elderly to interact with a range of animals. Emma’s husband, Steve Johnson, added, “Todd went out on his first school visit the other week and the children really enjoyed playing with him.”
1. The author mentions “like the plot of a Disney movie” in Paragraph 1 to ________.| A．attract readers to know more about Todd |
| B．introduce a Disney movie’s actor |
| C．inspire people to treat foxes more friendly |
| D．share his favorite movie with readers |
| A．he’s considerate and warmhearted | B．he’s successful and patient |
| C．he acts like a dog instead of a fox | D．he gets along well with dogs |
| A．He is very aggressive in public. | B．He misses his previous owners. |
| C．He used to sleep in Emma’s room. | D．He leads a happy life at Emma’s home. |
| A．Steve Johnson and Emma run a pet home. | B．Todd enjoyed playing with other pets. |
| C．Emma is an expert in raising a range of pets. | D．Todd was welcomed by children in the school. |
| A．How to raise dogs and foxes | B．A lovely dog-like fox |
| C．Emma and her pets | D．To be a good per owner |
4 . Suppose there are some coins on the table in front of you. If the number is small, you can tell right away exactly how many there are. You don’t even have to count them — a single glance is enough. Cichlids and stingrays, two kinds of fish, are astonishingly similar to us in this respect: they can detect small quantities precisely — and presumably without counting. For example, they can be trained to reliably distinguish quantities of three from quantities of four.
But how do you ask a cichlid for the result of “2+1” or “5-1”? The researchers showed the fish a collection of geometric shapes — for example, four squares. If these objects were colored blue, this meant “add one” for the following discrimination. Yellow, on the other hand, meant “subtract one.”
After showing the original stimulus (刺激物) (e.g. four squares), the animals were shown two new pictures — one with five and one with three squares. If they swam to the correct picture (i.e. to the five squares in the “blue” arithmetic task), they were rewarded with food. If they gave the wrong answer, they went away empty-handed. Over time, they learned to associate the blue color with an increase of one in the amount shown at the beginning, and the yellow number with a decrease.
“We deliberately left out some calculations during training,” Schluessel explains. “Namely, 3+1 and 3-1.” After the learning phase, the animals got to see these two tasks for the first time. But even in those tests, they significantly often chose the correct answer.” This was true even when they had to decide between choosing four or five objects after being shown a blue 3 — that is, two outcomes that were both greater than the initial value. In this case, the fish chose four over five, indicating they had not learned the rule “chose the largest (or smallest) amount presented” but the rule “always add or subtract one”.
1. How did the researchers tell the fish what to do?| A．They used different colors to represent different calculations. |
| B．They showed different numbers by various shapes. |
| C．They asked the fish for the result after showing geometric shapes. |
| D．They associated geometric shapes with colors. |
| A．They can get food when swimming to the correct picture. |
| B．Blue means “add one,” and yellow means “subtract one”. |
| C．Math plays an important role in one’s life. |
| D．Five squares in the blue means food. |
| A．To prove that the fish finish the task by memorizing numbers. |
| B．To indicate the fish can do complicated tasks. |
| C．To show an important rule the fish had not learned. |
| D．To check whether the fish can apply this knowledge to new tasks. |
| A．Some fish can perform math tasks by memory. |
| B．Cichlids and stingrays have simple math abilities. |
| C．All fish are smarter than we used to think. |
| D．Scientific training is the key to math. |
5 . It’s no secret that spring is now starting earlier, but exactly how, why and where this is happening are much more complex questions. Using 50 years’ observations of some insects, like aphids, moths and butterflies, as well as birds in the UK, a group of researchers, led by Dr James Bell of the Rothamsted Insect Survey, has tried to answer some of these questions.
On the one hand, the results confirm current understanding. They reveal that aphids, moths and butterflies are now flying much earlier than in the mid-20th century and that birds are laying eggs earlier. However, this early awakening isn’t uniform across species and the degree of change varies depending on the location and habitat. As a result, the researchers have waned that wildlife may fail to match the life cycles of other species that they rely on for food.
Some of this variation is related to differences in the species themselves—moths, which turn from caterpillars to flying adults early in the year, seem to be more responsive to climate change than those which change later. In other cases, the geographical location is key. Spring activity generally occurs later in the north of the country, though the specifics vary from species to species.
In addition, the study also finds that woodland habitats, which are thought to offer animals a more stable climate, and which researchers hoped might present a “buffer (缓冲)” to climate change, did not appear to do so. It is this finding in particular that concerns scientists. “We should have seen some sort of buffer offered by the woodland that would protect wildlife against the advances of temperature, but actually we didn’t see that,” explains Dr Bell. “We have to guess that even though woodlands have stable micro-climates, they too are advancing at the same rate. Though the researchers will carry out further research to establish exactly why this is the case, the all-along outcome is very clear: all species are now at greater risk than previously thought.”
1. What did the researchers try to answer in their study?| A．Which species can sense spring very early? |
| B．Is spring coming much earlier now? |
| C．What is the detailed information about early spring? |
| D．What is people’s common understanding of early spring? |
| A．The increased chance of insects being eaten. |
| B．The change in some birds’ egg-laying habits. |
| C．The loss of some species’ natural habitat. |
| D．The break in some wildlife’s food chain |
| A．the reasons for some species’ early awakening |
| B．some species’ responses to climate change |
| C．the influences brought by early spring |
| D．the distribution of species in the UK |
| A．They’ve failed to work as expected. |
| B．They’re now in quite severe conditions. |
| C．They’ve been less affected by climate change. |
| D．They’re widely distributed throughout the UK. |
| A．Desired. | B．Worrying. | C．Beneficial. | D．Encouraging. |
6 . Just how many truly intelligent species are there living on Earth? While they may not be living “in a pineapple under the sea”, a new study finds there’s at least one species in the ocean that shows the intelligence of human children. Researchers at the Marine Biological Laboratory say cuttlefish (墨鱼) have passed a test designed to measure the advanced skill of delayed gratification (延迟满足) in primates (灵长目动物).
Researchers used an adapted version of the Stanford marshmallow test (棉花糖测试), where children were given a choice of taking an immediate reward (1 marshmallow) or waiting to earn a delayed but better reward (2 marshmallows). “Cuttlefish in the present study were all able to wait for the better reward and tolerated delays for up to 50–130 seconds,” says lead author Alexandra Schnell. This is the first time the link between self-control and intelligence has appeared in a species other than primates.
Why the species is able to delay gratification is a bit of a mystery. For humans, scientists believe the quality strengthens social bonds. An example would be when you see someone wait for a partner to eat. Delayed gratification can also be a function of tool-building animals, who need to make hunting tools before they can eat.
For cuttlefish, however, researchers say they don’t build tools and are not social creatures. For them, Schnell believes delayed gratification is likely the result of having to hide themselves to stay alive. “Cuttlefish spend most of their time hiding,” she explains. “They desist from hiding when they search for food, so they are exposed to every hunter in the ocean that wants to eat them. We assume that delayed gratification may be a byproduct of this, so the cuttlefish can wait to choose better quality food.”
Researchers add that finding a link between self-control and intelligence in an animal other than primates is a good example of convergent evolution (趋同进化). This is the event in which completely separate evolutionary histories still lead to the same signs of intelligence.
1. What can we conclude from the adapted marshmallow test about cuttlefish?| A．They were smarter than children. |
| B．They had little interest in marshmallows. |
| C．They showed a certain amount of self-control. |
| D．They were more likely to take immediate rewards. |
| A．To avoid dangers. |
| B．To maintain relationships. |
| C．Due to their inborn ability. |
| D．Due to the demand from others. |
| A．Enjoy. | B．Consider. | C．Risk. | D．Stop. |
| A．Cuttlefish is a tool-building animal. |
| B．Cuttlefish is a social creature. |
| C．Cuttlefish has its special living habit. |
| D．Cuttlefish has high intelligence. |
| A．A possible reason for the study findings. |
| B．A suggestion for future studies. |
| C．The significance of the study. |
| D．The major limitation of the study. |
7 . With eco-tourism on the rise, eco-hotels are fast becoming the darling of the travel industry. These days, however, staying at an eco-hotel doesn’t necessarily mean vacationing in a tree house in the Costa Rican jungle, although that is certainly a choice.
The majority of eco-hotels fall into one of several categories: hotels and resorts that conserve ecologically important habitats; “green” hotels that reduce, recycle, minimize waste, and protect water; sustainable hotels that harvest food from gardens on the hotel property or get part or all of their power from renewable energy; hotels that encourage community involvement such as guests taking part in trail clearing; and hotels that offer some form of environmental education to their guests.
As such, eco-hotels are a various group. Stylish urban hotels like the Willard Inter-Continental Washington focus on energy conservation whereas the Rosario Resort & Spa on Orcas Island in Washington State offers a wildly popular “green” vacation package where guests can “take a hike, clear a trail”.
No matter what you call them, eco-hotel, eco-lodge, eco-resort, or green hotel, they’re all part of the “greening” of the tourism industry.
Part of what drives this greening of the hotel industry is no doubt competition. Going green is yet another way to distinguish a hotel from the mass of other excellent hotels that consumers have to choose from. But for many hotels, it’s also part of their philosophy. With the concept of “going green” firmly rooted in consumers’ minds, eco-hotels have taken it to the next level, and whether or not money is the driving factor behind the greening of the hotel industry doesn’t matter so much as it’s good for the planet.
1. The underlined part in the first paragraph means ________.| A．lovers like staying at an eco-hotel when traveling |
| B．eco-hotels are very popular in the travel industry |
| C．eco-hotels are where young people love to live |
| D．romantic love stories often happen in eco-hotels |
| A．It uses renewable energy. |
| B．It is comfortable and fashionable. |
| C．It has walls of glass. |
| D．It is home to endangered species. |
| A．protects important habitats |
| B．harvests food from its own garden. |
| C．has courses on the environment for its guests |
| D．encourages its guests to participate in its greening activities |
| A．money is part of the driving force behind eco-hotels |
| B．eco-hotels have no advantages in competing for guests |
| C．eco-hotels teach their guests the philosophy of eco-hotels |
| D．the hotel industry cares more about money than the environment |
| A．love to take a hike | B．have environmental awareness |
| C．want to live comfortably | D．enjoy the green atmosphere |
1.跑步捡垃圾的现状；
2.它的优点；
3.提出倡议。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.可以话当加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：跑步捡垃圾 plogging
My dear friends,
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Li Hua
9 . As she was waiting for her flight at a Chengdu airport, Cai Xiao noticed several tiny dead yellow birds lying on the ground outside an enormous window at the two-story terminal building. Deeply saddened by her discovery, Cai took photos of the dead animals and emailed them to a nationwide scientific survey of bird-window collisions（撞击）that aims to gather data to provide evidence of the existence of this issue in China.
Li Binbin, an assistant professor of Environmental Sciences at Duke Kunshan University in Jiangsu province, led the survey, working with several Chinese bird-watching societies starting from March this year. She said that, so far, they have found bird collisions recorded in most parts of the country, and of the 26 species involved, two-thirds were migratory birds（候鸟）.
In order to pursue the transparency（透明度）of space, mankind has put up countless glass buildings, creating a disaster for birds, which have trouble seeing glass. They see reflections in glass as open space and fly into it at full speed. Sometimes birds appear to recover from their injuries and fly away, but they may later suffer internal injuries that leads to death.
In the United States, up to 1 billion birds die each year from hitting windows. Although there is a lack of data, scientists estimate that the number is similar in China, given that the country's east coast is on a major migratory route for birds.
Li launched the survey after witnessing a dozen bird collisions on campus. In 2018, the scholar and her students delivered a report to the university, recommending that it replace windows where most of the collisions happened. The school authorities worried that such an effort would damage the aesthetics（美观）of the buildings. After several discussions, they finally decided to use stickers to decorate windows and reduce glass reflections, Li recalled. This simple effort resulted in collisions at the site being reduced to almost zero.
In the design plan for the future campus project, Li saw that several of her suggestions were adopted: lowering the use of large windows；adding window designs with strips or other patterns to reduce reflections.
For those concerned with the issue, the main question is how to raise awareness of the problem. Li said the first step should be to gather enough data. So far, more than 130 individuals and 33 birding societies have reported bird collisions to her survey.
1. According to Para. 1, what happened at the airport?| A．Some yellow birds were lying on the ground. |
| B．Cai sent the dead birds to a nationwide scientific survey of bird-window collisions. |
| C．Cai found that some birds had been killed by window collisions. |
| D．Cai missed her flight because of the bird collisions. |
| A．The purpose of putting up more glass buildings is to blind birds. |
| B．All the birds were killed instantly. |
| C．The birds would like to fly into glass to see their reflections. |
| D．Glass buildings could easily cause bird collisions. |
| A．Li and her students' report saved a lot of birds. |
| B．The school authorities refused to damage the aesthetics of the buildings. |
| C．Finally, Li and her students used stickers to decorate windows and reduce glass reflections. |
| D．The school authorities replaced windows where most of the collisions happened. |
| A．How to draw people's attention to this issue? |
| B．There are too many glass buildings. |
| C．How to reduce glass reflections? |
| D．How to reduce bird collisions without damaging the aesthetics of the buildings? |
| A．The Trouble with Glass Buildings | B．Ways to Protect Birds |
| C．A Survey of Bird-window Collisions | D．Fly to the Reflection |
1. 目前汽车带来的空气污染和交通堵塞问题；
2. 骑自行车的益处，既能环保，有利健康等。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
参考词汇：低碳生活 (low-carbon life)；节能 (energy saving)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
