1 . Recent research confirms what our farming ancestors have known for centuries about hedges (树篱). They conserve precious soil by acting as windbreaks and absorbing rainwater that would otherwise wash it from the fields. And hedges store carbon, putting them in the front line of our bi d to tackle the climate crisis.

However, hedges have had a tough time in the poor countryside, with farmers encouraged to tear them down in pursuit of maximum production and larger field s to accommodate ever-larger machinery. What’s more, some hedges have been ignored. If left to their own devices, they’ll eventually become a line of trees. Some hedges each year lose their structures and fail to fulfil the primary duty as a barrier. Around a half of the nation’s hedges have disappeared in the past century.

There are signs that “the tide is turning”. The search for net zero has aroused many organizations’ interest in the humble hedge’s role as a carbon sink. The Climate Change Committee is recommending a 40 percent increase in hedges: an additional 200,000 km. Such recommendations are starting to drive policy. Cash-pressed farmers will be encouraged to create new hedges and improve their management of existing ones under the new Environmental Land Management Schemes, which will replace many of the existing agricultural support payments in coming years. Meanwhile, initiatives such as Close the Gap, led by the Tree Council, is providing funding and support to plug the gaps in existing hedges with new planting. There’s even an app to help time-pressed farmers do a quick survey to spot where their hedges need some help.

This is a good time for hedges. Take some of the most pressing challenges facing the countryside, and indeed, the world as a whole — the climate crisis, soil erosion (侵蚀), insect attack and wider biodiversity loss — and hedges are part of the solution.

1. What does recent research show about hedges?

A．They are unique landscapes in the rain.

B．They act as dividing lines between fields.

C．They have long been helpful to agriculture.

D．They are frequently washed away from the fields.

2. What does paragraph 2 mainly tell us about hedges?

A．Their suffering.	B．Their production.
C．Their duties.	D．Their structures.

3. What is many organizations’ attitude towards saving hedges?

A．Puzzled.

B．Concerned.

C．Humble.

D．Indifferent.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Hedges: Ancient Resources

B．Hedges: Official Recommendations

C．Restoring Hedges: Bringing Benefits to the Environment

D．Researching Hedges: Originating from Farmers’ Request

2 . As children, we used to listen to a song called “Sharing is Fun”, which was all about how we can enjoy things better when we share them. I was not always sure I agreed, particularly when it came to sharing my snacks with my two brothers.

But later, I come to be aware that the old German children’s song seems to be true — at least for humans. We altruistically (利他地，无私地) share food: in both hunter-gatherer and industrialized societies; there are customs and institutions to provide needy people with food, even when it is scarce and the donator needs the food themselves.

In a study in Leipzig, three-year-old children were presented with a task in which they had to pull a board with an unequal amount of sweets on either end. If there were five jellybeans on one side of the board and only one on the other side, the children would divide the treats so that everyone got the same amount.

In a very recent study, the 19-month-old infants tested witnessed an experimenter pick up a desirable fruit, “accidentally” dropping it out of reach. When the experimenter tried to reach for the dropped fruit with his outstretched arm, these little kids handed over the fruit, surprisingly even if they were hungry themselves.

It is well known that wolves provide their children with food, but this is probably an inborn action that can be explained by kin selection. Chimpanzees do share food with each other. But there is a difference in terms of with whom, why, and how chimpanzees share. Chimpanzees share independently of the effort each individual invested in the cooperative hunt — in contrast to the above-mentioned children who worked together to pull a board.

Evolutionary scientists have explained human food sharing like this: by giving away food to strangers, individuals may promote partnership and group cohesion (凝聚力), thereby helping the species succeed within the dynamic environment of evolutionary adaptation.

1. Why does the author mention the song “Sharing is Fun”?

A．To express his opinion on sharing.	B．To explain the pleasure of sharing.
C．To share his memory of childhood.	D．To introduce an old children’s song.

2. What do the studies focus on?

A．The stages of sharing.	B．The benefits of sharing.
C．The purposes of sharing.	D．The behaviors of sharing.

3. What does the underlined word “kin” in the fifth paragraph mean?

A．Children and zookeepers.	B．Hunters and gatherers.
C．Families and relatives.	D．Searchers and participants.

4. How does the text develop?

A．By analyzing causes.	B．By making comparisons.
C．By following time order.	D．By making classifications.

3 . Wildlife biologist Purnima Devi Barman remembers the first time she ever saw the nest of a greater adjutant stork (秃鹳) in a tree near her grandmother’s home. Her grandmother would tell her stories about birds and animals under the tree. The love for the natural world developed in those years led Barman to devote her life to saving the endangered greater adjutant stork.

Known as the Hargila in Assam, the greater adjutant stork is the second-rarest stork in the world. Unlike pandas or lions, whose attractive appearances help gain widespread support for their protection, these tall, bald, clumsy birds meet with bias in conservation campaigns.

“Hargilas also bear a reputation of bringing bad luck,” says Barman. “What was the point of writing my paper on them if there was no way of actually saving these birds? I had to start with changing the misconception.”

Not one to shy away from a challenge, Barman put her PhD on hold and set to work. “I started engaging with the women in the village. In our experience, educating and securing the participation of women ensures that the learning passes on to the next generation,” Barman says.

Today, around 400 women have been trained to work on conserving this rare bird. The group’s activities include awareness-building in schools and plantation drives in which 45,000 trees were planted to support the stork’s future populations.

A key component allowing Barman to successfully integrate conservation efforts into the village cultural life was her idea of building related livelihoods. Weaving (纺织) is a long-standing craft in Assam, so Barman created a self-help group employing women to weave stork patterns on textiles. This innovative idea was highlighted at the UN Champion of the Earth Awards she won in 2022.

Currently the number of greater adjutant nests in Assam’s Kamrup district has grown from 28 in 2010 to more than 250. The once unlucky stork is now a symbol of community pride, its pictures appearing on bags, blankets and celebration decorations.

1. What motivated Barman to save the greater adjutant stork?

A．Her interest in observing nests.	B．Her passion for doing research.
C．Her love for nature from childhood.	D．Her grandmother’s encouragement.

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

A．Prejudice.

B．Support.

C．Danger.

D．Success.

3. What was a major challenge Barman faced in conserving the greater adjutant stork?

A．The stork is common in appearance.	B．The stork was believed to be unlucky.
C．She had not finished her paper for PhD.	D．She lacked experience in wildlife conservation.

4. How did Barman make conservation efforts part of the village cultural life?

A．By creating related jobs.	B．By teaching women to weave.
C．By planting trees in the village.	D．By advertising local products.

4 . Nzou is one of the quiet stars of the Rhino& Elephant Conservation(保护) Programme at Imire in Zimbabwe(津巴布韦). The oldest elephant in the protected area, Nzou is around 55 years old, and has been there since she was two years old.

It is said that elephants never forget, but this special animal seems to have forgotten she is an elephant，and now thinks of herself as one of the buffaloes(水牛).

Nzou was brought to the area in the 1970s, when she lost her parents. She was encouraged to stay with the elephants. But she was happy with the buffaloes and has lived with them ever since. They could understand each other. Their relationship is amazing but not easy. Buffalo leaders are usually male(雄性的). Over the 40+ years that Nzou has been the leader, she has killed 14 young male buffalo who challenged her.

Nzou has never lost her elephant's instinct(本能) for loyalty(忠诚). One day, one of her keepers was attacked by a young male buffalo. Nzou stood over him as he waited for help to arrive, protecting him against more attacks from the buffalo.

Nzou no longer communicates with the other elephants at Imire perhaps she has forgotten how and no longer understands what they are saying. She is happy with the buffalo, and as long as they don't step out of line, she is happy and pleased to be their leader.

1. How long has Nzou been at Imire?

A．70 years.

B．55 years.

C．2 years.

D．53 years.

2. What is the relationship Nzou and the buffaloes?

A．Friends

B．Enemies

C．Leader and followers

D．Mother and children

3. Which words can best describe Nzou?

A．powerful and loyal	B．loyal and honest
C．honest and brave	D．powerful and unfriendly

4. Which makes the best main idea of the passage?

A．An elephant living with buffaloes	B．An elephant showing loyalty to her keepers
C．An elephant star in Zimbabwe	D．An elephant challenging buffaloes

5 . According to a new research, flowers are listening. Researchers found that plants can actually hear the sound of passing bees and produce sweeter nectar (花蜜) to attract them.The team discovered that within minutes of sensing the sound waves of bee wings, the concentration of the sugar in the plant’s nectar was increased by 20 percent.

Also, flowers can remove the wind noise coming from the background. These capabilities can give plant advantages for their spreading pollen (花粉). The researchers showed that plants can rapidly respond to pollinator (传粉者) sounds.

Before the experiments, researchers made the assumption that plants can pick up the sound waves and that this might be part of the reason why many plants’ flowers are bowl-shaped, to better trap the sounds. However, after performing various experiments on 650evening primrose flowers, the nectar production was measured both in silence and at three different frequency levels. Also, a recording of the noise made by bees was played. In just three minutes, the nectar changes have been noticed and it has been release d that silence and the high and mid-frequency sounds had no effect. The team has also performed an experiment with plants that had some flower petals removed and no change in nectar production was noted. Hence, it is proved that the flowers petals have the job of the ears.

The more sweet nectar comes out, the more will be the chances for pollen to be spread and also makes it more likely that the insects will return to flowers of the same species in the future. However, more work needs to be carried out on how the sounds are turned into a trigger for sweeter nectar production.

1. Why do plants produce sweeter nectar?.

A．To attract bees.	B．To be more beautiful.
C．To avoid enemies.	D．To drive insects away.

2. What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．Why researchers did the experiments.	B．How researchers made the discovery.
C．What use can be made of the discovery.	D．What the importance of the discovery is.

3. What can we learn from the text?

A．High sound increases sugar in the nectar.

B．Many plants’ flowers are bowl-shaped to catch light.

C．Flowers petals have no effect on nectar production.

D．More research is needed to fully understand the process.

4. Where is the text most likely from?

A．A diary.

B．A novel.

C．A newspaper.

D．A notebook.

6 . The distinctive smell of wet dogs was a reminder of the Christmas vacation when I was twelve. My cousins from Ohio were _________. We had gotten many gifts and were also blessed with fresh _________. The four of us spent as much time as possible sliding down the short white hill to the shallow _________. Naturally, we tested the ice on it the first day, and we knew we could slide across it and _________ our ride.

On the third day of our festivities, we were so _________ to play that we did not check the ice. A few degrees of _________ added a small layer of water to our slide, increasing our speed and _________. Seconds after, my brother Peter slid into the pond, he was _________ in the icy water. Peter was only eight and not a good swimmer, _________ dressed in a winter coat and boots.

We all __________. I jumped down the slope to reach him, but our __________ was faster to jump into the water, grab Peter by his waving hand, and pull him to shore. We managed to __________ Peter with our coats and get him back to the house in record time. Drinking hot juice by the fire, we patted and hugged the __________ dog. The dog took all day to __________. His wet-dog smell kept longer and returned often, __________ us of his heroics and our own Christmas miracle.

1.

A．working

B．travelling

C．visiting

D．coming

2.

A．air

B．snow

C．water

D．sun

3.

A．pond

B．sea

C．beach

D．well

4.

A．change

B．ruin

C．attempt

D．lengthen

5.

A．gifted

B．nervous

C．frustrated

D．eager

6.

A．warmth

B．freeze

C．temperature

D．freedom

7.

A．excitement

B．fear

C．courage

D．anxiety

8.

A．surfing

B．struggling

C．performing

D．swimming

9.

A．normally

B．actually

C．especially

D．generally

10.

A．laughed

B．screamed

C．watched

D．escaped

11.

A．guard

B．friend

C．dog

D．cousin

12.

A．cover

B．hide

C．bury

D．equip

13.

A．curious

B．clean

C．wet

D．lost

14.

A．break away

B．dry out

C．calm down

D．get up

15.

A．informing

B．warning

C．convincing

D．reminding

7 . Humans have always been working Earth’s land, and they also have always been studying and hoping to work the land of Mars one day.

Planetary scientist Abhilash Ramachandran at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference reported that Martian dirt may have all the necessary nutrients for growing rice, one of humankind’s most important foods. However, he emphasizes that the plant may need a bit of help to survive in perchlorate (高氯酸盐), a chemical that can be harmful to plants and has been detected on the surface of Mars.

Ramachandran says they want to send humans to Mars, but they cannot take everything there, especially food. He thinks it’s going to be expensive, but growing rice there would be ideal.

Ramachandran and his colleagues grew rice plants in a Martian soil simulant (模拟物). They also grew rice in pure potting mix as well as several mixtures of the potting mix and soil simulant. All pots were watered once or twice a day. The team found rice plants did grow in the artificial dirt of Mars. However, the plants developed slighter shoots and thinner roots than the plants that grew from the potting mix and hybrid soils. The researchers also tried growing rice in soil with added perchlorate. They sourced some rice varieties—modified to stand environmental stressors like drought—and grew them in Mars-like dirt with and without perchlorate. No rice plants grew in a concentration of 3 g of perchlorate per kilogram of soil. But when the concentration was just I g per kilogram, one of the rice varieties grew both a shoot and a root, while another managed to grow a root.

The findings are encouraging, suggesting that by changing to improve with one successful modified gene, humans might eventually be able to develop a rice cultivar suitable for Mars.

1. What does Ramachandran stress about growing rice on Mars in paragraph 2?

A．The challenge.

B．The reason.

C．The benefit.

D．The purpose.

2. Why do the scientists want to plant rice on Mars?

A．To purify the Martian air.	B．To feed Martian explorers.
C．To test the Martian soil simulant.	D．To improve the Martian soil environment.

3. What can we learn about rice plants from the experiments?

A．Their weight ranged from 1 g to 3 g.

B．They stopped growing in Mars-like dirt.

C．They never developed roots in soil with perchlorate.

D．Their growth was affected by perchlorate’s concentration.

4. What is the author’s attitude to the research findings?

A．Suspicious.

B．Critical.

C．Positive.

D．Curious.

8 . Wildlife conservation is the practice of protecting plant and animal species and their habitats. As part of the world’s ecosystems, wildlife provides balance and stability to nature’s processes. Wildlife conservation is aimed to ensure the survival of these species and educate people on living sustainably with other species.

The number of people has grown to more than eight billion today, and it continues to rapidly grow. The economic growth endangers the habitats and existence of various types of wildlife around the world, particularly animals and plants that may be displaced for land development, or used for food or other human purposes. This threat is at top of the list and means natural resources are being consumed faster than ever by the billions of people on the planet. The introduction of invasive species from other parts of the world is another threat to wildlife. Other threats include climate change, pollution, fishing and hunting.

International organizations like the World Wildlife Fund, Conservation International, Wildlife Conservation Society and the United Nations work to support global animal and habitat conservation on many different fronts. They work with the government to establish and protect public lands, like national parks and wildlife protection areas. They help write legislation(法规), such as the Endangered Species Act(ESA)of 1973 in the United States, to protect various species. They work with law enforcement to charge those with wildlife crimes. They also promote biodiversity to support the growing human population while preserving existing species and habitats.

National Geographic Explorers, like conservation biologists Camille Coudrat and Titus Adhola, are working to slow the extinction of global species and protect global biodiversity and habitats. Environmental filmmakers and photographers, like Thomas P. Peschak, are essential to conservation efforts as well, documenting and bringing attention to endangered wildlife all over the world.

1. Which is a goal of wildlife conservation according to the text?

A．To stop introducing invasive species.	B．To encourage harmonious coexistence.
C．To control the number of world people.	D．To increase the use of natural resources.

2. What is the biggest threat to wildlife?

A．Hunting.

B．Human activity.

C．Pollution.

D．Climate change.

3. What is paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．The activities of protection areas.

B．The importance of biodiversity promotion.

C．The relevant efforts of international organizations.

D．The great impact of wildlife crimes on ecosystems.

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

A．The necessity of legislation.

B．The wildlife conservation’s achievements.

C．The individuals’ contributions to the environment.

D．The statistics about the wildlife conservation efforts.

9 . Damon Carson must have one of the most interesting inboxes in the world. On any given day, in his office in Denver in the western US state of Colorado, he will field numerous inquiries from people looking to unload things. We’re not talking about someone trying to dispense with an old refrigerator or some out-of-fashion clothing, but companies.

Picture large companies looking to unload massive amounts of waste that would otherwise go to the landfill.

For example, Carson got a request from a battery company to deal with 22 tonnes of barium sulfate (硫酸钡) used in lead-acid batteries. A load of plastic garbage cans from a discount store were just waiting for him to repurpose them. And a recreation company wanted to know if Carson was interested in 360 kilograms of blue ropes, which they no longer needed to make the handles on coolers.

“They don’t want to just throw the waste away,” he explains. “Nor should they. Because it has value.” He is a matchmaker of the never-ending waste stream, trying not to pair people with people, but things with people. For nearly a decade, his company, Repurposed Materials, has been involved in this business. He’s not looking to recycle the things he gets-breaking them down to make something new-but rather finding a second life for cast-off goods in their original forms.

Once working in construction, Carson was familiar with an almost everyday phenomenon. “You’d open up one of these big construction dumpsters (大垃圾桶) and things would start falling out,” he says. He would find perfectly good windows still covered with plastic from the factory. “You can’t wrap your mind around how wasteful America is until you run a waste company,” he says. He began thinking about creating a sort of secondhand hardware store that would sell unwanted materials and keep them out of the waste stream. Then, in 2010, a business was born.

1. What does the underlined phrase “dispense with” in the first paragraph mean?

A．Make use of.	B．Look forward to.
C．Get rid of.	D．Come back to.

2. Why are some examples mentioned in paragraph 3?

A．To prove Carson’s tough work.	B．To indicate Carson’s “big business”.
C．To appeal for waste management.	D．To explain the source of the material.

3. How does Carson deal with the waste?

A．By creating something new.	B．By selling them to companies.
C．By recycling them to save energy.	D．By getting others to use them.

4. What inspired Carson to set up his company?

A．His disappointment at America.	B．His love for secondhand hardware.
C．His exposure to too much waste.	D．His experience in a waste company.

10 . 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。

A complete skeleton (骨架) of an animal, which was later confirmed to be that of a giant panda, was unearthed at     1     end of 2021 in Xi’an. It was the first time in history that giant panda remains had been unearthed from a tomb     2     (date) back to the Western Han Dynasty.

The skeleton had well-developed teeth, and was placed within a neatly     3     (lay) brick structure facing towards the direction of the tomb, with its tail pointing westward. After comparing the skeleton     4     existing giant pandas’, researchers discovered that it     5     (actual) belonged to a giant panda.

The researchers thought this giant panda might have originated from the forests on the northern side of the Qinling Mountains, where the climate was possibly     6     (warm) than today.

Back in 1975, a buried giant panda     7     (discover) near the tomb of Empress Bo. Researchers said that it is not yet possible to conclude that Empress Bo had a special     8     (prefer) for giant pandas. It appeared to be a royal garden feature.

Besides the giant panda, the remains of other rare animals were also found in the tomb,     9     reflects the belief in the Han Dynasty that people would live a life in the underworld, similar to that when they     10     (be) alive.