1 . It has been over 150 years since the Great Chicago Fire. The 1871 fire killed an estimated 300 people. It turned the heart of the city, wood-frame buildings quickly constructed on wooden sidewalks, into ruins, and left 100,000 people homeless. Like the Great Fire of London in 1666, the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906, and Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Great Chicago Fire reminds us that big cities can still be frail.
But that same night, about 250 miles north of Chicago, more than 1,200 people died in and around Peshtigo. It was the deadliest wildfire in U.S. history. Survivors said the fire moved like a hurricane, jumping across Green Bay to light forests on the opposite shore.
Chicago’s fire came to be seen as a disaster that also led to the invention of steel skyscrapers, raised up on the city’s ashes. It has overshadowed the Peshtigo Fire. And for years, the two were seen as separate disasters. However, many of those houses and sidewalks that burned in Chicago had been built with trees grown around Peshtigo.
Chicago’s fire was long blamed - falsely - on an Irish-immigrant family’s cow kicking over a lantern. Some people thought the Peshtigo Fire started when pieces of a comet (彗星) landed in the forest, which has never been proven.
What we understand better today was that the Midwest was historically dry in the summer of 1871. When a low-pressure front with cooler temperatures rolled in, it produced winds, which can fan sparks (火星) into wildfires. The fires themselves generated more winds. Several parts of nearby Michigan also burned during the same few days ; at least 500 people were killed there.
At present, all of those fires on an autumn night in 1871 might help us see even more clearly how rising global temperatures and severe droughts, from Australia to Algeria to California, have made forests easier to burn, and people more likely to be harmed by the climate changes we’ ve helped create.
1. What does the underlined word “frail” in the first paragraph probably mean ?| A．Regularly enlarged. | B．Heavily populated. |
| C．Safely reached. | D．Easily damaged. |
| A．By presenting research findings. | B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By following time order. | D．By making classifications. |
| A．A careless cow. | B．A passing comet. |
| C．A low-pressure front | D．A paper lantern. |
| A．To warn people of the forest fire threat. | B．To show signs of global warming. |
| C．To attract more tourists to Chicago. | D．To introduce an unknown city. |
Last summer, Hilda worked as a volunteer with dolphin trainers at a sea life park. Her job was to make sure the tanks were free of any items so that the trainers could train the dolphins to fetch specific items. However, one day after cleaning, one of the dolphins, Maya, presented Hilda with a candy wrapper from the tank. When Katherine, the trainer, saw this, she blamed Hilda for her carelessness. Upset but not discouraged by this event, Hilda decided to do some spying on Maya.
The next morning, Hilda arrived at the park early. She put on her scuba gear (水下呼吸器) and jumped into the tank for her usual, underwater sweep. Finding nothing in the tank, she climbed out of the water just in time to see Katherine jumping in on the other side. After what happened yesterday, Hilda knew what she was doing. She watched as Katherine performed her underwater search, but Hilda wasn’t surprised when she surfaced empty-handed.
During the tank sweeps, Maya had been swimming playfully, but now the dolphin stopped suddenly and swam to the back part of the tank where the filter (过滤) box was located. She stuck her nose down behind the box and then swam away. What was Maya doing back there? Hilda wondered. She jumped back into the water and swam over to take a look behind the box, and her question was answered. Hilda then swam across the tank following Maya’s path and emerged from the water to find Katherine removing her scuba gear. As Katherine turned around, her mouth dropped open. There was Maya at the edge of the tank with a comb (梳子) in her mouth waiting for her treat.
“Maya! Where did you get that?” demanded Katherine, taking the comb and throwing her a fish. “I know where she got it,” declared Hilda climbing out of the tank with a handful of items still wet from their watery, resting place. “What’s all this?” Katherine asked, obviously confused.
注意：(1)续写词数应为150个左右;
(2)请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
“This is Maya’s secret,” Hilda said with a big smile.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Now Katherine realized what had been going on.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3 . In the animal world, speed is king. Fast animals have a leg up in outrunning other animals, which puts them high on the food chain. It would seem that all animals would go for speed, but then there’s the sloth (树懒). While a lion can go from 0 to 60 miles an hour in only five seconds, it takes a sloth all day to cover no more than 50 meters.
Sloths live entirely in trees on a diet of leaves. And for this, they are extremely rare. While most of the land world is covered in trees, there are very few vertebrates (脊椎动物) that call the tree home. The aim of a 2016 study, says Jonathan Pauli, a University of Alabama professor of forest and wildlife ecology, was to help uncover why sloths are indeed so unique. “Among vertebrates, this is the rarest of lifestyles”, says Pauli. “When you picture animals that live off plant leaves, they are almost all big-things like deer. What’s super interesting about sloths is that they can’t be big.”
For their research, Pauli and his Wisconsin team studied wild sloths at a field site. When the researchers measured the energy use of sloths, they found a wildly low burning of as little as 110 calories of energy a day. And for this, they take the cake: it is the lowest measured energetic output for any mammal (哺乳动物).
“The measurement was intended to find out what it cost sloths to live over a day,”says Pauli, who adds that a diet of little but leaves lacks nutritional value and the animal’s small size doesn’t allow for overeating-so sloths need to find ways to make the most of their diets, which means using tiny amounts of energy, dramatic control of body temperature and living at an extremely slow pace.
Their reward? A wonderfully widespread ecological system to call their own, one slow inch at a time.
1. Why is a lion mentioned in Paragraph 1?| A．To admire lions’ speed. | B．To state sloths’ weakness. |
| C．To confirm lions’ lead position. | D．To highlight sloths’ uniqueness. |
| A．The lifestyle of sloths. | B．The diet of vertebrates. |
| C．The species of rare animals. | D．The energy use of creatures. |
| A．Break down. | B．Keep on. | C．Stand out. | D．Grow up. |
| A．Their slow pace is a balanced choice. |
| B．They are in face of possible extinction. |
| C．Their slow pace decides a tiny appetite. |
| D．They suffer a lot against natural enemies. |
4 . We all love butterflies. Their beautiful wings attract us, and their presence lights up our garden. Well, that’s our view of butterflies, but have you ever wondered what plants think of them?
The butterflies’ eggs lie on the underside of the leaves. The eggs themselves don’t damage plants. However, upon coming into contact with the eggs, the plants become oversensitive. It means that once a plant recognizes a pest, it will cause death in the contacted plant part. When these dead leaves or partial leaf parts break away from the plant, the eggs on them fall off. Along with the hypersensitivity response, plants also produce something special, which can attract animals to cat the eggs, thus preventing damage in the future.
After the baby butterflies come out of their eggs, the caterpillar (毛虫) stage begins. Most caterpillars feed on the leaves of the plants, damaging some of the plants in your own garden. Incredibly, they are major plant pests that bring about major losses to farmers. The next stage is pupa (蛹). The caterpillars begin their change into an adult. They don’t depend on the energy that the leaves provide. Finally, they become adult butterflies that have wings and move from one plant to the other. They feed on the sweet liquid produced by flowers.
While on their search for food, the butterflies carry pollen (花粉) on their body. They are key pollinators that place pollen from one flower to another in ecosystem. Plants that have flowers will create some special features to draw these pollinators’ attention. Certain plants have flowers giving off smells that can charm butterflies when they are looking for a mate. Some plants even have flat flowers to assist butterflies when landing.
Butterflies aid in pollination during their final adult stage. Thus, they change into beneficial insects to plants. This change makes butterflies an important friend of plants, despite being a hated enemy in previous life cycle stages!
1. How does a plant respond to butterflies’ eggs?| A．It tries to get rid of them. | B．It tries to appeal to them. |
| C．It grows a little better with them. | D．It protects them from being eaten. |
| A．In the period of egg-laying. | B．In the period of pupa. |
| C．In the period of caterpillar. | D．In the period of adult. |
| A．Describe the process of pollination. |
| B．Show how flowers attract butterflies. |
| C．Stress the importance of pollination. |
| D．Explore how adult butterflies develop. |
| A．Why do flowers need butterflies’ pollination? |
| B．How do plants defend themselves from pests? |
| C．Are butterflies’ life cycles similar to the plants’? |
| D．Are butterflies beneficial or harmful to plants? |
5 . In an awe-inspiring incident, a young killer whale recently demonstrated remarkable intelligence by seeking assistance from a group of humans to save its trapped mother, which challenged our conventional understanding of wild predators (食肉动物).
The online viral video, shared by Alvin Foo, began with a young killer whale emitting distressing cries towards a group of people on a boat. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, the concerned individuals promptly responded by contacting a rescue team. The young whale’s desperate request for help touched more people’s hearts and set a truly extraordinary chain of events in motion.
As the rescue team arrived, they were amazed to witness the young killer whale’s playful interaction with the humans. The whale appeared elated, seemingly understanding that assistance had finally arrived. This interaction between the mother killer whale and rescuers underlined the potential for mutual understanding beyond the boundary of traditional predator-prey relationships.
The young whale took on the role of a guide, leading the rescue team to its mother trapped in a fishing net. It navigated the water with purpose, as if fully aware that the humans possessed the means to save its mother. This display of intelligence left the rescuers in awe, highlighting the complex cognitive abilities of these magnificent marine creatures. With its guidance, the rescue team swiftly initiated the liberation process, carefully cutting the net to free the trapped whale. Astonishingly, they seemed to understand that the humans were there to help and did as asked.
The instant the mother whale was finally freed, an eruption of joyous cries filled the air. The emotional outpouring conveyed the immense gratitude of both the mother whale and the young whale to the humans who had intervened. As the rescue team made their way back to shore, the two whales swam alongside them. This heart-warming sight emphasized the lasting impact of the rescue. The bond formed through this extraordinary rescue operation was well obvious, proving that the profound connections can be established between various species. The journey back to safety symbolized the victory of compassion over adversity.
1. What can we learn about the video from paragraph 2?| A．It spread widely. |
| B．It went unnoticed. |
| C．It documented humans’ requesting help. |
| D．It recorded passive response to the rescue. |
| A．Tired. | B．Excited. | C．Frightened. | D．Confused. |
| A．Wise and cooperative. | B．Complex and mysterious. |
| C．Curious and careful. | D．Wild and rude. |
| A．Adversity is a good discipline. |
| B．It is urgent to protect wildlife. |
| C．Different species can coexist in harmony. |
| D．Human intervention poses a threat to whales. |
6 . Meteorites (陨石) can offer clues about what the early solar system was like. But finding them is far from difficult. Now, some scientists are turning to drones (无人机) and machine learning to help spot freshly fallen meteorites much more efficiently. “A team of six people on a meteorite-hunting expedition can search about 200,000 square meters per day,” says Seamus Anderson, a planetary scientist in Australia.
Around 2016, Anderson began toying with the concept of using drones to take pictures of the g round to look for meteorites. That idea blossomed into a Ph.D. project. In 2022, he and his colleagues reported their first successful recovery of a meteorite spotted with a drone. They’ve since found four more meteorites at a different site. Drone-based searches are much faster than the standard search way. “You’re going from about 300 days of human effort down to about a dozen or so,” he says.
Anderson and his workmates have used drones to search for meteorites in remote parts of Western Australia and South Australia. The team is tipped off about a fall site by networks of ground-based cameras that track meteoroids flashing through the Earth’s atmosphere. The researchers have to do a series of fun but difficult work before the hunt. They pack a four-wheel drive vehicle with drone and computer equipment, battery charging stations, generators, fuel, food, camping equipment, tables, chairs and much more. The drive to the fall site can take more than a day, often on rough or nonexistent roads. Anderson says, “You hope you don’t pop a tire.”
After arriving, the team flies its primary drone at an altitude of about 20 meters. Its camera takes an image of the ground once every second, and the scientists download the data every 40 minutes or so when the drone lands to receive fresh batteries. A typical day of flying can net over 10,000 images, which are then divided digitally into 100 million or so smaller sections. Those “tiles”, each 2 meters on a side, are fed into a machine learning algorithm (算法) that has been trained to recognize meteorites based on images of real land rocks which are spray-painted black.
1. Why do the scientists study meteorites?| A．To spot the planetary course. | B．To promote machine learning. |
| C．To test the functions of drones. | D．To explore the past of solar system. |
| A．Their barriers. | B．Their causes. |
| C．Their efficiency. | D．Their concept. |
| A．Fun and light. | B．Smooth and flexible. |
| C．Difficult and unpleasant. | D．Complicated and tough. |
| A．By dividing them in half. | B．By storing them for analysis. |
| C．By combining them into a picture. | D．By linking them with a digital printer. |
7 . 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. |
| A．Their suffering. | B．Their production. |
| C．Their duties. | D．Their structures. |
| A．Puzzled. | B．Concerned. | C．Humble. | D．Indifferent. |
| A．Hedges: Ancient Resources |
| B．Hedges: Official Recommendations |
| C．Restoring Hedges: Bringing Benefits to the Environment |
| D．Researching Hedges: Originating from Farmers’ Request |
8 . The Great Barrier Reef is the result of millions of years of continental (大陆的) shifts, sea-level changes, and layers of coral (珊瑚) growth. The Reef was built over millennia (数千年) by coral attaching itself to existing dead coral, as it continued to reach toward the light. Like most living things, coral needs the sun to survive and generally lives in shallow waters, where enough sunlight can penetrate (穿透) the water. Sea levels began to rise at the end of the last most recent ice age, about 14,000 years ago. As a result, the previously exposed Reef was covered by water and the coral expanded along the length of the newly revived Reef.
Climate change is having a dangerous impact on this natural wonder. Although coral and algae (海藻) have evolved despite climate change, allowing them to survive, coral has begun producing products that are poisonous to the Reef and block the growth of algae. Additional concerns include the overwhelming amount of pollution and chemical runoff into the water which harms the already affected coral and reduces biodiversity.
The Great Barrier Reef is well known as one of the best diving destinations in the world. You can do your part to help scientists preserve the Reef’s ecosystem while visiting. By paying a visit to the Reef, visitors pay a reef tax that will be used for the management and conservation of the Reef. A lesser-known contribution visitors can make to Reef preservation is signing up for REEFSearch. After signing up, you’ll be sent a field guide that will teach you how to collect information that scientists can use to study the Reef’ s health. During each dive, using the information sent to you, you will look for key species, check for coral conditions, and make note of any garbage found near the Reef. These small contributions can ultimately have a large impact and save one of the great wonders of the world.
1. Why does coral live in shallow waters?| A．It must coexist with algae. | B．It needs sufficient sunlight. |
| C．It has to stick to dead ancestors. | D．It has to avoid deep-sea pollution. |
| A．The rise of sea levels. | B．The exposure of it to air. |
| C．The change of its habitat. | D．The threat from its enemies. |
| A．Coral cannot survive. | B．Algae become harmful. |
| C．Algae cannot be seen on the surface. | D．Coral produces something poisonous to the Reef. |
| A．Study the Reef’ s formation. | B．Find new habitats for coral. |
| C．Gather information on the Reef’ s health. | D．Search for dangerous species around coral. |
9 . I started considering the power of dogs during one of my daily walks around my neighborhood. Almost invariably, I’ll run into at least one person walking his dog. It’s a joyous moment to approach the dog and pet it. I always walk away from these exchanges feeling just a bit more relaxed and happy. And that got me wondering: Could these short interactions with other people’s dogs actually be good for me?
“Absolutely. I think it is safe to say that animals are beneficial to our mental and physical health,” says Nancy Gee, a professor of psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University. Gee says there’s some evidence that the act of actually touching a dog might be an important part of the calming effect. For instance, one study done in Canada found college students reported less stress and reduced feelings of homesickness after brief interactions with dogs, and that the effect was much bigger in those who actually got to pet the animals.
Now, the therapy (治疗) dogs used in research are screened for things like friendliness, good behavior and responsiveness to their handler’s cues (提示). And of course, not everyone is a dog person. “Pets are not a panacea (灵丹妙药),” Gee says. “They’re not necessarily going to be great for every single person. But for people who really connect with the animals, they can make a big difference.”
Research on the health benefits of human interactions with animals, especially with dogs, has exploded in recent years, thanks to the support of the National Institutes of Health and the Waltham PetCare Science Institute. Though the field is still young, Gee says the quality of the evidence is improving all the time, including more randomized controlled trials looking at short interactions. “We’re seeing really nice effects,” she says. “We actually saw those effects one month later. And there’s some evidence that they may exist six months later.”
1. Why does the author mention his interactions with dogs?| A．To praise his neighbor. | B．To erase people’s doubts. |
| C．To introduce the topic. | D．To voice his views on life. |
| A．They disliked raising pets. | B．They enjoyed much respect. |
| C．They were very academic. | D．They became less homesick. |
| A．It has seen sound development. | B．It cuts the cost of saving animals. |
| C．It ensures humans a bright future. | D．It makes some medicine affordable. |
| A．Walking Improves the Quality of Life | B．Petting Dogs Can Boost Your Health |
| C．Animals Might Lift Patients’ Spirits | D．Happiness Lies in Helping Others |
10 . How to Keep Pets Safe in a Disaster
Families with new pets may experience a number of unfamiliar situations, but figuring out what to do when facing extreme circumstances like natural disasters can be a particular challenge.
Create a disaster plan
Preparing before a natural disaster is key to keeping everyone in your family, including your pets, safe. Stock your home with supplies needed to shelter in place in the event of an emergency, and figure out where you’ll go if you have to escape from your home.
Microchip (植入微型芯片) your pets
Have your pets microchipped and ensure your contact information is filed correctly in case your pets get lost. Pet microchips are radio-frequency identification implants (植入物).
Develop crate (A -f) acceptance
Even the disaster has ended, it’s important not to let your pets run freely. They may be frightened by the visual of the aftermath. When an all-clear signal is given, ensure your pets are tied or crated before you venture out so they don’t potentially hurt themselves or become lost.
| A．Always bring pets with you. |
| B．Be careful after the all-clear |
| C．Bring pets inside at the first sign of danger |
| D．Remember to choose a pet-friendly destination |
| E．They aren’t tracking devices but contain unique ID numbers |
| F．Pets may become anxious while experiencing a natural disaster |
| G．In an emergency, your pet may need to spend a long time in a crate for safety |
