1 . All we know about the abandoned (被抛弃的) newborn cat that made news for its genetic rareness comes from a web. A user named Vodkaholy posted a handful of photos of the tiny cat with a few background details.

No one knows how the newborn cat ended up in a rubbish bag, but it is very common for heartless people to abandon cats they choose not to care for. Luckily, Vodkaholy’s aunt heard the tiny mews that the cat was letting out. It appears she was the one who rescued the baby, who was only a week old. Not only had the cat been immediately abandoned after it was born, but it was injured and had developed a serious illness. Just a few days old, it had a broken leg and a badly injured paw (爪). Sadly, after the cat’s rescuer took it to the vet (兽医), they found out that the paw couldn’t be saved.

No doubt it was a shock to find such a sad cat abandoned in the rubbish bag, but the vet had another big surprise for the woman. It was a male calico cat (花斑猫)! The vet said it was really scarce for calico cats to be male. However, it won’t be a dad to any more calico cats. It was born with some kind of illness, but the vet said it’s normal for male calico cats. “Except for that, it is a normal happy cat, healthy as a horse,” Vodkaholy said.

Vodkaholy’s aunt is keeping the cat. It grows healthy and happy even if it only has 3 paws. And it is not the first cat this sweet aunt has brought home.

1. What can we infer about the abandoned cat?

A．It had three paws at birth.	B．It was abandoned by a naughty boy.
C．It was in bad condition when it was found.	D．It called loudly when Vodkaholy passed by.

2. What can we say about Vodkaholy’s aunt?

A．She is warm-hearted and caring.	B．She is smart but impatient.
C．She is hard-working but rude.	D．She is kind and curious.

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

A．Graceful.

B．Challenging.

C．Frightening.

D．Unusual.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．A Funny Story of a Kind Aunt	B．A Young Cat Lost Its Way Home
C．A Kind Lady Saved a Cat in a Dustbin	D．A Kind Lady Asking for Help on the Internet

2 . A tsunami is an extremely large wave in the sea caused by an earthquake at the sea bed. The following safety tips may help you deal with it.

Before the tsunami

Know the warning signs of a tsunami: rapidly rising or falling coastal waters, a loud noise from the ocean, or rumblings of an earthquake. “If people along the Indian Ocean coastline on December 26, 2004, were aware of these natural warnings, fewer people would have died.” says an expert.     1     And you’d better map your evacuation(疏散) route.

During the tsunami

● If you’re in a tsunami area and there is an earthquake, first drop to the floor, cover your head and neck, and hold on to something stable.     2    

●     3     “Listen to the authorities, but do not wait for tsunami warnings and evacuation orders,” suggests the U.S. site Ready.gov.

● People often mistake the distance they have to go to be safe. “Many people think they’ve got to go miles,” Richards says. “    4    ” If you’re a visitor staying in a tall concrete hotel, he adds, going above the fourth floor likely will be safer than evacuating.

● Stay put in a safe area until an official all-clear is given. The first wave may not be the last or the strongest and the danger can last for hours or even days.

After the tsunami

First, stay clear of damaged or flooded areas and downed power lines. Meanwhile, listen for further alerts and instructions about evacuation zones and shelters.     5     Phone systems are likely to be down or busy at that time.

A．But it might be just right behind Johnny’s house.

B．But they can also come back as soon as possible.

C．If you’re in a low-lying area, move inland as soon as possible.

D．Take the warnings seriously, and strictly follow the requirements.

E．Listen for official warnings, but also listen and watch for natural signs.

F．Besides, you should be familiar with your government’s warning system.

G．You’d better use texts and social media to communicate with loved ones.

3 . On Monday, 2023, people across Kenya took part in the country’s first national tree-planting holiday. The holiday was created by Kenya’s president to encourage people to plant trees as part of a plan to fight the climate crisis.

Kenya is famous for its beautiful forests and wildlife. But large areas of Kenya’s forests have been cut down. Those trees would normally help absorb carbon dioxide.     1    

Currently, just 7% of Kenya is covered by trees. Kenya has been seriously affected by the climate crisis. The country has been hit by a severe drought, and the area’s rain patterns have been changing for the worse.

An app is created to help organize the tree planting.     2     It helps people collect seedlings, find places to plant, and record their efforts. The app will also help the government track how many trees have been planted in different areas around the country.

On Monday, people all over Kenya turned out in large numbers to take part in the holiday. In the capital, Nairobi, hundreds of people joined in, even though it was raining.     3     But the government had a goal of planting several hundred million more before the end of December.

    4     But some people were upset because the holiday was announced too late for them to be able to take part. Still others have criticized the government for a decision made earlier this year to end a ba n on cutting down older trees.     5     Some hope that it will happen every year.

A．Most Kenyans supported the event.

B．It’s not yet clear how many trees were planted.

C．It’s a greenhouse gas that causes the climate crisis.

D．Even so, people were very excited about the holiday.

E．The app is called JazaMiti, meaning   “filling with trees”.

F．Government leaders led planting efforts all over the country.

G．To prepare for the day, the government got young trees ready.

4 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Which is the highest mountain in this area?

A．Mount Karen.

B．Mount Heather.

C．Mount Brown.

2. What is the most popular activity in this mountain?

A．Skiing.

B．Seeing wildlife.

C．Having snowmobile tours.

3. How is the weather in the mountain in summer?

A．A bit cold.

B．Quite cool.

C．Very hot.

4. In which season may the tour be?

A．Winter.

B．Autumn.

C．Summer.

5 . During World War II, Duchess Nina Douglas-Hamilton played a vital role in looking after animals.

As the war broke out, the government issued orders for the mass killing livestock (家畜) to prevent them from being captured or destroyed by the enemy. Duchess Nina launched a campaign to save as many animals as possible, and soon became known as the “animal heroine” for her efforts.

Duchess Nina worked with local farmers and animal owners to relocate animals to safer areas, such as the Scottish Highlands. She also established a network of volunteers who helped to care for animals during the war. She organized feeding programs, medical care and transportation, ensuring that animals were well looked after even during the most difficult times. The most challenging aspect of her work was the shortage of food during the war. So she established a vegetable garden and used leftovers to create nutritious meals for animals. She also reached out to the public for donations of food and supplies, and was able to secure enough resources to keep animals healthy and fed.

In addition to her work with domestic animals, Duchess Nina was also a strong advocate for wildlife conservation. She established a center for wild animals Scotland, where she provided a safe place for deer, foxes and other animals that were threatened by the war. She also worked with local protection groups to protect natural habitats.

Duchess Nina’s work during World War II was not without its risks. She frequently risked her life to save animals, often driving through perilous areas.

Sadly, some people saw her efforts as a distraction from the war effort. However, she continued to work tirelessly for animals. After the war, Duchess Nina’s work was recognized by the government and she got an important award for her services to animals.

1. How did Duchess Nina probably feel when she heard the government’s orders?

A．Calm.

B．Worried.

C．Excited.

D．Encouraged.

2. What was the biggest problem that Duchess Nina faced?

A．Nobody gave her any donations.

B．She couldn’t find enough volunteers.

C．The animals didn’t have enough food to eat.

D．Local farmers didn’t give her enough support.

3. Why did Duchess Nina start the center in Scotland?

A．To keep domestic animals there.

B．To attract local protection groups.

C．To provide a home for wild animals.

D．To offer a safe place to animal owners.

4. What does the underlined word “perilous” in paragraph 5 mean?

A．Dangerous.

B．Urban.

C．Faraway.

D．Poor.

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。

Known for its beautiful scenery, Mount Wuyi is the only place in the country     1     is home to Wuyi rock tea.

With tea farming dating back over 1,000 years, the mountain’s tea industry has a rich history. The area     2     (provide) tea for people at home and abroad since the first century CE, and in the     3     (eighteen) century, Wuyi rock tea was the most popular tea in Europe. However, its     4     (popular) was gained at the cost of the local environment. Illegal land reclamation (开垦) of tea mountains and the destruction (破坏) of plant resources have occurred frequently,     5     (damage) the environment in the area around Mount Wuyi.

The need to strike a balance between farmers’ livelihoods and the local environment has appeared as     6     unique challenge for the Wuyishan National Park, which covers 1,280 square kilometers as it straddles (横跨) the eastern provinces of Fujian and Jiangxi.     7     (found) in 2021, it was among the first batch of China’s national parks.

The park has a tea farming area of 34.54 square kilometers, accounting     8     2.7 percent of its total expanse. The     9     (authority) have cooperated with tea experts to develop measures for the protection and improvement of the Mount Wuyi tea industry and biodiversity, ensuring the sector’s sustainability for generations     10     (come).

7 . Shanya Gill, a 12-year-old middle schooler from San Jose, California, won the top award in the Society for Science’s annual middle school competition for designing a fire detection system that is superior to existing ones, according to a press release from the organization.

Shanya’s inspiration came after a fire destroyed a restaurant in her neighborhood during the summer of 2022, reported Washington Post. “I had never really experienced something like that before,” she told Washington Post about the early morning fire at Holder’s Country Inn, which started in the kitchen. “They had smoke detectors, and yet it still burned down,” she added.

After she studied fire statistics and saw how common fires are, Shanya decided that she was going to do something about it. She spent more than a year developing a fire detection system that she believes could prevent the fire. That’s because smoke detectors sense active fires from the smoke in the air, while Shanya’s thermal imaging device is designed to stop fires from occurring.

Her complex system has two parts, a thermal camera and a Raspberry Pi, a tiny computer. The device detects when a heat source has been left unattended for ten minutes and sends a text message alert.

Creating the prototype (原型) was difficult and the hardest part was the coding. “I had two designs, and the final device succeeded because it outperforms smoke detectors in speed and accuracy.” Shanya wants to bring the costs down to $60 to make it even more affordable than hardwired smoke detectors.

“Shanya saw a problem and tried hard to solve it, and that’s what we need to encourage with all young people,” said Ajmera, president and CEO of Society for Science. Her remarkable research not only reflects her talent but also paves the way for an exciting new future.

1. What inspired Shanya to design the fire detection system?

A．A neighbor's burnt kitchen.

B．A report on Washington Post.

C．A terrible restaurant experience.

D．A horrible fire in her community.

2. How can Shanya’s fire detection system help prevent fire?

A．By having people updated.

B．By sending a warning mail.

C．By controlling the water tap.

D．By putting out a heat source.

3. Why did the final device succeed?

A．It was fast and precise.

B．It was cheap and simple.

C．It was complex and unique.

D．It was affordable and convenient.

4. What may Ajmera agree?

A．Teenagers are the architect of the future.

B．A problem is a chance to bring out the best.

C．The thirst for knowledge is a never-ending one.

D．The best way to predict the future is to create it.

8 . Yoriko, a sheepshead fish (kobudai in Japanese), first met Arakawa nearly 30 years ago. Arakawa started _________ at the age of 18. Now 79, he still loves his stays in the deep water. His _________ friendship with Yoriko is certainly one of the highlights.

“I’d say we _________ each other,” Arakawa said in an interview, “not that we talk to each other… I kissed her once. I’m the only person she’ll let _________ it.” Over time, the fish with an almost _________ face—“When looking close, you’ll think she looks like someone you _________,” Arakawa jokes—and her human companion became underwater best friends forever.

On one dive when Arakawa was visiting, he noticed Yoriko’s _________ had been badly injured. Even so, she came to greet him. Realizing she’d be _________ to catch her own food, Arakawa hand-fed Yoriko meat from crabs(蟹) he hammered open for her. _________, Yoriko bounced back from her injuries quickly. After her __________, the connection between the pair seemed to grow even stronger.

“I’m not sure if it’s the __________ of the kobudai or not. It’s probably because there is a sense of __________ between us. I guess she knows that I __________ her. So for me to be able to do that, I am __________,” Arakawa said. “I have an amazing sense of achievement.”

It sure sounds like this is one human who’s been truly caught in a net of __________—and we’ll bet Yoriko has no plans to toss(扔) him back, either.

1.

A．fishing

B．training

C．diving

D．swimming

2.

A．fast-developing

B．longstanding

C．open

D．regular

3.

A．understand

B．miss

C．please

D．support

4.

A．enjoy

B．do

C．make

D．change

5.

A．human-looking

B．good-looking

C．strange-looking

D．natural-looking

6.

A．admire

B．fear

C．perceive

D．know

7.

A．mouth

B．back

C．tail

D．head

8.

A．eager

B．happy

C．unwilling

D．unable

9.

A．Initially

B．Thankfully

C．Unexpectedly

D．Basically

10.

A．return

B．recovery

C．growth

D．arrival

11.

A．preference

B．gift

C．nature

D．habit

12.

A．trust

B．security

C．responsibility

D．fun

13.

A．cheated

B．caught

C．freed

D．saved

14.

A．unashamed

B．grateful

C．proud

D．regretful

15.

A．peace

B．hope

C．love

D．joy

9 . What to do about climate change?

With scientists warning that 2023 could be the warmest ever, and destructive wildfires tearing through communities, the climate crisis is no longer a distant threat. Listed below are 3 things you cm do to reduce your carbon footprint and save yourself from climate despair (绝望).

    1    . Using energy with wisdom is one way to cut your carbon footprint.     2    . Setting timers for appliances to run through the night, when demand is low, or during the brightest part of the day, to use solar, can help.

Avoid the skies. Aviation (航空) brings a significant challenge in achieving net-zero emissions (排放). Despite accounting for just three percent of global emissions, it is a rapidly growing source and difficult to decarbonize (碳减排).     3     No-fly travel companies are making overland travel more attractive. There is also a recovery of Europe’s night trains for low-carbon travel.

    4    . Whether you have a windowsill or a smallholding, growing your own herbs, flowers or vegetables can be beneficial. Not just to pollinators (传粉昆虫), which can feed off the plants, but to your mental health.     5    . But it will help you reconnect with nature, which research suggests is good for our mental health—particularly amid alarming news about the climate.

A．Grow your own

B．Use energy widely

C．Use energy wisely

D．Cultivating a garden to absorb carbon

E．Sure, cultivating a garden isn’t going to absorb much carbon

F．It’s not just about how much energy you use, but when you use it

G．Reducing air travel is recommended until battery and hydrogen planes become practical

10 . Most major droughts have tended to happen on seasonal or yearly time scales (范围), resulting from variability in large-scale climate patterns such as El Nino. But in the last six decades, there has been a transformation to more droughts that form over just a few weeks in most of the world, researchers of a new study at Nanjing University of Information Science Technology report in Science. This finding has implications for ecosystem conservation and agricultural management.

Some flash droughts develop into seasonal ones, yet even those that do not can cause significant damage to agriculture and contribute to other extreme weather events such as wildfires and heat waves. In the summer of 2012, a severe flash drought across the United States caused over $30 billion in damages. Flash droughts happen two to three times as often in wet regions such as northwest North America, Europe and southern China as elsewhere. Many affected areas transformed from normal conditions to extreme drought within a month,and no climate models predicted it.

As the world continues to warm, causing less rainfall,flash drought frequency is expected to continue to rise. Droughts can happen and strengthen rapidly, but current monitoring systems often cannot catch their beginning on short enough time scales. That makes flash droughts a sort of a hard nut, the researchers say.

“We have to improve these systems,” the lead researcher Yuan Xing says, “by exploring the mechanisms behind flash droughts,perhaps with the help of artificial intelligence.” Dealing with these droughts isn’t just about having a better tool set, Mark Svoboda, who first coined the term “flash droughts”, believes, but also a different mind-set. “It is human nature not to deal with drought until you’re in it. We advocate that drought be dealt with ahead and actively.”

1. What does the study find?

A．Droughts are formed in shorter time.	B．Wildlife is adapting to a changing climate.
C．Climate change began sixty years ago.	D．Droughts often happen seasonally or yearly.

2. What does paragraph 2 mainly talk about?

A．Reasons for flash droughts.	B．Consequences of flash droughts.
C．Regions attacked by droughts.	D．Extreme weather caused by droughts.

3. Why do researchers think of flash droughts as a hard nut?

A．They worsen climate change.	B．They happen on a global scale.
C．They put agriculture at great risk.	D．They are hard to detect in time.

4. What does Svoboda suggest?

A．Keeping a positive attitude.	B．Turning to AI for help.
C．Taking measures in advance.	D．Bettering existing tools.