1 . Chen Guanghui is a guardian for black-necked cranes(黑颈鹤) in the Dashanbao Black-necked Crane National Nature Reserve of Zhaotong city, in southwest China’s YunnanProvince. Whistling(吹口哨) is the secret language Chen uses to communicate with the black-necked cranes, a type of migratory bird under first class protection in China. She says different whistles signal different things. When she whistles in an increasing tone, she tries to tell the cranes: ask your companions to come back for lunch, and they would chirp(吱喳叫)to spread the message right away.

Living near the Dashanbao Nature Reserve, a major winter habitat(栖息地) for the rare species, Chen started to take care of them in 2003, a mission she took over from her mother, whose devotion dates back to the 1990s.

“In the first few days, I remembered they ran away as soon as I approached them. I was very upset and asked my mom to come back, and I was worried they would starve,”   says Chen. “I initially tried everything, even singing folk songs to attract them, but failed. Later, I used special whistles and gradually formed close bond with the cranes. ”

“I treat them as if they were my own children, and I’m always concerned about them, especially during snowy days when they can’t get food. I feel uncomfortable and anxious when I hear them chirp and usually rush to prepare corn for them. ” It’s never been an easy job, and Chen has sustained quite a few injuries over the years, even falling into frozen marsh(沼泽)while trying to save a trapped crane in 2008. However, she never gave up. With love and responsibility, she has persisted in caring for the cranes for about 20 years.

Thanks to the joint protection efforts of Chen and staff members at the nature reserve, now more than 1,900 black-necked cranes overwinter in the area each season every year, up from about 300 when the nature reserve was established.

1. How does Chen Guanghui communicate with black-necked cranes?

A．By singing folk songs.	B．By imitating chirps of birds.
C．By making hand gestures.	D．By blowing special whistles.

2. What do the underlined words “a mission” in paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Rescuing injured animals.

B．Restoring habitats for rare species.

C．Looking after black-necked cranes.

D．Building Dashanbao Nature Reserve.

3. How did Chen Guanghui feel about her initial attempts at the work?

A．It is inspiring.

B．It is frustrating.

C．It is interesting.

D．It is exciting.

4. What can we learn from Chen’s story?

A．Efforts bear fruit.	B．Fortune favors the brave.
C．Virtue is its own reward.	D．A miss is as good as a mile.

2 . Eva, the Belgian Malinois, is home now, getting a well-deserved rest surrounded by new toys after nearly dying while protecting her human from a mountain lion.

The attack happened on May 16 in northern California when 24-year-old Erin Wilson headed down a path toward the Trinity River before she found herself cornered by a mountain lion. “I was just walking down the slope with the dog running ahead of’ me. I turned around and there was this cat just growling at me and it attacked me, ”Wilson told NPR. “I screamed for Eva and she came running. ”

Mountain lion attacks on humans are incredibly rare. Since 1890, California has recorded only six fatal mountain lion attacks because of the animal’s generally shy, reclusive (独处的) nature. Their preferred prey is deer, which are normally in abundance in their forested habitat, but recent drought conditions have made food scarce in some areas. Wilson thought that these conditions made the sudden appearance of a slim woman look like an attractive option.

To protect her human, Eva leapt between Wilson and the lion, tackling the wild cat and embarked on a life-and-death struggle between the two animals. After a short fight, the mountain lion got its jaws around Eva’s head and Wilson fought to free her dog. hitting the lion with rocks in an attempt to break its grip. Eventually, Wilson ran back to her truck and flagged down passing motorist Sharon Houston Fetching an iron bar from her truck. Wilson and Houston ran back down the trail and their combined efforts managed to frighten the big cat off.

Wounded herself and shaken by the experience, Wilson still managed to carry Eva back to the Animal Hospital. The 2-year-old dog didn’t need surgery, but her wounds were still extensive. Eva left the animal hospital on May 19 with surgical tape wrapped around both her front paws, and the veterinarian said she might lose sight in her left eye.

1. What made Erin Wilson the target of the mountain lion?

A．The abundant deer in their forested habitat.

B．The lack of prey due to extreme conditions.

C．The mountain lion’s shy and reclusive nature.

D．The slim and attractive appearance of Wilson.

2. What do the underlined words “embarked on” mean in paragraph 4?

A．Proceeded with.

B．Dawned on.

C．Wrapped up.

D．Kicked off

3. How did Wilson drive the mountain lion off?

A．She freed a dog and threw rocks at it fiercely.

B．She stopped a passing driver and broke its grip.

C．She gathered local people and shouted loudly at it.

D．She used a tool and scared it away with another driver.

4. Which of the following can best describe Eva according to the passage?

A．Heroic and loyal.	B．Obedient and adorable.
C．Friendly and dependable.	D．Courageous and naughty.

3 . Vast stretches of America are dominated by corn, nearly 100m acres of it, stretching from Ohio to the Dakotas. What once was forest or open prairie (大草原) today produces the corn that feeds people, cattle and, when made into ethanol (乙醇), cars.

Now, the nation’s airlines want to power their planes with corn, too. Their ambitious goal would likely require nearly doubling ethanol production, which airlines say would slash their greenhouse gas emissions. If they succeed, it could transform America’s Corn Belt yet again, boosting farmers and ethanol producers alike, but also potentially further damaging one of the nation’s most important resources: groundwater.

Corn is a water-intensive crop and it can take hundreds of gallons to produce a single gallon of ethanol. But as airlines embrace the idea of ethanol, prompting lobbyists (游说者) for ethanol makers and corn growers alike to push for clean-energy tax credits in Washington, vital aquifers (地下水层) face serious risks. “We’re on track to massively increase water usage without any real sense of how sensitive our aquifers are, “ said Jeffrey Broberg, who is concerned about groundwater in Minnesota. a major corn state, where he is a water-use consultant and founder of the Minnesota Well Owners Organization.   

United Airlines this veal signed a deal with a Nebraska ethanol company to buy enough sustainable aviation fuel as the biofuel is known, to power 50, 000 flights a year. In August, Delta announced a plan to create a sustainable fuel hub(中心) in Minnesota. The Biden administration could decide on its tax incentives (激励) for the industry as soon as December. “Mark my words, the next 20 years, farmers are going to provide 95% of all the sustainable airline fuel, ’’President Biden said in July.

This year a New York Times data investigation found that groundwater is being dangerously exhausted nationwide, largely by agricultural overuse. As climate change makes rainfall less reliable and intensifies droughts, rising demand for ethanol could put even more pressure on America’s fragile aquifers to be used for irrigation.

1. What does the underlined word “slash” mean in paragraph 2?

A．Increase.

B．Decrease.

C．Maintain.

D．Transform.

2. What is the potential risk of the increased use of ethanol in aviation fuel?

A．Decreased water usage.

B．Increased reliance on aquifers.

C．A boost in clean-energy tax credits.

D．Expansion of. corn production.

3. What can we learn from paragraph 4?

A．Farmers will double their ethanol production.

B．The sustainable aviation fuel will not gain popularity in the future.

C．Farmers will play a major part in the sustainable aviation fuel industry.

D．The Biden administration opposes the new aviation fuel to protect the aquifers.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．The Biden administration’s attitude to the corn and ethanol industry.

B．Using corn-based ethanol can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

C．Groundwater resources are being dangerously exhausted due to agricultural overuse.

D．Using corn-based ethanol in aviation may lead to increased groundwater exhaustion.

4 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What does the speaker say about competitions in the past years?

A．They were creative and fantastic.

B．They were enjoyable and successful.

C．They were completely new experiences.

2. What competition was held last year?

A．A dancing contest.

B．A singing contest.

C．A reading contest.

3. What is the purpose of the Pets’ Competition?

A．To help students choose pets to take home.

B．To lead students to treat pets kindly.

C．To give students chances to show their pets.

4. What does the speaker ask the students to do?

A．Train dogs in their free time.

B．Learn more theory about animals.

C．Keep a record of the competition.

5 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What is the talk mainly about?

A．The story of a lost cat.

B．The life on the farm.

C．The Harry Potter series.

2. Where do Colin and Echo live?

A．In an apartment.

B．On a farm.

C．On a boat.

3. When did Harry go missing?

A．10 years ago.

B．12 years ago.

C．14 years ago.

4. Who made the call probably?

A．A visitor.

B．A farmer.

C．The staff in an animal shelter.

6 . Houseplant collections have become a popular social media trend. For many people, tending to plants has surfaced as a hobby that enables them to experience greater comfort and beauty from the presence of living things sharing their space. “    1     They include lowering stress, decreasing depression, improving productivity and uplifting mood, ”says Jamie Jones, PhD. a psychotherapist in Washington, D. C.

    2     Anyone starting to care for plants should be patient and allow themselves time to learn the basics. Here are two plants that experts recommend for bringing mental health benefits:

Snake plant. These popular indoor plants have a striking appearance, with dark green sword-shaped leaves, It is very easy to care for. and it thrives in spaces with low sunlight and filters the air.       3    

Lavender. Well known for its relaxing scent, lavender has a calming effect, aids in reducing stress and promotes sleep. You can clip and dry the leaves and put them in a bowl or even sprinkle them into your bath.

Before you bring home a boatload of plants, Jones says it’s not about how many plants you have, but rather how you interact with them. For instance, is there enough space for plants in areas where you spend a lot of time?     4     If you have a small space or aren’t sure how much time you’re willing to invest in it, starting out with a lot of plants could be overwhelming. “Just one plant can make a difference It can engage you by its smell or color that creates a positive mood response with every interaction. ”says Jones.

Remember that while indoor gardening can help with your mental well-being, it’s not a cure-all.       5     But caring for plants can be a useful and enjoyable part of an overall wellness routine.

A．It’s a great first plant.

B．Do you have time to care for them daily?

C．Are you willing to invest money in buying and caring for them?

D．Plants and gardening have been found to have multiple mental health benefits.

E．Having a plant doesn’t immediately or directly impact mental health processes.

F．Like any new skill or hobby, taking care of houseplants comes with a learning curve.

G．Plant care helps one focus on the present moment and provides a feeling of accomplishment.

7 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Feeling trapped in her life, Tiffany Kersten would like to do something different to refresh her life. For an enthusiast for birds, there was no more a better choice than a getaway in the suburb in Wichita, in search of a rare species called the fork-tailed flycatcher (叉尾霸鹟), not to mention its healing effects of getting so close to those lovely creatures, and to the nature.

Tiffany Kersten drove east through Kansas at a fast speed, and watched the Rocky Mountains gradually move away from her rear-view mirror; now she passed through a sea of plains. She’d made it all the way to the suburb of Wichita — and slowed down considerably — when she noticed a county police car tailing her.

Kersten slowed her SUV, hoping the officer would speed past. For a moment, it seemed he would. But he flashed his lights. Kersten’s stomach rolled.

Pulling over to the roadside, she took a deep breath. She couldn’t afford to get a ticket (罚单). What worried her more was that only a few hours of daylight remained. If she were going to see this thing through, she had to go now. The police officer approached her window. “Are you looking for the flycatcher?” he asked.

In fact, she was. After flying from her home in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas to Denver, Kersten had driven 250 miles to Kansas in search of the rare species — the fork-tailed flycatcher. She hoped to check it off her Big Year list — a bird-watching term for the effort to spot as many species as possible in a calendar year. Kersten was chasing a sighting that someone had posted online earlier that day, indicating that a flycatcher might still be hanging out along this stretch of highway. To her surprise and relief, the officer explained that he too was a birder. He’d even been the one to post the sighting. He gave her detailed instruction to the exact location where he’d seen the flycatcher.

注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Instead of writing her a ticket, the officer wished her good luck on her way to the flycatcher.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Back home, as she posted the picture on her social media, “I was seeking birds; I was free.”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8 . 听下面一段独白，回答小题。
1. What is clever about the mall according to the talk?

A．Its location.

B．Its atmosphere.

C．Its shopkeepers.

2. What kind of people transform the items?

A．Greedy people.

B．Creative people.

C．Poor people.

3. How can we describe the mall’s customers best?

A．They want a bargain.

B．They want something new.

C．They want to help the planet.

9 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What will the weather be like in the afternoon?

A．Bright.

B．Rainy.

C．Cloudy.

2. From which aspect of the birds does the old farmer know the weather?

A．The height of their nests.

B．The shape of their nests.

C．The way in which they fly.

3. Why is the old farmer’s father mentioned?

A．To discuss how to take up farming.

B．To persuade the woman to study the weather.

C．To show where the farmer learned weather prediction.

4. Which behavior of cattle indicates a rainy day according to the man?

A．Wandering around.

B．Lying down.

C．Eating grass carelessly.

10 . Students at St. Stanislaus High School in Mississippi are among the volunteers along US coasts raising oysters (牡蛎) to help restore, or repair weakened reefs (礁). Oyster reefs are an important part of coastal environments. Each oyster cleans 95 to 190 liters of water a day. The reefs provide living space for shrimp, crabs and fish. They also protect coastlines. In the states of Maryland, Virginia, Mississippi, and Alabama, now there are more than 1,000 oyster gardens. Most of them are in wire cages hanging from private ports.

Colin Wood, one student looking after the St. Stanislaus garden, said he was excited by the hands-on work. “I didn’t realize oysters had a big influence on the environment. And 50,000 to 55,000 adult oysters grown here each year go to reefs in Mobile Bay,” he said.

In the 1950s, an average of 37,400 tons of oysters were taken yearly from partly salty waters in the US. But US oyster harvests fell sharply in the 1990s. Data showed the cause of the drop could be overharvesting, pollution, pests and other problems. Then oyster gardening started.

Oyster gardening uses many of the same methods as farming. Farmers around the country grow oysters near the surface of water. Oysters develop much faster where the water holds more food they eat and enemies can be more easily removed. But the oysters are not being grown to be eaten. Oyster gardens get pulled from the water every seven to ten days. The time out of the water is used to clear out small animals, keep oysters from growing through the wires, and dry and clean off plant-life growing on the wires.

Bob Stokes, the director of the Galveston Bay Foundation in Texas, says, “Oyster gardening is as much about education as it is restoration.”

1. How does Colin Wood feel about his work?

A．Simple.

B．Tiring.

C．Creative.

D．Meaningful.

2. What does the author mainly intend to show in paragraph 3?

A．The use of oyster gardening.

B．The influence of oyster harvests falling.

C．The reason for starting oyster gardening.

D．The problems oyster gardening is facing.

3. Why should oyster gardens be pulled from the water regularly?

A．To repair the cages.

B．To pick weak oysters out.

C．To examine the water quality.

D．To keep a good environment for oysters.

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

A．What oyster gardening is

B．Oyster reefs are becoming endangered

C．Volunteers keep oysters to restore reefs

D．Why oysters are growing popular in the US