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.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2 . Parrots are prey animals, which means that other predators (捕食者) in the wild, such as hawks or snakes, are looking to make them into a meal. This one factor influences parrots’ behavior in your house more than any other.
Parrots are most easily hurt when feeding on the ground. Membership in a group plays an important function in ensuring their safety and improving their chances of survival from attacks by predators. The most common predators of parrots include hawks, snakes, cats, monkeys, and bats. Some predators make attacks only during the day while others hunt in the night.
As prey animals, parrots are constantly watching out for danger and they instinctively (本能地) react to risks. Their first choice is to take flight. However, if this is not possible, they will fight with their powerful beaks to defend themselves.
Because their biggest enemy is the hawk, parrots are especially reactive to quick movements from above and behind. For this reason, it is wise to avoid quick, sudden movements near your bird. This is a built-in reaction not subject to logic or reason. Simple and relatively harmless household objects can draw extreme fear responses from a bird. For example, a balloon may represent a hawk or a vacuum hose (吸尘器软管) may be the same as a snake in your bird’s mind.
As prey animals, parrots are often frightened by exposure to new household items or strangers. It is important to expose your bird to safe experiences and changes starting at a very young age to build flexibility and improve their adaptability. Variety in diet and toys, travel, and exposure to new people and places all help to make your bird more flexible and adaptable to change.
1. What is important for parrots to better survive from attacks in the wild?| A．Living in a group. | B．Growing beautiful feathers. |
| C．Feeding on the ground. | D．Avoiding coming out at night. |
| A．To attack back. | B．To get away. |
| C．To protect the young. | D．To play dead. |
| A．It may explode suddenly. | B．It may be in a strange shape. |
| C．It may have a strong color. | D．It may move around quickly. |
| A．To explain wild parrots’ behavior. | B．To give advice on raising a parrot. |
| C．To call for action to protect animals. | D．To introduce a study on bird ecology. |
3 . On Christmas Eve, a team of reindeer (驯鹿) will help Santa Claus deliver gifts to children all around the world. The reindeer, led by their fearless leader Rudolph, won’t be the only ones doing something special. Back in the highest Arctic, their cousins have a remarkable ability changing their eye color.
During the summer months, when the days are long and the sun is bright, reindeer’s tapetum lucidum (荧光膜), a mirror-like layer at the back of their eye, appears golden, which helps bounce the majority of light off the eyes, effectively acting like a pair of natural sunglasses. As winter comes, and the days become shorter and darker, the tapetum lucidum turns blue to absorb more light, allowing reindeer to improve their night vision and see clear in low light conditions.
With these adaptations, reindeer can adapt and thrive in one of the harshest environments on Earth. Unlike humans, reindeer can see well into the shorter Ultra Violet (UV) range. This UV vision enables them to spot food and predators more effectively in the snowy landscape. Lichens, a key part of their winter diet, absorb UV, so they show up dark against UV-reflecting white snow. Wolf and polar bear fur also absorb UV, so instead of disappearing against snow they pop out in high contrast, allowing reindeer to spot potential threats from a distance.
Reindeer change their eyes by adjusting their tapetum lucidum, which is made of collagen fibers. In winter, the collagen fibers become packed tighter, causing the tapetum lucidum to mainly reflect blue light. This change happens when reindeer dilate their pupils (瞳孔). In summer, the reindeer’s pupils return to a smaller size, which helps reindeer reduce the amount of light entering the eye.
But their unique adaptation may hurt them. Today, the increasing use of artificial lighting, especially during the winter months, poses a potential threat to their sensitive eyes. It can make reindeer lose their way, affecting their ability to survive in their challenging environment. So it is crucial for us to be mindful of our use of electricity and make efforts to minimize light pollution to ensure the well-being and survival of these magnificent creatures.
1. What do we know from paragraph 2?| A．The shape of reindeer’s eyes varies with seasons. |
| B．It is difficult for reindeer to live in low light conditions. |
| C．The tapetum lucidum helps reindeer adapt to seasonal changes. |
| D．Reindeer’s eyes appear golden in winter while blue in summer. |
| A．To help them see clear in dark nights. |
| B．To distinguish food of different colors quickly. |
| C．To protect their eyes from harsh sunlight in summer. |
| D．To better locate food and enemies during snowy days. |
| A．Relax. | B．Expand. | C．Narrow. | D．Hide. |
| A．To call on people to protect reindeer from light pollution. |
| B．To show the reasons for the decline in reindeer population. |
| C．To present humans’ great efforts to reduce artificial lighting. |
| D．To prove reindeer’s strong adaptability to harsh environments. |
4 . Have you ever tried a cactus (仙人掌) pear? Yes, its prickly surface makes it an unusual-looking fruit but it is widely used in Mexican dishes. This fruit from the cactus is really good for you because it is helpful in fighting against many diseases, and has many health benefits (利益). There are actually over 200 types of cactus fruit and they grow in hot dry places.
Since the world is getting hotter and drier, it is even more difficult for hot dry places to grow major crops (庄稼) that need more water. Therefore, providing food and fuel will go a long way in a world that is heating up. Researchers from the University of Nevada, Reno, set out to see if the cactus pear could become a superfood that could feed people and animals, remove carbon (碳) from the atmosphere and be used as a biofuel.
While the study looked at many types of cactuses, they settled on the nopal cactus or Opuntia. The fruit can be gathered as food and the rest of the cactus can be used for taking in carbon and can be used as biofuels according to biology professor Cushman. The plant keeps water by closing its pores (气孔) during the hottest part of the day to limit water loss and opens them at night. Cushman hopes to use the genes from this plant to add them to other plants.
They are also studying the Opuntia stunting disease, which causes cactuses to grow smaller plants and less fruits, in order to find out how it spreads. They hope to learn how to create tools to recognize and treat it so that they can help Opuntia become a prolific crop.
In a world that is also gaining population, finding a new superfood will go a long way in feeding a planet that will need 50-90 percent more food in 2050. Eating more plant-based foods will also reduce the amount of land needed for more food protection.
1. What can we know about the cactus pear?| A．It is of great benefit to people. |
| B．It is the main food for Mexicans. |
| C．It can’t be seen outside Mexico. |
| D．It grows in hot wet places. |
| A．It is easy to be gathered. |
| B．It has fewer pores 10 save water. |
| C．It is suitable for various conditions. |
| D．It is eatable and good for the environment. |
| A．Helpful. | B．Unusual. | C．Attractive. | D．Fruitful. |
| A．Getting away from increasingly higher temperatures |
| B．Cactus pears may become the new superfood crop |
| C．A cactus is the plant living well in dry areas |
| D．Providing plant-based food for the world |
5 . Today, interest in sustainable weddings is on the rise. And some of our decisions do not seem as unusual as they once might have. Here are some tips to help you plan a wedding that centers on using your garden and the things you grow in it.
A Sustainable location
Having a wedding outdoors means you don’t have to cope with energy costs or other concerns about a venue(场地).
Flowers Arrangements
For many people, creating a romantic environment means having flowers. Even if you don’t have a wedding ceremony outdoors surrounded by living plants, you may wish to bring nature into your chosen wedding venue.
Food and Drink
Gifts
The added extras can be prepared by using things from your garden before the big day, ranging from sweets, cookies to soaps, baskets, or other thoughtful homemade presents.
Invitations
You might consider making personal and handmade invitations with natural inks, paints and even paper from plant fibers.
| A．Keen gardeners can go even further. |
| B．If you have a garden, you are already at an advantage. |
| C．The natural and beautiful setting of a hall can be a romantic spot. |
| D．You can also design your invitations that can be preserved for long. |
| E．Alternatively, you might send invitations that double as useful items. |
| F．This will make guests feel very welcome and a wedding a special occasion. |
| G．You’ll have more control over the event costs, in environmental and financial terms. |
6 . Humans aren’t the only animals that move to music. Parrots have been known to do it. And now rats have been observed moving their heads in time with the tunes of Mozart, Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson and others, according to a new paper from the University of Tokyo. What’s more, the rats seems to respond (回应) to the same beats that get humans’ feet tapping (轻踩).
The researchers played a sonata by Mozart for lab rats at different changes of the original speed: 75%, 100%, 200% and 400%. Wireless sensors (感应器) on the rats, bodies tracked their movements. Meanwhile, 20 people took part in it and listened to the same music through motion sensor- equipped headphones.
It was observed that the rats’ head movements were the most obvious when the music played at its normal speed, which was around 132 bpm (beats per minute). The same was true for the people taking part in it. The researchers then changed to some pop songs such as Lady Gaga’s “Bora This Way” and Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”，As with Mozart’s, rats moved their heads along the rhythm (节奏) of pop songs, similar to how people do, at about 120 to 140 bpm.
The study showed that both rats and humane moved their heads along to the beat in a similar rhythm. The level of head moving from both humans and rats decreased as the music sped up. The study suggests that there is something similar about the way human and rat brains respond to rhythm, but rats do not match their motions to the beat like humans do. Humans can tell the timing of a beat in advance and move predictably to it.
Aniruddh Patel, a psychologist who studies brain response to music, says humans and parrots respond to beats with big, voluntary movements such as head shaking, dancing or foot tapping. Patel also stresses that this study does not show that rats have the same emotional associations with music as humans do. Yet he believes it could help show how humans and some other animals developed a sense of rhythm.
1. What does the study focus on?| A．How music influences rats’ brains. |
| B．Whether rats can respond to human music. |
| C．Which types of music is attractive to rats. |
| D．Why rats respond to music like human do. |
| A．75 bpm. | B．100 bpm. | C．132 bpm. | D．150 bpm. |
| A．They seem more interested in pop music. |
| B．They are unable to tell the beat of music in advance. |
| C．They prefer moving their heads with the beat of music. |
| D．They make similar movements to different rhythms. |
| A．Positive. | B．Doubtful. | C．Uncaring. | D．Negative. |
7 . It was late July and except for a few thin, white clouds the sky was a bright blue. The sun was
Our black cat, Alice was sleeping under the shade (阴凉) of our Maple tree, without noticing the little rabbit that was
Just then a lovely, yellow butterfly flew down and
| A．appearing | B．moving | C．shining | D．burning |
| A．easy | B．busy | C．happy | D．difficult |
| A．entirely | B．actually | C．definitely | D．rapidly |
| A．flowers | B．vegetables | C．plants | D．trees |
| A．touching | B．eating | C．searching | D．smelling |
| A．jumping | B．warning | C．fighting | D．looking |
| A．house | B．village | C．farm | D．road |
| A．worked | B．stepped | C．relaxed | D．played |
| A．weak | B．sad | C．full | D．calm |
| A．shoes | B．words | C．question | D．doubt |
| A．take in | B．sweep away | C．hand out | D．give up |
| A．hunted | B．walked | C．rushed | D．landed |
| A．legs | B．wings | C．back | D．head |
| A．water | B．power | C．wind | D．sound |
| A．improved | B．protected | C．praised | D．thanked |
8 . Along the streets of Malabon in the Philippines, Marilene Capentes pushes a cart every morning except Sundays. The city of Malabon is just north of the capital, Manila.
Capentes is a waste picker. She collects bags of separated garbage, placing food waste in one container. This material will be turned into compost (堆肥) at the local recycling center. The rest of the waste goes into separate containers. The recyclable materials are later sold.
Capentes said the heavy rubbish used to be all mixed together. Then a few years ago, a local environmental nonprofit (非盈利机构) started asking people to separate their rubbish.
The Mother Earth Foundation in the Philippines is a member of the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, called GAIA. The organization wants to avert food waste from going to landfills. Food waste gives off biogas (沼气) as it breaks down. Biogas is a powerful greenhouse gas.
At a material recycling center in Malabon, organic (有机的) waste collected from households is turned into compost. This material then goes into a community garden to grow vegetables. Some of the food waste is broken down into biogas. This biogas is then used to cook vegetables for waste workers to eat.
There are challenges in establishing these systems in new places. It costs money to set up a facility for composting. People, including local officials, have to be educated on the importance of separating waste. Containers have to be provided to families that cannot buy more than one.
And sometimes separating organic waste is not thought to be important. Also, unlike recyclables and metals, there is not a large market for organic materials. Therefore, waste workers must be paid for the system to work. But these problems can be solved. More people are making the connection between reducing biogas and fighting climate change.
1. Why is food waste separated from other waste?| A．To sell it for money. | B．To cook vegetables. |
| C．To feed it to animals. | D．To turn it into plant food. |
| A．Remove. | B．Prevent. | C．Select. | D．Protect. |
| A．Difficulties to build the new systems. | B．Importance of building the new systems. |
| C．Conditions required for the new systems. | D．Arguments over building the new systems. |
| A．Critical. | B．Grateful. | C．Optimistic. | D．Doubtful. |
9 . Scientists in Israel have developed a gene-edited hen that could help avoid killing billions of male chicks every year. Male layer chicks are of no value to the egg-laying industry, since they’re not female and cannot lay eggs; and they’re unwanted by the meat industry, since they have the wrong body type and are not fast-growing broilers (肉鸡). An estimated seven billion male chicks are killed annually.
This is understandably troubling for many people, and various attempts to solve the problem have been proposed over the years. Mainly these focus on trying to identify a bird’s sex as early as possible so as to abandon it prior to development or hatching (孵化).
This latest development, however, takes it to another level by preventing the male chick from developing altogether. The “Golda” hen, as it’s called, has DNA edited into it that stops the development of male embryos (胚胎) when the egg is exposed to blue light for several hours. Female embryos are not affected by the light and hatch and grow as usual. They do not contain any of the edited material, nor do the eggs they lay, so consumers needn’t be concerned about consuming genetically modified (转基因) eggs.
The BBC explains how the gene-edited hens end up with all-female chicks. Females carry a W and a Z chromosome (染色体) (WZ). Males carry two Z chromosomes (ZZ). The Golda hen has a W chromosome and a gene-edited Z*chromosome (WZ*), preventing embryo development when exposed to blue light.
If WZ*+ZZ=WZ, +blue light=female chick hatches
If WZ*+ZZ=Z*Z, +blue light=male doesn’t hatch
The actual science is being kept under wraps, since the Volcani Institute plans to license its technology through a company called Poultry by Huminn. There is no peer-reviewed study yet. But the animal welfare organization Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) has been following the research closely for three years, visited the firm, and backs the development
CIWF’s Research and Education Team explained, “The great advantage of this gene-edit is that it appears to have no bad effect on animal health and welfare. Our current support for this technology is in principle, as the next important step is to see whether the hen and the female chicks she produces - who will lay eggs for human consumption-can go through a commercial lifespan without any unexpected issues arising.”
1. Why are a large number of male chicks killed every year?| A．Their meat tastes better. |
| B．They have high nutritional value. |
| C．They grow more slowly than female ones. |
| D．They can’t make profits for egg-laying industry. |
| A．Any of the edited material is contained in its female embryos. |
| B．It has raised consumers’ concern about its eggs’ nutrition. |
| C．Its female embryos are more affected by blue light. |
| D．Its male embryos won’t hatch or grow when exposed to blue light. |
| A．Their complex genes. | B．Their gene types. |
| C．Their hatching principle. | D．Their genetic composition. |
| A．Whether the gene-edited hens will cause unpredicted issues. |
| B．Whether the gene-edited hens will bring profits. |
| C．Whether the gene-edited hens will affect consumers’ health. |
| D．Whether the gene-edited hens will replace those without edited genes. |
10 . A new study shows homing pigeons (鸽子) combine precise internal compasses and memorized landmarks to retrace a path back to their home—even four years after the previous time when they made the trip.
Testing nonhuman memory keeping is challenging in research studies. “It’s rare that there is a gap of several years between when an animal stores the information and when it is next required to get it back,” says Dora Biro, a zoologist at the University of Oxford. In a recent study, Biro and her colleagues compared domestic homing pigeons’ paths three or four years after the birds established routes back to their home from a farm 8.6 kilometers away. The study built on data from a 2016 experiment in which pigeons learned routes in different social contexts during several flights-on their own or with peers that did or did not know the way.
Using data from GPS devices temporarily attached to the birds’ backs, the researchers compared the flight paths a group of pigeons took in 2016 with many of the same birds’ routes in 2019 or 2020, without the birds visiting the release site in between. Some birds missed a handful of landmarks along the way, but many others took “strikingly similar” routes to those they used in 2016, “It was as if the last time they flew there was just the day before, not four years ago,” says Oxford zoologist and study co-author Julien Collet.
The team found that the pigeons remembered a route just as well if they first flew it alone or with others and performed much better than those that had not made the journey in 2016. “The result is not surprising, but it provides new confirmation of homing pigeons’ remarkable memory. It closes the distance a little bit between our overconfident human cognitive (认知的) abilities and what animals can do,” says Verner Bingman, who studies animal navigation at Bowling Green State University and was not involved in the study.
1. What does paragraph 1 mention about homing pigeons?| A．The time of leaving home. | B．The location of their birth. |
| C．The ways they navigate home. | D．The reasons for their taking trips. |
| A．Through questionnaires. | B．Through information assumptions. |
| C．Through lab experiments on animals. | D．Through comparative analysis of data. |
| A．Prediction method. | B．Tracking method. |
| C．Expert consultation. | D．Literature consultation. |
| A．They are underestimated. | B．They have been declining. |
| C．They are much lower than humans’. | D．They have never been confirmed. |
