1 . For uncounted generations, trillions of coral polyps (珊瑚虫) have lived and died, leaving behind a material called limestone. Throughout History, limestone was used to construct the Great Pyramid of Egypt, as well as many churches and castles.       1    . We can call them reefs (礁体). They can be even larger in scale than the most impressive buildings and structures made by humans.

    2    

Indeed, a living coral reef is remarkable, a “city beneath the sea” filled with a rich variety of life. Most coral reefs can be found in warm, shallow oceans. They occupy just a small part of the ocean floor, but host 25 percent of all ocean life. Each reef is full of colorful fish as well as coral that forms wonderful patterns. In addition to their beauty, the reefs are an important food source for fish, and for. humans.

Threats to coral reefs

    3    . For example, reefs can be damaged when the coral is taken for use in building materials or jewelry-making. Illegal fishing methods also harm reefs. These methods can help fishermen get a good catch, but their negative effects on the reefs are significant. Blast fishing involves setting off bombs in the water to kill as many fish as possible.     4     In addition, global warming has caused many reefs to become sick. A 2018 UN Report predicted that up to 99 percent of the world’s coral reefs may decline if global warming continues.   

Reasons for hope

These threats to coral reefs are very serious, but there is reason to hope that they will survive. If we take steps toward coral reef conservation, it is likely that these tiny creatures — which survived natural threats for millions of years — will be able to rebuild. As conservationist Robert Richmond says, “    5    . ”

A．A diversity of life

B．A city above the sea

C．Given a chance, they can come back

D．Yet the greatest limestone structures in the world are built underwater

E．Various human activities can cause great harm to the world’s coral reefs

F．As a result, the fish became stunned, which makes them easy to collet.

G．This kills most living things nearby and causes damage to the reef’s structure

2 . From May to October in the southeastern U. S., five species of turtles move ashore under the cover of night to lay their eggs on the beach. During this time, thousands of turtle-loving volunteers search the shorelines for the turtles tracks as part of an ongoing effort to gather population data and protect the nests. But since sea turtles disturb huge areas of sand to hide their nests, human monitors are often left guessing where the eggs are.

Now, a new study suggests man’s best friend can do it better. A detecting dog named Dory found the location of sea turtle eggs more accurately than human volunteers- crucial information when all U. S. sea turtle species are threatened or endangered, says study leader Rebekah Lindborg.

Over months of training on a 50-by-50-square-foot artificial beach. Dory was trained to be alert to the smell of “cloacal mucus,” a sticky substance that coats a sea turtle’s freshly laid eggs, with Lindborg as her handler.

Then, the team convinced the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)to allow a friendly competition. During the high nesting seasons of 2017 and 2018, two groups went around a stretch of shoreline about five miles long in Vero Beach, Florida. Dory had a sensitive nose for turtles, identifying 560 sea turtle nests from three species. People found only 256.

Dory was also significantly better than her human competitors at choosing where to dig for eggs, substantially reducing the number of holes dug. She was also harder to stump—while human volunteers couldn’t find the eggs in 14.8 percent of nests, Dory only failed to deliver 5.7 percent of the time.

In a word, a dog could make a difference in situations where time is of the essence. That could be when you’re under the gun to relocate a nest that’s about to be flooded when the wave rolls in, or before heavy machinery rolls over the nest site for a construction project.

1. What is a challenge to volunteers concerning protecting turtles?

A．Covering their tracks.	B．Locating their nests.
C．Analyzing their population data.	D．Removing cloacal mucus from their eggs.

2. Why did Lindborg’s team approach the FWC?

A．To seek help for their research on turtles.	B．To recommend their dog join the turtle search.
C．To test the results of their dog training.	D．To ask permission to use an artificial beach.

3. What does the underlined word “stump” in paragraph 5 mean?

A．Get challenged.

B．Make choices.

C．Lose control.

D．Stay focused.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Watch the strange competition between dogs and turtles.

B．Meet Dory, the dog detective of sea turtle nests.

C．Protecting sea turtles has gone to volunteers.

D．Finding sea turtle eggs can be really hard.

3 . The ability to solve complex math problems is one thing that sets humans apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. Despite this fact, some animals do seem to have at least one basic mathematical ability-they can, in a sense, count.

In the early 1900s, the horse Clever Hans drew worldwide attention in Berlin when his trainer showed that he could count and solve math problems, tapping his feet to indicate a number. However, researchers later discovered that Clever Hans didn’t actually have mathematical skills, but the horse did own impressive observation skills. That is, he was unable to answer questions that his questioners also couldn’t answer because Clever Hans was actually reading minute facial and body language clues to determine the correct responses.

While Clever Hans failed his math quiz a century ago, studies in more recent decades have shown that many species do actually have a “number sense”. In the late 1980s, researchers showed that chimpanzees (黑猩猩) could add up the number of pieces of chocolate in two food bowls (up to five pieces of chocolate in each bowl), compare it with the sum of two other food bowls, and correctly choose the larger of the two sums 90 percent of the time. Some other mammals, including lions, wolves and black bears, have also showed the ability to discriminate (辨别) between quantities — and so have animals from various other animal classes.

Some research suggests that the number sense may be something that certain animals are born with. In 2015, scientists found that baby chicks as young as 3 days old could identify smaller and larger quantities and might even think of numbers on a “number line” running from left to right, similar to humans.

Whatever the case, our number sense is not unique in the animal kingdom. In fact, it may not be something that’s reserved to just animals: Venus flytraps can also “count”.

1. How did Clever Hans give the correct answer to the math problem?

A．By tapping his feet to count.	B．By guessing the answer casually.
C．By turning to his trainer for help.	D．By reading the questioner’s response.

2. What can chimpanzees do according to the study?

A．They can tell the difference between quantities.

B．They can pass the quiz with observation skills.

C．They can choose food bowls of specific shape.

D．They can add up all pieces of chocolate in four bowls.

3. What is a Venus flytrap?

A．An insect.

B．A fish.

C．A bird.

D．A plant.

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

A．Can animals count?	B．Can animals use numbers?
C．Animals’ mathematical training.	D．Animals’ problem-solving ability.

4 . 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。

    1     (locate) in the suburbs of the capital, the Beijing Grand Canal Museum opened its doors to the public for the first time on December 27, 2023. China’s Grand Canal, which     2     (construct) initially during the Spring and Autumn Period, is the longest and largest ancient canal system in the world. It remains an important symbol of traditional Chinese culture,     3     (witness) important changes in Chinese society over the past centuries.

This newly opened smart museum has     4     total construction area of around 99,700 square meters, integrating function halls ranging from exhibition display areas and social education spaces to cultural heritage restoration workshops.     5     (celebrate) its opening, the Beijing Grand Canal Museum has launched a series of exhibitions centered around the close relationship     6     the Grand Canal and the city of Beijing, focusing on the themes of people, water, and the city.

As the highlight of the museum, the core exhibition showcases over 1,000 cultural relics     7     artworks following a timeline that follows the development of the Grand Canal. In addition to displaying the cultural heritage of the Grand Canal, the museum’s exhibits also highlight     8     (technology) skills. In the earthquake prevention exhibition hall, there is a piece of glass through     9     a seismic (地震的) isolation bearing is visible. Underneath the exhibition building, there are around 240 such     10     (facility) supporting the entire museum, significantly improving the safety of the building.

5 . I was resting when Jenny called. “There’s a thing that ________ you,” she said. “My cat found a mouse and I don’t know how you feel about cats with mice, although I have the ________ that you are afraid of bugs.”

“Bugs are afraid of me.” I said. Having been bitten by a spider, I decided my new ________ was simple: get them before they get you. “I will get it.”

The mouse was under the ________ when I arrived. After putting a broom handle beneath to force surrender, which ________, I walked beside the fridge, armed with a box.

It was a good plan, but it didn’t ________ according to plan. The box created a no-escape trap, the mouse ventured out and I slammed the box down. ________, the only thing inside the box was its tail, and the mouse was struggling to escape.

Meanwhile, sensing Jenny was going ________ on the mouse, I said, “Don’t you dare name it! It’s not your pet.” The mouse then crawled up on the broom handle, and we were now eyeball to eyeball.

I ________ for something else to get the mouse. She rushed over, and then a spatula (抹刀) descended over my shoulder.

“What? This is a MOUSE not a MOUSSE (奶油)!” Another container was handed. Despite my two-box move, the mouse ________ and shot back under the fridge.

I told Jenny to leave the kitchen light on, hoping the mouse would stay under the fridge and not ________ her bedroom at night.

After my departure, she found the mouse ________ in the sunlight, with the cat alongside, soaking up the rays as well. They seemed a(n) ________ couple. Learning from my ________, she got a box with a lid, and the mouse jumped in the box and helped her ________ the lid.

1.

A．connects

B．involves

C．contacts

D．reminds

2.

A．imagination

B．expectation

C．vision

D．impression

3.

A．practice

B．philosophy

C．note

D．moral

4.

A．fridge

B．bed

C．table

D．box

5.

A．succeeded

B．helped

C．failed

D．spoiled

6.

A．go

B．appear

C．pass

D．carry

7.

A．Unfortunately

B．Luckily

C．Thankfully

D．Helplessly

8.

A．regretful

B．sorrowful

C．tough

D．soft

9.

A．claimed

B．applied

C．shouted

D．cared

10.

A．survived

B．escaped

C．rolled

D．tripped

11.

A．wander around

B．stare at

C．clean up

D．flee from

12.

A．saddened

B．bathed

C．floating

D．crying

13.

A．distant

B．loyal

C．cute

D．abandoned

14.

A．warnings

B．observations

C．instructions

D．mistakes

15.

A．open

B．break

C．close

D．empty

6 . Young male zebra finches (斑胸草雀) learn to communicate by listening to adults. In the lab, researchers have found that these songbirds can learn from audio recordings. But zebra finches learn better when they listen to live male finches, notes Ralph Simon. He studies how animals make and use sounds at the Nuremberg Zoo in Germany. Simon is part of the team that built RoboFinch, a robotic singing coach for finches.

The researchers recorded videos of adult males to analyze how their beaks (喙) move when they sing. They then programmed their robots to copy those beak movements. Finally, the researchers painted their RoboFinches the same colors as the real birds.

The team divided 45 young finches into four groups. Some only heard recordings of finch songs played by a speaker. Others listened with female birds that weren’t singing. RoboFinches taught the two other groups of chicks. The birdsongs played from a speaker right behind the robots. And the robots’ beaks moved either in or out of syne (协调) with the songs. That allowed the team to investigate whether beak or head movements aid song learning.

The birds housed with RoboFinches eventually spent most of their time near the robot and its speaker. During the first week, finches living with a RoboFinch whose song was in sync with its beak motions spent 27 percent of their time near the robot. Those caged with a robot playing songs out of syne only spent 5 percent of their time near the setup during the first week. Finches that heard only the audio without RoboFinch or female birds spent even less time around the sound source. Young finches partnered with RoboFinches sang less while the songs played. This was especially true when the robots’ beaks moved in sync with the songs. Those paired with a female also sang less while hearing songs. The young finches seemed to pay close attention to the robots’ movements during training sessions.

Simon hopes researchers will adapt this approach to building robots of other species, too.

1. Whose song did the researchers record?

A．Adult male finches’.	B．Adult female finches’.
C．Yong finches’.	D．RoboFinches’.

2. How did the researchers divide the subject finches?

A．By how fast they learn.	B．By where they were kept.
C．By how they react to the robot.	D．By what they are accompanied with.

3. The finches with ______performed better than the other groups in the research.

A．speakers behind them

B．female finches keeping silent

C．RoboFinches moving their beaks to the songs

D．a recorder playing the songs

4. What’s the best title of the text?

A．RoboFinches Are Used as Singing Coaches

B．Machine Learning Are Adapted to Building Robots

C．Yong Finches Communicate Through Beak Movements

D．Researchers Discovered How Finches Make and Use Sounds

7 . It’s now, more than ever, crucial to adopting a low-impact lifestyle since all kinds of waste, including that of the fashion industry, are piling up in landfills with astonishing speed.     1     Thankfully, the following tips can help you reduce clothing waste.

·Buy fewer clothes overall.     2     It’s a more cautious approach to shopping and consumption (消费) in general. Think twice about what you will buy and say no to over consumption. You can even try out a minimalist (极简主义的) lifestyle. Shop for what you need only when necessary, keep things simple, and go back to basics.

·Shop for high-quality clothing. High-quality clothes can cost more at first but save you money in the long run.     3     Moreover, quality clothes can make you feel more comfortable and confident, improve your fashion style, and help you look your best.

·    4     Upcycling is very beneficial to the planet and your budget (预算). Instead of throwing old clothes away, use parts of or entire old clothes to make something new and more valuable. You can even create stylish and unique pieces of clothing by upcycling.

·Donate your unwanted fashion items. Do a quick online search for your local options to donate clothes that are still in good condition. Be sure to contact organizations first and ask them what type of clothes they accept. You can donate clothing to for-profit companies or to homeless shelters and family service agencies.     5    

A．Repurpose your old clothes.

B．Upcycle everyday household objects.

C．Limit your fashion consumption in the first place.

D．Thrown clothes have had a disastrous impact on the planet.

E．They are more likely to stay in good condition for a long time.

F．Heavy coats and sweaters can go to animal shelters in your local area.

G．Reducing clothing waste is necessary for making fashion more sustainable.

8 . The concentric circles (同心圆状斑点), also known as eyespots on butterfly, not only look like real eyes but may also appear to glare directly at predators (捕食者) from many directions, scientists have found. This visual illusion, called the “Mona Lisa effect”, could scare would-be attackers and buy the insects enough time to escape.

Scientists suspect that eyespots, with dark “pupils (瞳孔)” in the center look like real eyes to predators. Hannah Rowland, an ecologist at the Max Planck Institute wanted to see if the direction of this fake gaze contributed to the effect.

First, Rowland and her co-author trained chicks to attack a worm hidden behind a paper printout of two eyespots at the end of a path. When the eyespots’ pupils were specifically pointed in the chicks’ direction, the birds repeatedly ran toward the paper and then backed away, and they waited a few minutes before attacking. But when the pupils instead appeared to look away from the direction of the chicks’ approach, the birds attacked in seconds. Centrally located pupils, though not as effective as ones that stared directly at the chicks, resulted in longer delays than pupils that looked the other way.

“This suggests that they really are paying attention to the direction of the pupils in the eyespots and are perceiving them as eyelike stimulation. The concentric eyespots found most often in the insect world may seem to the chicks like a pair of eyes that follow them regardless of approach angle,” says Rowland.

National University of Singapore evolutionary biologist Antonia Monteiro, who was not involved in the research, says the study is a “cool” demonstration of an evolutionary theory for eyespots. “These butterflies can be encountered from all angles, so having the pupil centrally located ends up being pretty good,” Monteiro says. Still, she says, the eyespots used in the study were several millimeters larger than even the largest commonly found in nature, raising the possibility that the chicks may have been extra frightened by the size of the paper eyes.

1. What is the function of eyespots on the butterfly?

A．Making them look more beautiful.	B．Spotting potential dangers.
C．Helping them identify the direction.	D．Protecting them from being attacked.

2. How did the chicks react when shown the specifically-pointed eyespots?

A．They attacked immediately.	B．They turned away in seconds.
C．They reacted cautiously.	D．They became very excited.

3. What does Monteiro mean in the last paragraph?

A．The eyespot is a butterfly’s powerful weapon.

B．The experiment needs further proof.

C．The study first proposes an evolutionary theory of eyespots.

D．Butterflies in nature have small eyespots.

4. What’s the purpose of the text?

A．To appeal to readers to preserve butterflies.

B．To uncover the hidden biological secret of butterflies.

C．To analyze the social behaviour of butterflies.

D．To demonstrate the evolutionary theory for eyespots.

9 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. How does the woman feel about autumn?

A．Weekdays are filled with promises.

B．The weather is very hot.

C．Time goes by quickly

2. What are the speakers doing?

A．Sharing childhood memories.

B．Talking about their feelings about time.

C．Making plans for car journeys at weekends.

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

Not Without My Mama

Thirty-eight. That was how many stray cats (流浪猫) I had been feeding on the street where I lived. I loved them all, but I did have a favorite. A gigantic yellow cat with blue eyes had seized my heart.

I named him Butterball. Often, Butterball would try to jump in my car when I arrived home or come inside my house. I wished that I could bring him inside, but it was not allowed where I lived.

Week after week, I fed the large group of cats. Mostly, none of them wanted to be touched. They would eat in a hurry and leave, but not Butterball. He would stick around for head scratches (抓挠), purring (发出呼噜声) loudly. I noticed that he was always in the company of a small Calico cat.

Though not as friendly, she was touchable.

One day, my dream came true—I bought my own house. The cats, especially Butterball, watched anxiously as I started moving my things to my new home. I began to be away longer as I set up the new place, but I never forgot to go back and feed them every night. Butterball would jump in my car and try to get in extra hugs.

Sometimes, I found him amongst the boxes in the back when I came out with another load. As I packed up the very last load and set out the cats’ nightly dinner, I paused before leaving.

The nights were starting to get cold, and soon winter would be upon us. Upstate New York winters can be bitter. Butterball seemed to know I was leaving for good. I peered into his blue eyes and told him, “I will come back for you.” He turned away as if he didn’t believe me.

The next day, I returned with a group of friends. We set out a bunch of humane traps and caught the strays one by one. We transported them to a no-kill shelter. All, except Butterball.

注意:
1. 续写词数应为150词左右;
2. 请按如下格式在相应位置作答。

I intended to take Butterball to my new home.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Surprisedly, I followed him to the bush and found Calico.

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