1 . Sheep, camels, goats and other hoofed (有蹄类) animals are better at figuring out solutions to puzzles when they are less integrated into social groups.

These individuals might be forced to find food, shelter and other needs on their own without group help, thus fuelling innovation, says Federica Amici at the University of Lipzig in Germany.

“If you’re not well integrated into your social group, you can’t count on friends providing you with support or sharing resources with you, and you have to count on yourself much more,” says Amici. “It’s interesting that problem-solving skills appear to be quite an alternative social skills.”

Amici and her colleagues wanted to consider how social groups affect individual animals’ capacity for innovation. They decided to concentrate on hoofed animals which live in widely varied social group structures and include both wild and domesticated species.

The team worked with 1111 hoofed animals from 13 species, all living in zoos in Spain, France and Germany. The researchers observed each animal every 15 minutes for several days to determine how well it was integrated into the group. Then, the team placed a set of covered cups, filled with whatever food each species particularly liked, in the enclosure (围场) with the animals. Video cameras recorded their behaviour without humans present.

Regardless of species, it was the less socially integrated individuals that were most successful at figuring out how to open the lids to get to the food inside the cups. It is possible that because these animals get left out of the group, they are motivated to find other ways to get food and other resources on their own, says Amici. Another possibility is that these individuals aren’t necessarily rejected by their social group. Rather, they choose to be alone because they figure things out on their own.

Whether the findings apply to humans and other species is unclear. “It’s tempting to see a parallel with humans,” says Amici. “Individuals with high problem-solving skills may not be the most socially skilled people.”

1. What can we learn about the less integrated hoofed animals?

A．They can find shelter effortlessly.	B．They possess alternative social skills.
C．They rely on friends to solve problems.	D．They have to find resources independently.

2. How did the researchers assess the social integration of hoofed animals?

A．By measuring their intelligence.	B．By monitoring their interactions.
C．By analyzing their food preferences.	D．By observing their hunting strategies.

3. What does the underlined phrase “see a parallel with” in the last paragraph probably mean?

A．Keep an eye on.	B．Lend a hand to.
C．Discover a similarity with.	D．Form a partnership with.

4. What is a suitable title for this text?

A．The Puzzle-Solving Abilities of Hoofed Animals

B．The Innovation of Social Skills in Hoofed Animals

C．Solving Puzzles: The Key to Social Success in Hoofed Animals

D．The Unsociable Advantage: Problem Solving in Hoofed Animals

2 . Karen Woolley had a dream and the only way she was going to make it come true was to purchase farmland. She and her husband, Glen, decided to buy a farm near Lakehurst, Oct., in 2000. With a barn (畜棚) built in the mid-1800s, as well as a farmhouse on the property, they were set to start purchasing animals that can be kept on a farm to fill the barn.

Karen’s love of animals kept spilling over into other parts of the bar; this is when she decided share these critters (家畜) with the world, including city kids who were rarely around farm animals, and seniors in nursing homes who had been farmers themselves for many years.

Karen bought a vehicle and started taking her animals to visit various groups in the community. Off she went with her baby rabbits, chicks, ducks, and geese. With a low fenced-in area, crowds of people excitedly picked up the critters to hold and touch as they admired nature in unusual locations.

Back on the farm, Karen’s daughter, Fiona, is in charge of the heated hen house. She feeds and cleans their pens and makes sure they are comfortable until the heat of late spring arrives. Later, all are sent out into the field to enjoy the sweet grasses and sunshine. With Glen’s help, fences are fixed, feeding stations are built and animals are fed regularly to keep everyone happy and the farm in working condition.

With her efforts coming along as planned, Karen continues to share her critters far and wide. She enjoys seeing people’s reactions when a little duck is placed in the hands of young or old alike — it provides such satisfaction to a lady who wants to share her dream.

1. What did Karen decide to do in 2000?

A．To build a farmhouse on her farm.	B．To buy a farm to follow her dream.
C．To enlarge her farm to make money.	D．To keep homeless animals on her farm.

2. What does the underlined word “this” in paragraph 2 refer to?

A．The growing number of animals on her farm.

B．City kids having no chance to feed animals.

C．Her increasing love for farm animals.

D．The difficulty of managing her farm.

3. How were Karen’s visits in the community?

A．They won huge popularity.

B．The bothered people a lot.

C．They were unhelpful for the farm.

D．They encouraged people to protect wild animals.

4. What is the attitude of Karen’s family toward her business?

A．Worried.

B．Thankful.

C．Supportive.

D．Disapproving.

3 . Over the past 25 years, dozens of cats have appeared in my yard, silently begging for food. Most cats come and go, but Minnie stayed for 11 years.

When I first spotted her, Minnie was young and weak. She would creep up to eat the leftovers after I fed my cats. Pretty soon, she was regularly appearing at dinnertime. I would provide cat’s food just for her, but she would hide behind until I went back inside. Then, with no human near, she would wolf down her meals.

Minnie stuck around our house, and she was scrawny no more. Actually, she kept gaining weight —especially around her middle. Yes, she was pregnant. We prepared a small shelter in the garage, where Minnie would give birth and care for her kittens.

Once the kittens had been adopted, I began to spend hours in the yard, sitting as still as possible with a bowl of cat food next to me. She would sit a few feet from me, examining my every move. I, in turn, ignored her, reading my book, silently begging for her to come closer. She never did. I finally accepted that she was never going to let me pet her, but she still became my constant companion. Whenever I’d go outside, she’d meow hello then follow me around the house. This went on for three years.

Then one morning, Minnie just wasn’t there. I searched and searched around the neighborhood, but no Minnie. It always hurts to lose an animal you love. But I wouldn’t give anything in the world for the time we had with our Minnie. Untouchable as she was, she taught me friendship and love can be shared just by being present and accepting. No physical or verbal interaction needed. Just be there.

1. What can we learn about Minnie from paragraph 2?

A．She was eager for human affection.	B．She was afraid of human presence.
C．She was attracted by the author’s cat.	D．She preferred leftovers to cat’s food.

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

A．Frightened.

B．Cautious.

C．Lonely.

D．Thin.

3. Why did the author sit in the yard for hours in paragraph 4?

A．To befriend Minnie.	B．To enjoy reading.
C．To chock on Minnie’s safety.	D．To look after Minnie’s kittens.

4. What does the author think of Minnie’s company?

A．Mentally irreplaceable.	B．Emotionally distant.
C．Physically beneficial.	D．Behaviorally unpredictable.

4 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

In 2014, China and South Korea agreed to collaborate on research into giant pandas. Two years     1     (late), in March 2016, the pandas Aibao and Lebao were transported to Samsung Everland in Korea,     2     they have since become a symbol of the strong bond between the two nations. In July 2020, Fubao was born in South Korea, and both countries have been working together     3     (ensure) that the panda cub grows up healthy and strong.

Jiang Zheyuan, also known as “Grandpa Panda,” is the breeder responsible for caring     4     the pandas at Everland. According to him, the pandas follow     5     regular routine of eating, resting,     6     (exercise) and interacting with tourists every day in their panda paradise. Fubao, in particular, is growing quickly and     7     (healthy) and eats more than her parents     8     (do) at her age.

The Panda Paradise     9     (receive) between 7,000 to 10,000 visitors daily who come to see the giant pandas. Jiang Zheyuan expressed his gratitude for the concern and     10     (affect) shown by Chinese friends online regarding the welfare of the Aibao family.

5 . Among the many ecological disasters that terrify us today, one that only a handful of people have considered as sufficiently terrifying is the loss of the bats in our church tower. According to “The Darkness Manifesto” (Scribner), by the Swedish ecologist Johan Eklf, most churches in southwest Sweden had bat colonies back in the nineteen-eighties, and now most of them don’t.

Light pollution, his research suggests, has been a major reason: “District after district has installed modern floodlights to show the architecture it’s proud of, all the while the animals-who have for centuries found safety in the darkness of the church towers and who have for 70 million years made the night their home-are slowly but surely vanishing from these places.”

The difference between light and dark is, in a way, arbitrary: what counts as light and what as darkness depends on what wavelengths we can make out. But the nocturnal (夜间活动的) world gives rise to creatures, equipped with large-pupilled and infrared-sensitive eyes, that see what we cannot and that, under cover of darkness, act as we can only imagine.

We learn, for instance, of the ghost moths, a species in which the adult males appear in fields in twilight, floating weirdly as they signal to the females-only to mate once and then fall to the ground dead. Though Eklf tells us that these creatures are threatened by the confusing presence of artificial light and that moths play a crucial role as pollinators (“something of invaluable importance for keeping our ecosystem undamaged and thriving”), what one recalls is the sad fate of their couplings.

Nor are bugs and birds alone affected by the light; so are plants, and so are humans. Our eyes adapt badly to darkness, and our night vision-which is activated by the pigment protein rhodopsin (视紫红质)-takes a long while to turn on. By now, cities such as Singapore and Hong Kong are so brightly lit that their inhabitants scarcely call on night vision at all, and, as their rhodopsin becomes unnecessary, they may well create people in later generations who, in even middling darkness, are as blind as bats.

1. How has light pollution affected bats in southwest Sweden?

A．Bats have had nowhere to stay.	B．Bats have adapted to well-lit environment.
C．Bats have moved away from the church towers.	D．Bats have become endangered.

2. Which of the following can best describe nocturnal creatures?

A．They are sensitive to different wavelengths of light.

B．They are only active during the daytime.

C．They are not affected by light pollution.

D．They are unable to see in darkness.

3. What does the writer want to tell us by the example in paragraph 4?

A．The arbitrary nature of light and dark.	B．The beauty and tragedy of the ghost moths.
C．The threat that nocturnal creatures face.	D．The importance of nocturnal creatures.

4. How does the writer sound in the last paragraph?

A．Highly critical of the local government.	B．Alarmed by the impact of artificial light.
C．Curious about the effects of light pollution.	D．Admiring of the adaptability of bats.

6 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填人1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Astronomers say they have discovered the largest planet killer-sized asteroid (小行星) in eight years,     1     that the huge space rock will cross the Earth’s orbit.

The asteroid, named 2022 AP7,was reported by researchers     2     (look) for space rocks within the orbits of Earth and Venus. “Any asteroid over l km in size     3     (consider) a planet killer,” said lead study author Sheppard, adding that     4     such an object should strike Earth, the impact would be destructive to life, with dust and pollutants kicked up into the atmosphere,     5     they would stay for years. “The surface of the Earth would likely cool significantly from sunlight not getting to the planet. It would be an event of mass     6     (extinct),” he said.

The term “planet killer” may sound scary, but 2022 AP7 has no chance to hit the Earth     7     (current).

In September, NASA     8     (launch) its Dart mission, ploughing a spacecraft into an asteroid to deflect (变向) the latter from its orbit．The mission was     9     attempt to test technology that could eventually be used to tackle space rocks that pose a threat to the Earth. Last month, researchers confirmed Dart had been a success.

An approach like Dart might not be suitable for 2022 AP7     10     (give) the size of the asteroid, but there were other possible methods.

7 . Anyone who-loves animals understands the love a favorite pet can give in times of trouble.    1     Whether at a nursing home, hospital, or workplace, therapy (治疗) dogs show sympathy to those who are hurt or worried.

What does it take to be a good therapy animal?

It takes a good nature and a calm, easy-going personality.     2     Therapy animals must pass a test to prove that they enjoy meeting people of all ages, know how to behave, and aren’t bothered by sudden movements or loud sounds.

    3    

A service animal is trained to work with a person with a disability. The animal maybe trained to guide a blind person. The service animal is not a pet and is not supposed to be touched by anyone but its handler. Therapy animals are not as carefully trained as service animals.     4     They may-not be allowed in certain public places, unlike service animals.

What are the benefits of a therapy animal?

Petting an animal has been proven to provide a human with many health benefits. Hormones (chemicals) that make people feel better are released into their bodies when they are with a kind animal.     5     Blood pressure can also be lowered, the number of medications that people need can be reduced, and people can be encouraged to exercise.

A．People are able to relax.

B．What kinds of therapy animals are there?

C．Not all animals can meet these requirements.

D．Horses are large animals that require full attention.

E．Their main job is to support people in times of hardships.

F．What’s the difference between a therapy animal and a service animal?

G．Therapy animals provide comfort to people who are sad, in pain, or need a friend.

8 . 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。

Madagascar is located off the east coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean and is the fourth     1    (large) island in the world. Nine-tenths of the plants in Madagascar aren’t found anywhere else on Earth. Three quarters of the island’s population depends on natural resources     2    (make) a living. As a result of its     3    (rich) in species, as well as the high levels of human threat to the environment, such as logging, hunting and political issues, Madagascar is a big concern of global natural conservation.

Andasibe-Mantadia National Park in eastern Madagascar is one of the most popular protected areas     4     are visited by tourists. Natural-area tourism at Andasibe is well organised, with many local guide associations     5    (have) partnerships with international organisations and 50% of park fees going directly to local communities. Forest loss is a widespread problem in Madagascar, but at Andasibe the forest is valued for its ecological function     6     the profits made from tourism. Andasibe is a wonderful example of     7     conservation and tourism can work together to help local communities and the environment.

Over the past few years, Madagascar, together with     8     support of many international communities such as WWF,     9    (develop) a national system of protected areas like Andasibe. Conservation actions also join hands with economic development measures to address the problems. With these strong partnerships, Madagascar can make a real difference in safeguarding protected areas     10     the benefit of people and wildlife in the future.

9 . It was dark and I was standing in front of a _________ house in an unfamiliar street in Sydney’s northwest, rescue box in hand, leather gloves under my arm, my head full of instructions to _________. The little bird waiting inside the house would be my first _________ as a volunteer wildlife rescuer since I’d completed a two-day training course the previous month. A call had come through that afternoon asking for help _________ a bird of an unknown species was being attacked by two youngsters in his garden. He _________ the children and grabbed their victim.

I went inside to see my very first patient. I was _________, yet with the man watching on, I would have to look confident. With great care, I lifted the edge of the shoe box very _________ to see a tiny-looking bird standing to attention on very thin legs.

The bird was shivering, so I decided not to grab it by hand but just transfer the whole shoebox into my rescue box. I didn’t want to appear incompetent.

Back home, I couldn’t see any obvious _________ of injury. I hadn’t seen this species of bird before, so I googled for a _________ on the Internet. After a while, I came across something that looked like a match: a fantail, so called because of its __________ feathers that, when fully open, spread out into a neat little “fan”.

I phoned the bird specialist of my local rescue group. She told me this species hunts __________ on the wing, and I needed to release it the next day on the same street it came from.

I waited until evening the next day, which would provide the cover of __________, to release it. I was back on the street where I’d rescued it, gently holding the bird, and wondered what would be __________ for this delicate creature this time around. Nothing. It would have to take care of itself just as before, and be strong enough to catch some insects and recover its energy levels without delay.

I held the bird as __________ as I could to give it a good lift-off: the little bird __________ swiftly into the darkness without a pause. My first rescue had ended in a successful release.

1.

A．friend’s

B．doctor’s

C．stranger’s

D．patient’s

2.

A．read

B．follow

C．notice

D．announce

3.

A．test

B．vacation

C．entertainment

D．competition

4.

A．so

B．as

C．unless

D．until

5.

A．scared off

B．caught up

C．fought for

D．talked back

6.

A．courageous

B．careful

C．anxious

D．curious

7.

A．impatiently

B．slightly

C．hurriedly

D．noisily

8.

A．symbol

B．proof

C．sign

D．cause

9.

A．kind

B．variety

C．species

D．likeness

10.

A．head

B．neck

C．body

D．tail

11.

A．insects

B．pests

C．beetles

D．worms

12.

A．light

B．power

C．blanket

D．darkness

13.

A．similar

B．different

C．risky

D．harmful

14.

A．high

B．far

C．low

D．close

15.

A．fell away

B．got down

C．ran across

D．flew off

10 .

The number of seabirds killed by colliding (撞击) with wind turbines could be cut by painting black-and-white stripes on the blades (叶片), and poles, say researchers. Graham Martin at the University of Birmingham, UK, and Alex Banks at Natural England, a public organization that has a say in planning applications for offshore wind farms in England, wanted to design a pattern that could be easily painted onto turbines to reduce their impact on bird life.

Between 140,000 and 328,000 birds are killed each year by onshore wind turbines in the US, according to, one estimate. It is harder to tell how many birds are killed by offshore turbines each year, says Martin, as they fall into the ocean.

A previous study, published in 2020, looked at the effect of painting a single blade black on four onshore turbines in Norway. Bird collisions were reduced by 70 percent compared with all-white turbines nearby. Martin believes that further improvements could have an even greater impact. Based on analysis of previous studies into bird vision and bird collisions with wind turbines, the two researchers came up with a series of guiding principles to aid their design of a turbine that would harm. fewer birds.

“Most birds do not see too much fine detail in their vision - especially compared to humans,” says Martin, so any design shouldn’t be too complex. Many collisions occur in low light, so the design should be easy to decipher in the dark, while high internal contrast would help the turbine stand out against different backgrounds, such as a cloudy or sunny sky. In low levels of light, black-and-white patterns are best, says Martin. “In the dark, a red-and-white pattern would rapidly look like shades of grey,” he says. The design hasn’t yet been tested, but Martin hopes that manufacturers will consider it, particularly as it would be easy and cheap to implement.

1. What can we know about Martin and Banks?

A．They have a say in planning applications.

B．They improve the efficiency of wind turbines.

C．They seek to reduce negative influence on bird life.

D．They design colorful turbines to help birds see clear.

2. What’s the purpose of the second paragraph?

A．To state the seriousness of bird collisions.	B．To estimate the death rate of bird collisions.
C．To compare the different wind turbine designs.	D．To criticize the poor design of the wind turbines.

3. What does the underlined word “decipher” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A．Differ.

B．Recognize.

C．Clarify.

D．Impress.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．A severe seabird collision phenomenon.	B．A new study on seabirds vision.
C．A potential wind turbine application.	D．A novel wind turbine design.