1 . The giant African land snail (GALS) has returned to Florida for a third time. On June 23, 2022, Florida officials reported that the snails had been found in the New Port Richey area of Pasco County.
To stop the snails from spreading to other areas, officials have asked Pasco County residents not to move any soil or yard waste and to call a special hotline for any sightings. Specially-trained dogs have also been brought in to sniff out the snails. The areas where the snails have been found will be treated with a special pesticide for 18 months. Florida officials also intend to monitor the sites for two years after the last snail has been found.
Giant African land snails are one of the most destructive snails in the world. The fist-sized snails are native to East Africa. They consume over 500 plant and tree species. While they prefer to eat fruit and vegetables like beans, cucumbers and melons, the animals are not fussy (挑剔). They will eat ornamental plants, tree bark and even paint on houses! The animals also pose a serious health risk to humans by carrying the parasite (寄生). They multiply rapidly, producing about 1,200 eggs in a single year. This makes it challenging to control their population.
Greg Hodges, the assistant director of the state's division of plant industry, says the latest GALSs differ from' the ones previously found. They have light cream-colored bodies. “The populations that we coped with before had dark gray to brown bodies,” he explains. “This kind of cream-colored snails is very common in the pet trade in Europe.”
The officials are not sure how the snails got here this time. But Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried says, “Because agriculture is such a prominent part of our economics in the state, it is so imperative that we get in front of these things. Let me assure you: we will get rid of these snails. It is not a question of if; it’s just when.”
1. What have people in Pasco County been expected to do when they spot the GALSs?，| A．Clean up soil and waste. | B．Call the hotline to report. |
| C．Use dogs to sniff out the snails. | D．Spray pesticides to kill the snails. |
| A．They grow naturally in Florida. | B．They rely on a single food source. |
| C．They do not cause harm to humans. | D．They have strong reproductive abilities. |
| A．Confident. | B．Doubtful. | C．Uncaring. | D．Worried. |
| A．Florida’s Battle against The GALS Continues |
| B．Various Measures to Get Rid of The GALS |
| C．The Most Destructive Snail in the World |
| D．Great Threat to Florida’s Agriculture |
2 . As much as it’s a time for growing and learning, childhood is also a time for joy. But the joys of playtime aren’t just reserved for human kids—animal offspring are just as likely to get into the act as well, and some of their activities are similar to our own.
Scientists believe that for certain animal species, some fun is play for the sake of play, but like humans, other forms of entertainment are preparing youngsters for adulthood. Play is essential to development because it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and youth. This holds true in the animal kingdom as well.“Horses are known to engage in play almost as soon as they are born. Once they can walk, they immediately start to gallop, frolic and buck, developing the motor skills they may need when they’re mature,” notes BBC Earth.
But along with motor skills, play also teaches animals essential hunting and survival skills. Natural-born predators, such as kestrels, use play to develop their hunting skills by practicing with targets that look like real prey when they’re young. In the oceans, dolphins chase underwater air rings to fine-tune their sonar (声呐) skills. And while it’s unclear why bear cubs are so playful, zoologists believe at least some of their funny behaviors have a more serious purpose that aids in their survival as adults.
One of the most important teaching aspects of play is socialization. These days, for human kids, that usually means the basics like learning to share, teamwork, and knowing boundaries. For animals, especially those that live in packs, play gives an understanding of where each animal fits into the community hierarchy (等级). In ways that are remarkably similar to the training which children of traditional tribal cultures receive, it is through the rules of play that lion cubs, kangaroo joeys, and wolf pups discover and establish the roles they’ll be expected to perform as adults.
So whether it’s chasing in the pasture or hanging from a tree, it seems that play will always be an inner and fun part of both human and animal development.
1. What does BBC Earth say about horses?| A．Horses often play in different groups. |
| B．Newborn horses like to play with their parents. |
| C．Horses can gain some skills while playing. |
| D．Play is vital for baby horses’ social development. |
| A．Dolphins leap out of water. | B．Young kestrels follow their real prey. |
| C．Bear cubs play in a funny way. | D．Wolf pups stay with their human friends. |
| A．They have a strong desire to make friends. |
| B．They get socialized in a similar way. |
| C．They change their social roles through play. |
| D．They gain their social ranks through competition. |
| A．What Are the Benefits of Play? | B．Why Do Animals Play? |
| C．How Do Animals Develop Skills? | D．Why Are Humans and Animals So Similar? |
3 . The evolution of butterflies continues very fast. Species with larger wingspans(翼幅) have expanded their range in high-latitude parts of North America as the climate has warmed, while smaller butterflies and those adapted to cold conditions have tended to decline.
Vaughn Shirey at Georgetown University in Washington DC and his colleagues built a computational model to analyse the presence of 90 butterfly species above 45 north in North America from 1970 to 2019.
The team analysed how shifting monthly minimum temperatures over the past 50 years may have affected the ranges of butterflies.
The monthly minimum temperatures increased by 0. 86℃(1. 5°F), on average, across the study region from the 1970s to the 2010s. As temperatures rose, butterfly species with larger wingspans were more likely to spread out into a greater proportion of the study region. But for smaller butterflies, rising temperatures were linked with a a smaller number in the area over which they were found.
“It seems logical to assume that, if species with larger wingspans have the capacity to better travel to new suitable habitats, it gives those species an advantage in a changing climate,” says Yoan Fourcade at the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences in Paris.
Butterflies adapted to warmer temperatures also seemed to have dispersed(分散) more across the study region than those adapted to colder climates.
Climate change has been linked with a fall in some butterfly species, including the monarch （Danaus plexippus）in North America. But some appear to be adapting: a 2022 study found that British butterflies are steadily getting bigger in response to rising temperatures.
1. What is the focus of the article?| A．The impact of climate change on butterflies. | B．The migration patterns of butterflies. |
| C．The size of butterfly wingspans. | D．The smaller number of butterflies. |
| A．Temperatures have little effect on smaller butterflies. |
| B．Smaller butterflies have increased in number. |
| C．Smaller butterflies have reduced in number. |
| D．Smaller butterflies have migrated to colder climates. |
| A．They are better able to travel to new suitable habitats. |
| B．They are better adapted to colder climates. |
| C．They are more resistant to climate change. |
| D．They are more likely to disperse across. |
| A．They are migrating to warmer climates. | B．They are becoming smaller in size. |
| C．They are reducing in number. | D．They are getting bigger. |
4 . A Spanish project is attempting to 3D print coral reefs (珊瑚礁) to provide habitat for fish and protection for beaches and coastal communities at risk from rising seas and other damage.
Coral reefs are massively decreasing globally, and some scientists say we could lose 70-90% of our reefs due to warming ocean waters. That has all kinds of serious consequences because a quarter of the world’s fish live in and around reefs, reefs are critically important protectors of beach communities threatened by high waves and tides, and they support a massive amount of biodiversity. That led marine biologist Lizzie Fane and her co-founder Alfred Martel, a computer scientist, to start Coastruction, a non-profit organization.
“Even if you start on a small scale (规模) ... a square kilometer already, it could have a great impact,” Martel says. “It could really protect a coast, a beach, or an area where there is a community living and they need protection because the sea is rising.”
Being able to 3D print is important, because you match individual sites. Every location is different with different coral species. “It’s like everybody has a different house,” Fane says. “You can take into account habitat requirements of not just the coral but also the fish that live nearby.”
Their current technology can print various shapes. The result can be an amazingly natural-looking man-made rock with plenty of corners for both coral and other fish to attach themselves and make homes.
The Coastruction founders don’t think they can possibly meet the global demand, so their goal is to provide the tools — like the 3D printer — for local people and design the technology to use cheap and locally-available materials to create the artificial coral reefs. No high temperatures or chemical additives are required, and any loose powder or sand material not used in one print will be used in the next. The 3D printer works on-site, so there’s no transport of finished blocks required.
1. What does the underlined word “That” in paragraph 2 refer to?| A．The biodiversity of coral reefs. |
| B．The reduction in coral species. |
| C．The protection coral reefs provide. |
| D．The loss of global coral reefs. |
| A．3D-printed reefs can hardly save oceans. |
| B．Small actions can make a lot of difference. |
| C．Small-scale production of reefs is a drop in the ocean. |
| D．3D-printed reefs fail to provide perfect fish habitat. |
| A．It can just print regular-shaped reefs. |
| B．It can use any material to produce reefs. |
| C．It can create life-like reefs. |
| D．It can meet the global demand for reefs. |
| A．Adapting their technology to local conditions. |
| B．Putting their reefs into mass production. |
| C．Transporting finished reefs to where they are needed. |
| D．Adding chemicals to reefs to make them colorful. |
5 . Levon Biss was looking at insects from his garden through a microscope he bought for his son. For fun, they unintentionally placed an insect under the lens (镜片). “It is amazingly beautiful!” they both screamed.
The father had been making a career taking photographs for advertisements. But that experience gave him a new direction. Around the world, insect populations are in decline because of habitat loss and climate change. Biss thought that if people could see what he saw through his son’s microscope, they would care more about protecting insects.
So Biss turned to macrophotography: taking close-up pictures of small things, like flowers or bugs. His work has attracted attention not just for its unusual beauty. It also raises awareness about the need for conservation.
In 2016, Biss showed his first insect project, Microsculpture. The term refers to the features of an insect’s exoskeleton, or outer shell, which develops over time as the bug adapts to its environment.
Biss’s pictures capture the insects in all their microscopic details. Then he blows up the images until the insects become larger than life, some of them eight feet tall. But each image takes weeks to make. He uses a digital camera with a microscope lens. The camera is fixed on a computerized track, which allows Biss to take a shot, then move the camera by seven microns (微米) — a distance equals to about 1/10 the thickness of a human hair — for the next shot. In the end, Biss might take 10,000 shots of a bug. A computer combines these small pictures into a single image.
Biss’s latest exhibition is Extinct and Endangered at the American Museum of Natural History. He selected bugs that were extinct or endangered, hoping his photographs would serve as a better purpose. “I communicate visually,” he says, “The way I work is through pictures. But I think it’s my duty to shake things up and get people to pay attention.”
1. What made Levon Biss turn to macrophotography?| A．Beautiful insects. | B．Attractive environment. |
| C．An expensive microscope. | D．An accidental observation. |
| A．By taking a shot at them twice. |
| B．By adjusting the camera on a track. |
| C．By taking close-up pictures countless times. |
| D．By putting them in order on a computer. |
| A．Get rid of the prejudice. |
| B．Take action to save wildlife. |
| C．Spare no efforts to face difficulties. |
| D．Make people think about nature differently. |
| A．Patient and responsible. | B．Wealthy and ambitious. |
| C．Polite and strong-willed. | D．Curious and easy-going. |
6 . Three cute brown bear cubs who got lost after getting separated from their mother gripped the hearts of netizens.
The fuzzy cubs were spotted by Gelek Gyatso, an ecological protection officer, when he was patrolling a riverbed at an altitude of nearly 4, 500 meters in Qumarleb county in Qinghai province’s Yushu.
The little cubs eagerly ran toward the ranger on the snow-covered riverbed, then stopped short at a safe distance to stare at him curiously. After realizing that the man was not their mother, the bear cubs turned around and ran along the river calling for mom.
This was Gelek Gyatso’s first encounter with bear cubs separated from their mother. With his knowledge of wild animals, he drove the cubs towards an area near their cave in the hope of a safe reunion. Thankfully, later that day, other patrol officers found that the mother bear had reunited with her cubs and that the family was happy and healthy.
This year marks Gelek Gyatso’s tenth year as an ecological protection officer. He patrols the area every day, diligently records the animals he sees, carefully checks on the vegetation, and helps clean up litter.
Over the decade, Gelek Gyatso has witnessed great changes in the ecological environment of his hometown. There has been an increase in the number of wild animals, and everyone is participating in the protection of these species, making coexistence between humans and animals more harmonious.
He also reminds people that if they encounter wild animals in the wild, they should keep their distance, not disturbing or feeding them, and that if they find an animal that needs to be rescued, they should call the fire or forest department in time.
1. What happened to the three bear cubs?| A．Losing track of the mother bear. |
| B．Following Gelek with curiosity. |
| C．Mistaking a man for their mother. |
| D．Being trapped in the cold riverbed. |
| A．Ambitious. | B．Romantic. | C．Devoted. | D．Innovative. |
| A．Changing their living surroundings. |
| B．Feeding and sheltering wild animals. |
| C．Getting involved in saving endangered species. |
| D．Seeking professional help to rescue those in need. |
| A．A project of wildlife conservation |
| B．A journey of friendship connection |
| C．A knowledgeable ecological officer |
| D．An encounter leading to a safe reunion |
7 . Have you ever imagined what will happen in the ocean when an earthquake happens underground? If you’ve ever felt a big earthquake or seen one on television, you know that it has the power to shake the ground and move large buildings. When a great earthquake happens under the ocean floor, the earthquake’s large energy is transferred (转移) to the water above it, creating a series of water waves called a tsunami (海啸). The word comes from the Japanese words tsu (harbor) and nami (wave).
Normal ocean waves have an average wavelength (波长) of about 100 meters and an average height of about 2 meters, while a tsunami can have a wavelength of 193 kilometers or more. Travelling at up to about 800 kilometers per hour in the deep ocean, a tsunami might be at a height of as little as 0.9 meters, which makes it almost impossible to be noticed, even for a ship in the area.
As a tsunami approaches (靠近) a coastline, things begin to change greatly. As it approaches shallow (浅的) waters, the wave speed drops below about 80 kilometers per hour. The wavelength also decreases much, but amplitude—the height of the wave—increases greatly, leading to the huge wall of water along coastlines, which causes great damage to coastal areas.
About 80% of tsunamis happen in the Pacific Ocean. Tsunamis cannot be prevented, but areas that experience tsunamis regularly have developed tsunami warning systems to give as much advance warning as possible to people who live along the coastline. For example, there are tsunami warning signs and warning sirens (警报器) on the top of nearby hills along Japanese coastlines. And many Japanese coastal communities have built tsunami walls, floodgates and others to stop or change the direction of water from incoming tsunamis.
1. According to the passage, tsunamis are hard to find mainly because of ________.| A．their low sound | B．their low height |
| C．their fast speed | D．their short wavelength |
| A．Changes. | B．Develops. | C．Reduces. | D．Produces. |
| A．how to study tsunamis |
| B．where tsunamis always happen |
| C．what tsunami warning systems include |
| D．how to reduce damages caused by tsunamis |
| A．The word “tsunami” comes from Japanese. |
| B．An earthquake is sure to cause a tsunami. |
| C．About 80 percent of tsunamis happen in Japan. |
| D．Tsunamis can be stopped by warning systems. |
8 . When the European Commission’s LIFE program first brought together more than 20 organizations in 2002 to rescue the lynx ( 山 猫), the species had all but disappeared. Widespread hunting and a virus had wiped out ( 彻底消灭) most of the Iberian Peninsula’s European rabbits, the lynx’s main prey (猎物).
Lynx breed in captivity ( 圈 养) easily, however. Near one main release location, Iberian lynx have even learned to live in neighborhoods, in olive groves (橄榄树丛), and around highways.
“Thanks to the work carried out over the last 20 years, the number of lynx has increased greatly,” says Francisco Javier Salcedo Ortiz, regional coordinator of the Iberian lynx recovery plan.
But the cat’s not out of danger just yet. Its thousand-square-mile territory is a collection of five — soon to be seven — isolated ( 孤 立 的) groups. For Iberian lynx to fully recover, they must be able to travel from one group to another, ensuring the species’s long-term health by diversifying gene pools. That’s why the next stage of the LIFE project will focus on creating at least 10 6-square-mile areas of rabbit-rich habitat, which act as passageways among the existing lynx groups. Scientists selected these habitats based on predictions of where lynx are most likely to travel. For instance, lynx prefer to take the shortest paths through undeveloped habitats, and avoid broken-up areas of farmland.
The cat is popular, even among farmers and landowners, but a few view lynx as pests and occasionally will poison them for supposedly harming domestic animals. Illegal killings make up nearly 25 percent of annual lynx deaths on the peninsula, the second highest cause of non-natural death, after vehicle strikes. That’s why education is the “best tool to improve the lynx population,” says Maribel García Tardío, lead technician for Andalusia’s Iberian lynx recovery plan. She and her colleagues regularly meet with landowners and hunters, explaining how lynx rarely kill larger domestic animals.
The Iberian lynx is one of 33 small-cat species, many of which are endangered or threatened. These animals have long been eclipsed by their bigger cousins such as lions and tigers, but lately people have begun to recognize the world’s little-known cats.
1. Which of the following words can best describe the Iberian lynx according to paragraph 2?| A．Active. | B．Adaptable. |
| C．Funny. | D．Dangerous. |
| A．To free existing lynx from hunger. |
| B．To set up a gene pool of existing lynx. |
| C．To turn some farmland into lynx habitat. |
| D．To help existing lynx connect with each other. |
| A．She educates landowners and hunters regularly. |
| B．She works to reduce vehicle strikes in lynx habitats. |
| C．She suggests separating lynx from large domestic animals. |
| D．She clears up the misunderstanding between landowners and hunters. |
| A．Confused with. | B．Protected from. |
| C．Keeping step with. | D．Living in the shadow of. |
9 . Four Multicultural Cities
New York City
It is probably not all that surprising to find out that the Big Apple is one of the most global cities in the world. It has the largest population of immigrants on the planet. Over 35% of its residents are born outside the USA. You can hear over 800 languages in New York City being spoken on a daily basis. Which is the most multicultural district in the city? Queens is the largest and also the most multiracial urban area in the world!
London
London may come in second place behind New York City for the percentage of the immigrant population. But it is easily the most international city in all of Europe. Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, and Indians are a few of the larger immigrant groups and a walk around the city will uncover that they have definitely brought their cultures with them. People from around the world are drawn to London and over 30% of its residents are born outside the UK.
Singapore
This city-state is not just the main financial center of Southeast Asia, but also one of the most multicultural places on the planet. Singapore has four official languages: Mandarin Chinese, English, Malay, and Tamil. It is also a center for international residents and their cultures. So, you are sure to meet large communities of permanent residents who are foreign-born.
Sydney
Following World War Ⅱ, Sydney saw a huge inflow of immigrants. This trend has continued into the present day, making Sydney one of the most multicultural cities in the world. Although English is the official language spoken in Sydney, this city is home to more than 250 languages. Immigrants from places such as Vietnam, India, and South America have made this city their home and brought their cultures with them. You will be spoilt for choice when it comes to Sydney’s cultural variety!
1. Where can you find the largest multiracial district?| A．In Singapore. | B．In Sydney. | C．In New York City. | D．In London. |
| A．They are suitable for minorities to earn a living. |
| B．They make it their mission to attract immigrants. |
| C．They both have over 30% foreign-born populations. |
| D．They both have different races and cultures mixed together. |
| A．World War Ⅱ. | B．Immigration. | C．Economy. | D．Education. |
10 . Have you ever heard of and seen Canadian geese? Do you know that they
Canadian geese have a good
Yesterday I witnessed two Canadian Geese arguing
Would they start quarreling again? I stood still,
They got along harmoniously again. Sometimes it’s not that bad to be
| A．draw on | B．focus on | C．feed on | D．try on |
| A．desire | B．reputation | C．affection | D．appetite |
| A．generous | B．faithful | C．weird | D．rude |
| A．well-informed | B．well-dressed | C．well-behaved | D．well-balanced |
| A．fiercely | B．blindly | C．cautiously | D．gently |
| A．deserted | B．located | C．fixed | D．laid |
| A．frequent | B．rare | C．common | D．constant |
| A．restricting | B．changing | C．pausing | D．speeding |
| A．desperate | B．simple | C．serious | D．disharmonious |
| A．frightened | B．annoyed | C．crashed | D．injured |
| A．finding out | B．dealing with | C．looking into | D．wondering about |
| A．passion | B．reason | C．talent | D．anxiety |
| A．scene | B．destination | C．landscape | D．park |
| A．looker-on | B．passer-by | C．truck | D．clump |
| A．upset | B．forgetful | C．mean | D．greedy |
