1 . Françoise Malby-Anthony, a city girl, a Parisian through and through, could tell the quickest way to the Eiffel Tower but knew nothing about animals. Yet somewhere deep inside, she always felt she would end up in a foreign country.

It was her husband Lawrence Anthony, a South African, who brought out the wanderlust in her. They met in London in 1987, and a year later they moved to South Africa, where they were drawn by nature and eventually bought Thula Thula — a game reserve of river and 1,500 hectares of rolling hills. They were soon working to save an abundance of wild animals, especially elephants and rhinos, from the poachers and hunters who roamed for fun and profit. They also employed some locals, and taught them about office work, dealing with guests and cooking French dishes.

Last March, however, Lawrence died of a sudden heart attack. And there Francoise was, alone, burying her husband, and didn’t know where to begin.

She soon faced her first baptism (洗礼) by fire. A few days later, she received a call. Thabo, a three-year-old male rhino, had taken a bullet. It was the poachers. How could the poachers break into the fence in broad daylight? At that point, a rumor suggested it was an inside job. Maybe someone was trying to frighten her into leaving?

Lawrence was gone. A rhino in trouble and security men she couldn’t rely on. Since booking after booking had been canceled due to Lawrence’s passing away, Françoise finally had an empty bank account. But how could she leave the dream that Lawrence and she had fought so hard for?

Françoise slowly found her feet. Eventually Thabo recovered from the trauma. She set up meetings with the staff to go over reserve and animal issues and to agree on priorities. She even launched her own rhino fund. The desperate days have helped redefine the purpose of life without Lawrence, and she understands that the mission of protecting Thula Thula’s wildlife has become hers, and hers alone.

1. What do we know about Françoise?

A．She cooked local dishes specially for tourists.

B．She has lived in a foreign country for decades.

C．She met her husband on her trip to South Africa.

D．She has been crazy about animals since childhood.

2. What happened shortly after Lawrence’s death?

A．The reserve was in financial trouble.

B．Her security men quit their jobs.

C．A rumor that she would leave went viral.

D．One of the rhinos was illegally shot.

3. How has the experience of tackling tough situations affected Francoise?

A．She has gained the strength to live bravely.

B．Her reserve has begun to bring in money.

C．Her management skills have been shared by others.

D．She has become expert in attending injured animals.

4. What is the best title of the text?

A．Tips on Protecting Wild Animals

B．Rebirth from a Wounded Reserve

C．A Rhino Survived the Poachers Gunshot

D．Wonderful Journey Deep into South Africa

2 . Canada’s new Dark Vessel Detection program is using advanced satellite technology to find illegal fishing ships that attempt to steal fish from waters around the world. Illegal fishing is a major contributor to the decrease of fish and their habitat destruction.

It is said that illegal fishing accounts for about 30 percent of fishing activity worldwide. It means that u to 26 million tons of fish are caught at a cost to the global economy of more than $ 23 billion a year. Illegal fishing occurs both on the high seas and within the 200 mile limits of coastal states. It has an especially negative effect on coastal populations in undeveloped areas.

Now, the government’s Fisheries and Oceans Canada, in partnership with the Department of National Defense and MDA (Canada’s space technology maker), has started a new program that has already led to fines on five foreign ships. The $7 million Dark Vessel Detection program uses satellite technology to locate and track ships. Some illegal fishing ships have switched off their location transmitting (传输) equipment, in an attempt to avoid surveillance (监视) and control.

The program offers state-of- the-art satellite data to small island nations and coastal states around the world. The local economies of those places are often influenced by illegal fishing. Finding illegal fishing ships from space will allow these small island nations to focus on their investigations and protect their fish.

“Illegal fishing threatens the health of our fish population and takes resources (资源) away from hard- working, legal fishermen,” said Bernadette Jordan, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, “This state -of the art system will help Ecuador and small island nations in the Pacific region deal with illegal fishing. Such illegal activity will do great harm to the Galapagos Islands and the food and economic security of its people,” she added.

1. What is the purpose of Canada’s new Dark Vessel Detection program?

A．To prevent sea pollution.	B．To assess the loss of fish farms.
C．To observe endangered fish species.	D．To protect the fish population worldwide.

2. What does the data in Paragraph 2 show?

A．The difficulties of undeveloped countries.	B．The slowdown in the global economy.
C．The seriousness of illegal fishing.	D．The general result of overfishing.

3. How do some illegal fishermen get rid of surveillance?

A．By speeding up their ships.	B．By finding remote fishing areas.
C．By hiding signals of their ships.	D．By fishing in the middle of the night.

4. What can be inferred from Bernadette Jordan’s words?

A．Island nations tend to suffer food shortages.

B．The interests of legal fishermen are threatened.

C．The tracking system will be applied to more fields.

D．Stricter laws will be made for the fishing industry.

3 . New York’s Central Park has a statue dedicated to him, and there’s even been a movie about him: a sled dog named Balto. Now he is the focus of a DNA study, 90 years after he died, to see what made the dog so famously tough (坚韧).

In 1925, this Siberian husky was part of an expedition in Alaska called the serum run, the goal of which was to bring life-saving medicine to young people that were threatened by a deadly disease in the remote town of Nome, over 600 miles away. Balto led the long-distance stretch, and wound up getting most of the honor.

After Balto’s death in 1933, his remains were preserved and put on display at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

“Balto’s fame and the fact that he was taxidermized gave us this cool opportunity 100 years later to see what that population of sled dogs would have looked like genetically and to compare him to modern dogs,” said Katherine Moon, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California.

Her team took skin samples from the dog’s belly and reconstructed its genome — the complete set of genes in an organism. They compared this genetic material with that of 680 contemporary dogs from 135 breeds.

Contrary to a legend that thought that Balto was half wolf — as suggested in an animated Universal Pictures film that came out in 1995 — this analysis found no evidence he had wolf blood. It turned out Balto shared ancestors with modern day Siberian Huskies and the sled dogs of Alaska and Greenland.

Moon’s team also compared Balto’s genes with the genomes of 240 other species of mammals.

This allowed researchers to determine which DNA fragments (片段) were common across all those species and have not therefore changed over the course of millions of years of evolution. This stability suggests that these fragments of DNA are associated with important functions in the animal, and that mutations (基因突变) there could be dangerous.

The bottom line from the research was that Balto had fewer potentially dangerous mutations than modern breeds of dogs did, suggesting he was healthier.

1. Why did Moon and her team study the DNA of Balto?

A．Balto saved the lives of many people.	B．Balto achieved a long-distance transport.
C．Balto was a focus of the Central Park.	D．Balto was amazingly tougher than others.

2. What does the underlined word “stability” in Paragraph 8 probably mean?

A．Gene.

B．Evolution.

C．Toughness.

D．Changelessness.

3. What did the research into the gene of Balto suggest?

A．Balto had blood of wolves.	B．Balto had fewer harmful mutations.
C．Balto was a modern husky.	D．Balto was a special mammal species.

4. What is this passage mainly about?

A．A dog’s heroic act.	B．A great honor to a dog.
C．A DNA study of a tough dog.	D．A new research into DNA.

4 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

Hawthorn (山楂) trees or bushes are a familiar sight in the UK, where they are often found     1    (plant) along the edges of fields or used as garden boundaries. In May, they produce     2    (bunch) of white flowers, followed by fresh red berries.

    3     its name suggests, the plant has large thorns (刺),     4    (make)it possible for self-protection. Both the flowers and the berries can be used     5    (medical) and are a traditional remedy (疗法) for heart conditions.

The use of hawthorn as a herbal medicine to protect the heart can be traced back for centuries. Its use     6     modern times dates from an Irish physician, who used it to treat heart diseases. This doctor guarded his secret remedy closely, and it was not until after his death that his remedy was examined     7    (find) how it worked. And it turned out to be an active ingredient made from the bright red berries of hawthorn.

Hawthorn is now a popular heart remedy throughout Europe. It can help to protect the blood system that feeds the heart. Hawthorn can also contribute to mild chest pains     8    (relieve). Some specialists suggest it may also     9    (apply) to reduce the extra fat in the blood system.

Hawthorn is regarded as one of the     10    (safe) herbal medicines and although side-effects such as sweating and tiredness have been reported, they are extremely rare.

5 . 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.

6 . HOW PETS BOOST YOUR HEALTH

Your furry friend may be a wellness support you didn’t know you had! Here are four benefits you get from caring for a critter.

Lower stress levels

    1    , you know the kind of stress relief we’re talking about. In fact, a 2019 study found that it took just 10 minutes of petting a cat or dog to lower people’s levels of the stress hormone cortisol.” Touch is a very important feature of human-animal interaction,“ says Patricia Pendry, Ph.D., an associate professor of human development at Washington State University and the lead author of the stud

Higher self-esteem

This may be surprising but pet owners report having more self-esteem than people without pets    2     . “Providing a safe environment and responding to this animal’s needs — those are ways in which you’re giving loving support,” says Pendry. “You matter because you’re responsible for that animal’ well-being.”

    3    

Pendry says pets are often referred to as “social lubricants” because of the way they can help people make friends. Just think about how hard it is not to say hi when you see someone walking down the street with a super cute puppy.     4    . Pets have also been a saving grace for some people who have been isolated during the pandemic.

Maybe even a healthy heart!

Research shows that people who own pets have better cholesterol (胆固醇) levels, reduced risk of high blood pressure and lower rates of heart disease than those who don’t. However, it’s hard to say whether that’s due to the animals themselves, notes Pendry. But researchers aim to do studies to look into this,   she says, “because we want to really understand if there is a pet effect.” While we wait for results, give your cute ball of fluff a cuddle and a treat.    5    .

A．More social support

B．Better companion in pandemic

C．If you’ve ever curled up with a pet at the end of a tough day

D．Be glad that while you’re protecting their health, they’re returning the favor

E．You may find a pet person often surrounded with people of the same interest

F．Or about how you bonded with a coworker after finding out you both had cats

G．This likely comes from the sense of accomplishment a pet owner feels as a caregiver

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。

Maria and Peter lived in a coastal city. The greatest pleasure in summer for them was to swim at their local beach after school. But one day they started to lose their enthusiasm for swimming in the waters. More often than not, they would find plastic bags thrown on the beach. Worse sill, as they swam in the water, some plastic bags would float around them and even stick to their legs when they walked to the shore.

They were upset and decided something needed to be done to stop the beautiful sea becoming consumed by waste.One weekend,Maria and Peter brought a big bag to the beach and determined to clean it up. Sweat streamed down from their forehead while they bent down and picked up the plastic bags. To their disappointment, after a day’s hard work, there were still many plastic bags lying on the beach or floating in the water. Going home with aching legs and arms, Maria and Peter were almost defeated by a strong sense of failure.

That night over dinner with their parents, the pair ate silently. Noticing their low spirits, Mother asked gently, “You two looked so down. What happened?”Exchanging glances with Peter, Maria replied in a low voice,“It’s those annoying plastic bags. We tried to clean up but it was just impossible.”Understanding the pair’s disappointment, their father patted them on the back and comforted,”Well, it’s really hard for just two of you to fix such a big problem.”“Just two of us.”complained Maria and Peter, looking at each other.Suddenly, an idea lashed through their minds, their eyes shining with excitement.“Yes,that’s the point! We should make more people aware of the problem and encourage them to take action!” the pair said in chorus.

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。

Quickly finishing their dinner, the pair went upstairs and started planning.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Excited and nervous, they posted the video and article on WeChat.

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8 . KUNMING, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) — Over 100 migratory black-necked cranes (鹤), a species under first-class state protection in China, were recently spotted in Dashanbao National Nature Reserve for Black-necked Cranes in Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province in the southwest of China, marking the arrival of their wintering period.

As of 7 p.m. Tuesday, more than 100 black-necked cranes, along with over ten other migratory bird species, had arrived at the Yunnan Dashanbao National Nature Reserve for Black-necked Cranes, said the reserve’s administration bureau.

Compared with the number recorded last year, this year has seen an earlier arrival of the rare cranes and an increase in the number of the first batch of wintering black-necked cranes, according to the bureau.

The reserve, located in Zhaoyang District of Zhaotong City, is the most significant wintering habitat and transfer station for migratory black-necked cranes on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau.

Over recent years, the reserve has made a determined effort to take conservation measures, such as wetland protection and restoration and construction of food source bases, in order to steadily improve its ecological environment for migratory birds.

During the past three years, an average of over 1,500 black-necked cranes were spotted arriving at the reserve for wintering, while the numbers of other migratory birds were also on the rise thanks to these local conservation efforts.

1. What can we know from the text?

A．The black-necked cranes stay in Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau over years.

B．Over 1,500 black-necked cranes earlier arrived at Dashanbao this winter.

C．The Reserve is a good place for black-necked Cranes and other migratory bird species.

D．The reserve warmly welcomes bird species to improve its ecological environment.

2. What causes the black-necked cranes to choose the reserve as their habitat for winter ?

A．The winter.	B．The beauty of nature.
C．The local conservation efforts.	D．Other migratory bird species.

3. Where is this passage probably from?

A．A newspaper.	B．A tourist brochure.
C．A magazine.	D．A textbook.

4. Which is the proper title for this passage?

A．Dashanbao National Nature Reserve for black-necked Cranes.

B．Welcome lack-necked cranes to Yuannan for Winter.

C．The local measures to protect migratory bird species.

D．Over 100 black-necked cranes wintering in southwest China.

9 . Seagrass meadows(海草床) are wonder plants growing beneath the sea. They feed and shelter sea life and are masterful at storing carbon. Thanks to the assistance of tiger sharks, a huge seagrass meadow in the Bahamas Banks was recently discovered, offering the world a tool to fight climate change.

Seagrass has usually been detected by Earth-orbiting satellites that identify darker patches in the blue water. In this study, tiger sharks were selected as research tools due to their highly consistent associations with seagrass ecosystems. They spend 70% of their time in seagrass meadows. The team equipped eight tiger sharks with satellite tags (电子跟踪器), seven sharks with camera tags, and used a 360-degree camera on a shark for the first time ever.

The data researchers collected was astonishing. The world’s largest seagrass ecosystem, measuring at least 66,900 square kilometers, has been discovered. This reflects a 41% increase from previous estimates of global seagrass. Seagrass can capture (捕获) huge quantities of carbon by photosynthesis (光合作用) and stores it on the seafloor. In terms of climate change, this is excellent news; seagrass is 35 times faster a removing carbon than tropical rainforests. When referred to global seagrass carbon stock estimates, the study indicates that seagrass in the Bahamas may contain 19.2% to 26.3% of all the carbon stored in seagrass meadows on Earth.

Yet seagrass meadows are rapidly disappearing, with over 92% of meadows in the UK gone, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Scientists are collecting seeds and trying to grow new seagrass meadows through restoration projects. This new discovery offers optimism and proves the importance of the ocean for healing.

The sharks led us to the seagrass ecosystem in the Bahamas, which we now know is likely the most significant blue carbon sink(蓝色碳汇) on the planet. What this discovery shows us is that ocean exploration and research are essential for a healthy future. The untapped potential of the ocean is limitless. These meadows can be protected and can be replicated (复制,仿制), offering hope for climate change around the globe.

1. Why were tiger sharks chosen as research tools?

A．They are more flexible than other sea animals.

B．They can quickly adjust themselves to the deep sea.

C．They have a strong connection with seagrass ecosystems.

D．They can be easily equipped with experimental devices.

2. What are the numbers in paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．The decline of global seagrass meadows.

B．The impact of climate change on sea life.

C．The rapid increase in the amount of carbon on Earth.

D．The potential value of the world’s largest seagrass ecosystem.

3. What are scientists doing to protect seagrass?

A．Planting more seagrass meadows.

B．Developing new technology to collect seeds.

C．Mapping the distribution of seagrass meadows.

D．Encouraging people to join in restoration projects.

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

A．The New Way of Removing Carbon

B．The Significance of Ocean Exploration

C．A New Discovery: World’s Largest Seagrass Meadow

D．Tiger Sharks: Scientists’ Essential Helper to Study Climate

10 . Growing flowers is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance.     1     All you really need to grow your own flowers is a potato, a plastic bottle, a rose, and plenty of fertilized soil. You might wonder what the potato and the plastic bottle are for. Even though this unusual combination might be strange to you, it really works incredibly well.

    2    The second step is to remove all leaves and thorns from it and give it a diagonal(斜的) cut around 3 centimeters below the head of the rose. It is important that the rose stays in shape so be careful when preparing the rose. You can then place it in a vase and store it like that for a few days.

The third step is to drill a small hole in a potato.     3     So when the rose is put in, it is tightly secured and does not move around. After you are done with the potato, you have to place plenty of fertilized soil on the bottom of a pot or a similar container.     4     Then you have to place them carefully on the soil. Once you find the right position, you have to fill up your pot with the remaining soil. The potato should be located around 5 centimeters below the surface of the soil. .

The final step is to cut out the bottom of the plastic bottle and then place it around the rose.     5    

A．It should be just the size of the rose.

B．You really don’t need to be a gardening professional.

C．First of all, you need to choose a rose you really like.

D．There is a simple trick that can be used to help roses grow.

E．Once you, have prepared the soil, place the rose in the potato.

F．Flowers are expensive, so why not grow them in your own garden?

G．Now all you need to do is water the soil occasionally and have some patience.