1 . Cold weather not only threatens the life of human beings but also the survival of wild animals. In Houston, it has claimed some unusual animal victims-bats.

Mary Warwick is the wildlife director at the Houston Humane Society. She was doing shopping when the freezing winds reminded her that she had not heard how the area’s bats were going. So she drove to the bridge where over 100 bats looked to be dead as they lay frozen on the ground. But during her 40-minute drive home, they began to come back to life. The bats made sounds and moved around in a box she had placed on her heated passenger seat for warmth. She returned to the bridge twice a day to collect more.

Two days later, she got a call about more than 900 bats rescued from a bridge in nearby Pearland, Texas. On the third and fourth days, more people showed up to rescue bats from the Waugh Bridge, and a special transportation effort was set up to get the bats to Warwick, which touched her a great deal. Each of the bats was warmed in an incubator (恒温箱) until their body temperature rose.

However, there were too many bats for one person to care for. The society’s current buildings did not have the necessary space, so Warwick and others put the bats in her attic (阁楼). The bats were separated by group in containers usually used for dogs. There, they were able to reach a state of hibernation (冬眠). Over 100 bats died because of the cold and the fall from the bridge but the others are being or have been released.

The society is now raising money to build a special room for bats at the society. The society’s entire animal rescue team will be vaccinated (接种疫苗) and trained in rescuing bats as they prepare to move into a larger building with the special bat room. “That would really help in these situations where we continue to see strange weather come through,” she said. “We could really use more space to rescue the bats.”

1. Why did Mary War wick drive to the bridge?

A．To get rid of the dead bats.	B．To check what happened to the bats.
C．To reach home a little earlier.	D．To monitor the surviving bats.

2. Which of the following moved Mary Warwick deeply?

A．More people were willing to donate.

B．More people showed concern about her.

C．More people came up with good ideas.

D．More people joined her rescue.

3. What trouble did Mary Warwick have in saving the bats?

A．There was not enough space to warm the bats.

B．An increasing number of bats died from the cold.

C．It was difficult for her to get bats into hibernation.

D．The bats’ body temperature didn’t rise as expected.

4. What is Mary Warwick’s attitude towards the human e society’s efforts?

A．Critical.

B．Grateful.

C．Positive.

D．Doubtful.

2 . 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。

In early 2022, the Ministry of Water Resources in China planned to invest 800 billion yuan building water management projects during the year. But the country     1     (see) the funds reach 823 billion yuan by the end of September.

Last year, the large-scale development played a significant role in ensuring stable home fund     2     promoting employment. Over 2. 5 million workers     3     (employ) in the development, including almost 2.1 million people from rural China. People also noted the     4     (remark) growth in funds it raised for water management projects. Almost 1. 16 trillion yuan was collected across the country last year, 44 percent more than 2021. Over 203.6 billion yuan was raised     5     government bonds, roughly 1.5 times that of the previous year. Over 37.9 billion yuan was invested     6     (expand) and renovate (翻新) 529 medium and large-scale irrigated areas in 2022. Thanks to the     7     (invest), over 10,000 kilometers of irrigation channels were built or renovated.

During the rare drought in the Yangtze River Basin last year, the complete systems in many of those irrigated areas functioned     8     (efficient) in reducing the impacts of the drought and reducing losses. Such irrigated areas guaranteed water supply to 11.3 million hectares of farmland in     9     (strike) regions. Despite the drought, the basin saw     10     good harvest of grain.

3 . Spiders are master builders, expertly turning silk into complex 3D webs that serve as their home and hunting ground. To gain a deeper understanding of their world, scientists have translated the structure of a spider’s web into music.

“The spider lives in an environment of vibrating (振动的) strings,” says Markus Buehler, the project’s principal investigator. “They don’t see very well, so they perceive their surroundings by detecting vibrations, which have different frequencies.” Such vibrations occur, for example, when the spider stretches a strand of silk during construction or when the wind or a trapped fly moves the web.

The researchers scanned a natural spider web to capture 2D cross-sections and reconstructed its 3D network using a mathematical model. They assigned different frequencies of sound to strands of the web, creating musical “notes” that they combined in patterns based on the web’s 3D structure to generate music. Then they made a harp-like (像竖琴的) virtual instrument and played the spider web music in several live performances around the world, creating an inspiring harmony of art and science.

To gain insights into how spiders build webs, the researchers also scanned a web during construction, transforming each stage into music with different sounds. “The spider’s way of ‘printing’ the web is remarkable because no support material is used, as is often needed in current 3D printing methods,” Buehler says. This knowledge could help develop new 3D printers that work like spiders, enabling them to construct complex structures without using additional materials for support.

The team is also interested in learning how to communicate with spiders in their own language. They recorded web vibrations produced when spiders performed different activities, such as building a web, communicating with other spiders or sending signals to admirers. “Now we’re trying to generate signals to basically speak the language of the spider,” Buehler says. “If we expose them to certain patterns of vibrations, can we affect what they do or can we begin to communicate with them? Those are really thrilling ideas, and I believe they could be achieved in the near future.”

1. What do we know about spiders?

A．They have good eyesight.

B．They adapt to surroundings quickly.

C．They spin a web similar to a musical structure.

D．They sense the environment through vibrations.

2. What is paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．Steps to create spider web music.

B．Ways to recreate a web’s 3D network.

C．Challenges of combining music with science.

D．The potential applications of 3D printing methods.

3. What do the underlined words “This knowledge” in paragraph 4 refer to?

A．3D printers can construct complex structures.

B．Spiders’ vibration patterns vary with activities.

C．Spiders build webs without using additional materials.

D．The web-building process can be translated into music.

4. What is Buehler’ attitude towards communicating with spiders?

A．Hopeful.

B．Doubtful.

C．Uncertain.

D．Disapproving.

4 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. How is the weather this morning?

A．Windy.

B．Snowy.

C．Rainy.

2. Where is the speaker right now?

A．At the top of Mount Raven.

B．In the newsroom.

C．On a ski slope.

3. What is the lowest temperature tomorrow?

A．-7℃.

B．-12℃.

C．-20℃.

4. What does the speaker suggest skiers do tomorrow?

A．Stay indoors.

B．Dress warmly.

C．Watch sports news.

5 . For many Generation Z students who are thinking about their future careers, the answer is clear: disposing of the climate crisis. Multiple surveys have found that enormous numbers of students and professionals under 25 are pursuing environmental-related degrees and careers.

This shift in career aspirations (抱负) among the world’s youngest workers is a reflection of the heightened sense of climate awareness among Generation Z and even Generation Alpha — the generation of children born between 2011 and 2025. A 2021 Pew Research survey found that among Generation Z individuals, 76 percent of them cited climate change as one of their biggest social concerns, and 32 percent participated in at least one major environmental action last year.

Seeing the demand for climate action and training among students, universities are matching their interests with initiatives like the university of Southern California’s Sustainability Across the Curriculum programme. The programme aims to teach students from all disciplines how their majors intersect (与……相关联) with sustainability and the environment.

Christopher Schlottmann, the global curriculum coordinator (课程协调员) at New York University’s Environmental Studies programme explains to The Guardian that the long-standing opinion that environmental careers don’t pay well is also changing. “There’s a general belief that if you do good for the world, nobody’s going to pay you to do it. I don’t think that’s that accurate,” he says. “If you understand how climate change works, then a bank should actually really want to talk to you because they want to reduce their risk.”

The United States Bureau of Labour Statistics predicts that job opportunities for environmental scientists and “related specialists” will grow by eight percent over the next decade. This change is expected to be pushed along by the establishment of the proposed Civilian Climate Corps, a programme which would help young people fight the climate crisis and conserve public lands with training and job placement.

Climate change is a tough challenge, but climate awareness and determination grow with each generation and this progress demonstrates that the youngest citizens are staking (拿……当赌注) their future on a healthier planet.

1. Which word has similar meaning with the underlined phrase “disposing of” in Paragraph 1?

A．Delivering.	B．Applying.
C．Handling.	D．Promoting.

2. What does the second paragraph mainly tell us?

A．Generation Alpha is smarter than Generation Z.

B．Generation Alpha is the most concerned about environmental issues.

C．Young generation has grown to choose environmental-related careers.

D．The climate crisis won’t be settled unless people take effective action.

3. What do Schlottmann’s words mean in Paragraph 4?

A．Generation Z won’t change environment at all.

B．Environmental careers will play an increasingly important role.

C．No one can change climate as it is a natural phenomenon.

D．The bank will pay you if you choose environmental-related careers.

4. What’s the author’s attitude towards careers for Generation Z?

A．Critical.	B．Indifferent.
C．Doubtful.	D．Hopeful.

6 . Kay Day, an 87-year-old UK woman, adores elephants. But Day, suffering from dementia (痴呆),rarely left her nursing home room and hadn’t seen a real elephant for a really long time.

Day is so crazy about elephants that her room is decorated with elephant photos. Day dreamed of seeing an elephant up close again and never thought it would happen. However, Day’s dream became a reality after her nursing home, the Blakelands Lodge care home inMarston Moretaine, took her on a special journey to the Whipsnade Zoo.

“Kay doesn’t join in many activities and tends to spend quite a lot of time alone,” said Carla Blakelands, the Lodge activity manager. “We sat and discussed wishes and found out she would love to see an elephant. We discussed different options and we found the Elephant Experience at Whipsnade Zoo, so we contacted them about our resident.”

Day was so excited about going to the zoo that she marked off the days on her elephant-themed calendar. Day’s carers and family came along on the trip to assist and watch her experience the exciting day. Day was able to pet the Asian elephants and she said that the elephants’ trunk is her favorite part of the animal. “It’s such a wonderful feeling to have an elephant take some food out of your hand, put it in his trunk, curl it up and put it in his mouth,” she told BBC.

Day expressed her gratitude to the people who organized the trip and said it was one of the best days of her life. “I could sit here forever with an elephant sitting by my side,” she said.

Elephant keeper My Eriksson said that the zoo was honored to have played a role in making Day’s dream come true and that it was amazing to meet someone who is as crazy about elephants as the zookeepers at Whipsnade Zoo.

1. What can we say about the Blakelands Lodge care home?

A．It funds the Whipsnade Zoo.	B．It has a special love for elephants.
C．It seldom organizes outings.	D．It cares about its residents’ wishes.

2. What can be learned from Blakelands’ words about Day?

A．She has no relatives.	B．She is fairly easy-going.
C．She enjoys being alone.	D．She likes group activities.

3. What did Day do in the zoo?

A．She fed the elephants.	B．She argued with her family.
C．She arranged an interview.	D．She worked as a zookeeper.

4. How did Day feel towards the people organizing the trip?

A．Annoyed.

B．Grateful.

C．Puzzled.

D．Nervous.

7 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What’s the weather like yesterday?

A．Rainy.

B．Sunny.

C．Misty.

2. What effect may sunny days have on the woman’s schoolwork?

A．Positive.

B．Slow.

C．Lasting.

3. Which subject is affected most by sunshine for the woman?

A．Geography.

B．History.

C．Art.

4. How will the man probably feel about the weather tomorrow?

A．Excited.

B．Unhappy.

C．Annoyed.

8 . Fungi (真菌) play an important role in ecosystems, are a source of food, and make key contributions to the world of medicine.     1    

An estimated two million fungal species — more than 90% of all fungi — have yet to be described by science, according to a science reporter.     2     Scientists are trying to find out more about this largely unexplored world, but it is challenging. Dr Martyn Ainsworth, a senior researcher from Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in London, says, “We can grow a certain number in the lab.     3     This has held back a lot of research.”

    4     “A lot of people are afraid of poisonous mushrooms,” says Dr Jassy Drakulic, a plant pathologist, “but only a very small proportion of the thousands of species of fungi in the world can cause disease.” Most are harmless and often beneficial, called by some “the hidden helpers of our environment”. Some fungi provide food and shelter for wildlife, help plants absorb water and nutrients and recycle waste and dead matter. Other types of fungi grow on the roots of trees and plants, forming a huge underground network that helps nourish trees.     5    

So, next time you add mushrooms to your dinner, take a painkiller for a headache, or go for a walk through the woods, remember to thank the living things that made it all possible — fungi.

A．Are mushrooms a type of fungus?

B．So, why do we know so little about them?

C．Wetlands are important because they provide food and shelter for wildlife.

D．The fact that we know so little about fungi leads us to misunderstand them.

E．“Fungi are really the behind-the-scenes team doing all the work,” adds Dr Ainsworth.

F．But there is a whole host of fungi that we cannot grow in the lab.

G．In the UK, there are around 25,000 species of fungi — five or six times more than plants.

9 . As the sweet smell of pears and apples spreads in the air, drawing a stream of visitors to the orchard (果园) in Karamay’s Baijiantan district, an elderly man is seen doing the rounds of it on an electric bike. Sometimes, he stops to water the trees or prune (修剪) the grass, determined to ensure every single tree reaches its full ________.

The ________ of this forest was once a dump (垃圾场). It was the man, Wang Yanming, who planted the trees many years ago, creating the shade visitors can now all enjoy on hot summer afternoons. Wang oversees the greening work, planting trees and flowers, and often helps people to remove ________ from the dump.

“In ________ days, strong wind turn sand particles and tiny rocks into arrows that ________ our hands and faces. I ________ wanted to do something to improve the situation,” Wang tells China Daily. Inspired by his ________, workers from nearby factories ________ the example, turning afforestation (造林) into a trend in the desert and wilderness soon made way for green forests.

Wang’s continuous effort over the decades ________ a wasteland into a green forest in the middle of the Gobi Desert. It is quite ________ that the orchard is called Yanming Park after the 90-year-old. Yanming Park has become an informal ________ centre for youth. Young men and women often come to listen to stories told by Wang and his teammates about the ________ of the olden days.

“I am glad to have made a small contribution to protect the environment ________. I feel delighted when my green mission ________ others to care for nature. I hope our community spirit will be ________ for generations and that Karamay will stay evergreen,” says Wang.

1.

A．extinction

B．function

C．devotion

D．potential

2.

A．capacity

B．division

C．location

D．front

3.

A．rubber

B．dust

C．mixture

D．garbage

4.

A．snowy

B．windy

C．rainy

D．sunny

5.

A．hurt

B．blur

C．explode

D．calculate

6.

A．mercifully

B．violently

C．desperately

D．guiltily

7.

A．dignity

B．determination

C．admission

D．foundation

8.

A．gathered

B．extended

C．followed

D．sponsored

9.

A．separated

B．transported

C．transformed

D．channelled

10.

A．ridiculous

B．natural

C．typical

D．occasional

11.

A．election

B．virtue

C．entertainment

D．education

12.

A．beauty

B．beliefs

C．difficulties

D．complaints

13.

A．successfully

B．attractively

C．blindly

D．effortlessly

14.

A．entrusts

B．embarrasses

C．motivates

D．persuades

15.

A．fallen away

B．passed down

C．tested out

D．withdrawn from

10 . In May 1869, John Wesley Powell, a former Union Army major who had lost most of his right _________ in the Battle of Shiloh, led 10 _________ in launching four heavy wooden boats loaded to the gunwales with 10 months of supplies.

Three of the boats were made of oak, more suitable for cruising lakes than busting through rapids (急流). None of the men were _________ boatmen. The one-armed captain of the crew had maps with gaps in them. _________, it was the grandest expedition (探险) since Lewis and Clark. Over 500 rapids and 1,000 miles of _________ currents awaited them.

Though Powell had boats custom-made for the _________, they were heavy. He recruited men who knew how to _________ in the wilderness but had never navigated (横越) a river. He packed so much food that it _________ sank the boats from the start.

Much of the journey was spent _________ boats damaged while portaging around rapids and carving new oars out of driftwood. Food was lost or spoiled, game was scarce, and Powell went inland to __________with the Indians for food. The expedition spent days in __________ water and 115-degree heat. Three men deserted the cause along the way. The crew slept on boulders and __________ wet clothing the next morning. And most of the time, they had no idea what lay ahead. But at the end of the arduous journey, they had successfully __________ the challenges and mapped a wilderness previously labeled as “territory unknown.” As the West expanded, Powell’s maps would be __________.

Beauty is in the living of life, in looking beyond the challenges to the __________ of the small moments we achieve — sometimes against all odds.

1.

A．leg

B．arm

C．ear

D．finger

2.

A．explorers

B．soldiers

C．heroes

D．boatmen

3.

A．rude

B．greedy

C．experienced

D．honest

4.

A．Still

B．Otherwise

C．Thus

D．And

5.

A．remote

B．quiet

C．unknown

D．vast

6.

A．trip

B．journey

C．travel

D．tour

7.

A．live

B．hunt

C．hide

D．survive

8.

A．nearly

B．already

C．mostly

D．never

9.

A．making

B．handling

C．rowing

D．repairing

10.

A．talk

B．discuss

C．fight

D．negotiate

11.

A．shallow

B．freezing

C．violent

D．polluted

12.

A．pulled in

B．pulled up

C．pulled on

D．pulled at

13.

A．adapted to

B．stuck to

C．saw to

D．got to

14.

A．reliable

B．priceless

C．measurable

D．considerable

15.

A．strength

B．attempt

C．position

D．wonder