1 . In a study from Washington State University, researchers have uncovered a significant correlation between the closeness of older adults to green and blue spaces and their mental and physical well-being. The study offers convincing evidence that even small increases in access to nature can remarkably improve the health outcomes of older adults.
A mere 10% increase in forest space within a person’s living environment is linked to a noticeable decrease in serious psychological conditions. This type of suffering includes mental health challenges that need treatment and block normal social, occupational, or educational functioning. Similarly, the new study proves that enhancing green spaces, water bodies, or trail lengths by 10% appears to lower the likelihood of older individuals reporting their overall health as poor.
The researchers analyzed health survey data from over 42,000 people aged 65 and above living in urban areas of Washington state, spanning (跨越) the years 2011 to 2019. The experts related the health outcomes of these individuals to various measures quantifying their access to nature within their living areas.
Initially presented at the American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting in April 2023, the research focused only on the link between psychological depression and closeness to natural spaces. The final study expanded to include additional metrics (指标) such as green space percentage and trail length, also taking into account demographic variables (人口统计变量) like race and education.
“Our findings suggest that abatement of our urban green and blue spaces due to rapid urbanization may not just have an environmental impact but could have a public health impact as well,” said Adithya Vegaraju, first author of the study.
Vegaraju said this research is among the first in the U. S. to specifically investigate the relationship between access to nature and health in the older population.
1. What does the author intend to stress in the second paragraph?| A．Access to nature can improve the elders’ mental health. |
| B．Older individuals are more likely to get close to nature. |
| C．Green space is an ideal place for educational functioning. |
| D．A person’s social interaction is linked to more green space. |
| A．By changing old people’s living habits. | B．By tracking and recording the aged people. |
| C．By comparing various measures in the study. | D．By analyzing the participants’ related data. |
| A．Solution. | B．Impact. | C．Loss. | D．Power. |
| A．It needs further research. | B．It’s a pioneer research work. |
| C．It is beneficial to everyone. | D．It will be used in other fields. |
1. What color should be used to paint living room walls?
| A．Red and purple. | B．Green and blue. | C．Yellow and white. |
| A．Energetic. | B．Cheerful. | C．Imaginative. |
| A．The kitchen. | B．The dining room. | C．The bathroom. |
| A．An expert. | B．A painter. | C．A cook. |
Tobias Baumgaertner has taken many amazing photos as a wildlife
In 2019, Tobias spent three nights with
Tobias didn’t know that loss connected the two. “A volunteer told me that the white one was an elderly lady who
Moved, Tobias set out
His photos became
Five years ago, a homeless kitten wandered in a park, its fur matted and eyes wide with fear. Hunger bit its tiny body. Accidentally, a kind-hearted woman Shelley Hall spotted the trembling ball of fur and felt a tug at her heartstrings. Approaching slowly, she extended a gentle hand, offering food and warmth. Feeling Shelley’s kindness, the kitten accepted her food and home offer. At home, Shelley named the kitten Sophie. In the warmth of Shelley’s care, Sophie transformed from a scared wanderer to a beloved companion, seeking out affection and purring contentedly in her arms.
For the past two years, Shelley would go for daily walks in the woods with a cat carrier attached to her back and Sophie would peer out. “I tell her that her job is to bring joy - and she does,” Shelley said, recalling how her cat would greet the people they passed. “She’s very sweet and social.”
Sophie was also very confident, until that day last summer when the cat jumped out of her carrier and an energetic dog chased her away. Shelley searched for Sophie all day, but the cat didn’t come back.
“It was the worst day of my life,” Shelley said. She found herself experiencing the worst weeks of her life. After putting up posters, posting on social media, and searching the 565 acres of forest surrounding Royal Roads University every day from dusk until dawn, there was no sign of Sophie. “It is like she vanished into thin air,” Shelley said. “It does get harder and harder to believe that you are going to find her.” But then a former neighbour, Marilyn Hanner, stepped up to help. “There’s nothing to think about,” Marilyn said after being asked why she joined the daily search for Sophie. “You have an animal in danger, you jump in.” Marilyn and her husband also bought four trail cameras to set up around the forest. “If you have the means, why wouldn’t you?” Marilyn said.
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。
As weeks turned to months, the cameras captured countless other creatures—from slugs(鼻涕虫)to a cougar(美洲狮).
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Sophie and Shelley were reunited after being apart for more than three months.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The sea was shining across the horizon as my husband, Michael, and I looked out over the rocky cliff（悬崖） of Gleesons Landing in Yorke Peninsula. "Careful Abby doesn't fall down the rocks here," Michael warned as he pulled out his fishing rod（鱼竿）. Abby was our two-year-old rescue dog（搜救犬）we'd adopted one year earlier.
Leaving Michael to his fishing, Abby and I wandered off. We'd been walking for a while when we saw a small path that led down the side of the cliff towards the beach. Abby raced off and as I followed, my leg caught on a rock and I fell down the cliff. Landing three meters down, my left leg cracked violently. Shocked, I tried to keep myself calm. I couldn't feel any pain but when I tried to get up, my body just fell back down. "Go and get Daddy," I signaled to Abby as she paced nervously beside me. At first she refused to leave my side. But somehow she realized I needed her and raced off.
Alone and staring out to sea, my world faded to black. Staying awake some time later, I discovered Abby hadn't returned. Suddenly, I heard movement coming from above. "Sue?" Michael called out. Relief flooded through me as I looked up and saw Michael and Abby. "I think I broke my leg," I shouted back. "I'll go get help," he promised. "If I try to reach you myself, they'll be rescuing two of us."
Faint and tired, I held on to consciousness. Abbey came down to me and kept me company until the rescuers arrived. They carried me on a stretcher（担架） to a helicopter, where I was flown to hospital in Adelaide while Michael and Abby drove.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；2.请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
At the hospital, the pain caused by the fall finally hit me.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“She led me to the exact spot where you were,” Michael explained.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________6 . If you’ve ever seen elephant seals (象海豹) lying on a beach, you might think that they’re always. sleeping. But in fact, they spend about seven months of the year in the ocean. So how do they sleep while they’re in the ocean?
Even though elephant seals are large animals, they have to be careful in the ocean. Near the surface, some dangerous animals like sharks might attack(攻击)them. So elephant seals spend most of their time diving (下潜) deep underwater, looking for food.
To find out how they sleep in the deep, a scientist named Jessica Kendall-Bar created a special cap. She and her team put the caps on thirteen female young elephant seals. The caps recorded the elephant seals brain activities. They also collected information on the elephant seals’ heart rates (心率), how their bodies were moving, and how deep they were.
The scientists learned that elephant seals sometimes sleep for a short time while they are diving. They only sleep for about 10 minutes at a time. As they begin to sleep, the elephant seals can control their bodies. But when they are deeply asleep, they simply begin to fall, spinning (快速旋转) in a circle “like a falling leaf”. The elephant seals wake up in time to go up for more air. In shallower (较浅的) areas, the elephant seals sometimes wake upon the seafloor.
Using the information they collected from the cap-wearing elephant seals, the scientists created a computer program to study older records of elephant seal trips. The scientists found that elephant seals only sleep for about two hours a day when they’re in the ocean. That means that the rest on land is very important for them. Back on land, they sleep for about 10. 8 hours a day.
The scientists hope that their work will help to protect the places where elephant seals sleep when. they’re on land.
1. The writer starts the passage by ______.| A．asking a question | B．giving an example | C．comparing two places |
| A．How elephant seals sleep in the ocean. |
| B．Why elephant seals dive deep underwater. |
| C．How elephant seals dive deep underwater. |
| A．help the elephant seals to dive more deeply |
| B．keep the elephant seals away from being attacked by sharks |
| C．collect the information about the elephant seals when they are in the ocean |
| A．they can get more air on land |
| B．they only sleep for about ten minutes every day |
| C．they only sleep for about two hours a day when they’re in the ocean |
Magic was a four-year-old German Shepherd about to be adopted at the animal shelter along with hundreds of other dogs. The reporter announced that the dogs and cats would be put down if no one came by the end of the day. My friend Rosie felt worried about the animals and asked me to accompany her there. So after school we rushed to the shelter to save whoever we could. Finally, she got a cat and I was touched by the poor animals, asking the shelter worker for the biggest dog they had. His name was Magic.
Actually, I lived alone in an apartment. I had to stay in college during the day. So I always stayed out and taking care of a dog at home seemed a challenge for me. Rosie felt uneasy about the dog and advised me to abandon the thought of keeping the dog and send it to a warm home.
But I liked Magic so much, so I didn’t accept her advice and brought Magic home. After learning I adopted a dog, my neighbor below showed worry for I hadn’t kept an animal before.
As it turned out, there wasn’t a lot of trust. Magic would take the food out of his bowl, bring it in front of me and eat it one bit e at a time. My friend Rosie was pretty sure I was crazy and that keeping it would be a huge mistake. But slowly Magic and I got to know each other. We became best friends. For the first time, my apartment felt like a home. We walked together through Central Park every morning and night. Even when my friends invited me to parties, I just wanted to be home with Magic. Our lives were happy. For the first time, I was content.
Unfortunately, a problem appeared. When I was in, he kept calm, but he barked a lot when I was not in, which disturbed my neighbor below.
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。
One day, my neighbor below knocked on my door.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________After listening to the problem, Rosie figured Magic barked just because he felt lonely.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Longmen Grottoes
Set on the banks of the Yi River, 12km south of the current Luoyang City, the Longmen Grottoes are ranked first of the Four Great Grotioes in China, together with Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, Yungang Grottoes in Datong and Mount Maiji Grottoes in Tianshui. They were also listed in the World Cultural Heritages and Relics by UNESCO in 2000.
Longmen Gate also houses
Wandering in the Longmen Grottoes, one is amazed by the delicate carving skills, deep Buddhist culture and great art achievements of Chinese people.
9 . Most people suffer from what is known as “Just-me-ism”. What is that? Well, say you leave the tap running while you brush your teeth, leave a light on when you go out or you drop a piece of litter (垃圾) and can’t be bothered to pick it up. You know that all those things are wrong. But so what? “What difference can it possibly make?” you say to yourself. There are millions of people in the world and I’m just me. How can it matter if I leave one little tap running, one little light on or leave a little piece of litter on the road? “And anyway, no one will know,” Of course, it wouldn’t matter if there were just a few people in the world. But just think of all the millions of people saying to themselves: “It doesn’t matter. It’s just me. And, anyway, no one knows.” Millions of gallons of water would be wasted; millions of lights would be left on; millions of pieces of litter would be dropped. And all of this would be very harmful.
To inspire young people to take action for the environment, animals and their community, Roots & Shoots was established. This institute was set up in the early 1990s by Dr. Jane Goodall, a scientist who’s the world’s best-known expert on wild chimpanzees (黑猩猩). In addition to her research, she has been whole-heartedly committed to environmental protection, the whole purpose of Roots & Shoots is to educate young people, from preschoolers to university students, so they can help to build a future that is secure and live together in peace with nature. The organization is called Roots & Shoots because roots (根) move slowly under the ground to make a firm (坚实的) foundation, and shoots seem small and weak, but they can break open brick walls to reach the light. The roots and shoots are you, your friends and young people all around the world. Hundreds and thousands of roots and shoots can solve the problems, change the world and make it a better place to live in.
Do you think you help to make the world a better place when you make a sad person smile, when you make a dog wag (摇摆) its tail, and when you water a thirsty plant? One cheered-up person, one happy dog, one flowering plant, and you. That’s what Roots & Shoots is all about: the value and importance of each individual — human, animal or plant. Dr. Jane Goodall believes that the most important thing is that: “Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference. You get to choose: Do you want to use your life to make the world a better place for people, animals and the environment? Do you want to make Roots & Shoots rooted in everyone’s heart? Do you want to be a part of a community for a shared future? You cannot be absent.”
1. What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．I can do whatever I like and nobody knows. |
| B．I’m unique and no one realizes it. |
| C．I’m lonely. And, no one in the world knows me. |
| D．This is who I am. And, I don’t want people to know me. |
| A．establish Roots & Shoots |
| B．educate people to build a safer future |
| C．commit to environmental protection |
| D．guide young people to create a future in harmony with nature |
| A．All the people. | B．The youth. | C．Adults. | D．Our friends. |
| A．Wait-and-see. | B．Skeptical. | C．Admiring. | D．Encouraging. |
| A．To introduce Roots & Shoots. |
| B．To point out the disadvantages of “Just-me-ism”. |
| C．To call on young people to join Roots & Shoots. |
| D．To call people to pay more attention to animals and plants. |
1. How much rubbish have people created in Britain this year?
| A．416 million tons. | B．404 million tons. | C．400 million tons. |
| A．Britain is the most wasteful country in the world. |
| B．People who live on their own create more rubbish. |
| C．The rubbish problem is not so serious as scientists think. |
| A．People don’t like to use rubbish bags. |
| B．The rubbish always gives out a bad smell. |
| C．People’s incorrect behavior makes recycling difficult. |
| A．To criticize rich families for producing so much rubbish. |
| B．To call on people to find ways to deal with the rubbish problem. |
| C．To explain why people pay little attention to the rubbish problem. |
