1. Where does Richard work?
| A．In New York. | B．In Washington D． | C．C．In San Francisco. |
| A．Sleeping. | B．Working | C．Watching TV. |
| A．Some books fell off the bookshelf. |
| B．The windows were broken. |
| C．Some chairs fell over. |
| A．Hand in the report. | B．Continue with his work. | C．Go back home quickly. |
2 . Recently Chinese scientists have solved a food challenge of the ages! They cultivated (培育) the world’s first crucian carp (鲫鱼) without intermuscular (肌间的) fish bones.
The new fish ends a world-wide debate which has lasted for more than 50 years on whether intermuscular fish bones can be reproduced.
Crucian carp is a popular freshwater fish with tender meat and a fresh flavor, but its many tiny bones can easily get stuck in people’s throats when the fish is eaten. A research team from Heilongjiang Province started a project to solve the problem in 2009 and chose the key gene from about 1,600 fishes, in order to control the growth of the fish’s intermuscular bones. Researchers knocked out the bmp6 gene without influencing the fish’s growth.
“In 2020, we successfully cultivated the first generation of crucian carp without intermuscular fish bones with a success rate of 12.96 percent and the second generation at the rate of 19 percent in 2021,” said a researcher from the team. “At the beginning of 2022, we set free around 20,000 fish of the third generation at the test base in Harbin. The fish grew well and is quite different from normal crucian carp. The results of an examination in August showed that we succeeded completely.”
Experts said, “People will no longer have to pick out tiny fish bones. It could greatly change the fish diet of the world in the future.” In addition, the research can help promote industrial processing of the fish, marking a great breakthrough in the field of aquaculture (水产养殖) breeding in China.
1. What challenge have Chinese scientists solved?| A．They’ve found a wild fish. |
| B．They’ve created a fish with a fresh flavor. |
| C．They’ve cultivated a fish with tender meat. |
| D．They’ve produced a fish with no small bones. |
| A．The fish can’t live in the sea. |
| B．The fish grow very slowly in freshwater. |
| C．The fish’s intermuscular bones are long and thin. |
| D．The fish’s tiny bones are stuck in people’s throats easily. |
| A．100% | B．50% | C．19% | D．12.96% |
| A．The fish diet in the future. |
| B．The problem of tiny fish bones. |
| C．The importance of the research. |
| D．The aquaculture breeding in China. |
3 . Cloud “engineering” could be more effective for climate cooling than previously thought, because of the increased cloud cover produced, new research shows.
In a study published in Nature Geoscience, researchers at the University of Birmingham found that marine cloud brightening (MCB), also known as marine cloud engineering, works primarily by increasing the amount of cloud cover, accounting for 60% — 90% of the cooling effect.
The practice of MCB has attracted much attention in recent years as a way of offsetting the global warming effects caused by humans and buying some time while the global economy decarbonizes (脱碳). It works by spraying tiny particles, or aerosols (气溶胶), into the atmosphere where they mix with clouds and with the primary aim of increasing the amount of sunlight that clouds can reflect.
However, the ways in which MCB creates a cooling effect, and the ways in which clouds will respond to aerosols, are still poorly understood. To investigate the phenomenon, the researchers created a “natural experiment”, using aerosol injection from the effusive eruption of Kilauea volcano in Hawaii to study the interactions between these natural aerosols, clouds, and climate.
Using machine learning and historic satellite and meteorological (气象学的) data, the team created a predictor to show how the cloud would behave during periods when the volcano was inactive. This predictor enabled them to identify clearly the impacts on the clouds that had been directly caused by the volcanic aerosols.
They were able to show that the cloud cover relatively increased by up to 50% during the periods of volcanic activity, producing a cooling effect of up to — 10 W/m² regionally.
Lead author, Dr Ying Chen, of the University of Birmingham, said, “Our findings show that marine cloud brightening could be more effective as a climate intervention than climate models have suggested previously. Of course, while it could be useful, MCB does not address the underlying causes of global warming from greenhouse gases produced by human activities. It should therefore be regarded as a ‘painkiller’, rather than a solution.”
1. How does MCB help global cooling according to the study?| A．By decreasing the amount of sunlight. |
| B．By boosting the volume of cloud cover. |
| C．By reducing the amount of cloud cover. |
| D．By removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. |
| A．Weakening. | B．Destroying. | C．Ignoring. | D．Suspending. |
| A．Perfect. | B．Ineffective. | C．Valueless. | D．Fruitful. |
| A．The Mechanism Behind Marine Cloud Brightening |
| B．Understanding The Impact Of Aerosols On Clouds And Climate |
| C．Enhancing Climate Cooling Through Marine Cloud Brightening |
| D．Marine Cloud Brightening: A Solution To Climate Cooling Strategy |
As I approached my fortieth birthday, I realized that my life was quite meaningless in the larger scheme of things. I had friends and a loving husband and yet something was missing. With no children, I felt that I hadn’t done anything that would help mankind or change the world. I would have no legacy to leave.
One day I was watching TV and I thought of my desire. It was to be someone who mattered. I wanted to make a difference in the lives of people and in the lives of animals. After all, dogs had always been a large part of my life, from the time when I was a little girl growing up in central Oklahoma. I thought that my “purpose” would somehow include my love of singing, writing, travel, and of course, working with animals.
Then, something happened that shook my entire core. The “love of my life” dog, my Nicholas, was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He died thirteen months later. I became quite concerned for Bear, our remaining dog, who was six years old. Bear had been Nicholas’s shadow and now that Nicholas was gone, Bear wouldn’t even eat. Our vet suggested that we get another dog to see if that would encourage Bear to eat.
I found an online advertisement for a Bichon Frise （卷毛比熊犬） and when we arrived at the place, it was a nightmare, like one of those puppy mills （工厂） you read about or see on the television news. I decided to delay my search for my “purpose” as I needed to tell the world about the horror I had discovered right in my own backyard.
I had even a bigger fight ahead of me than Nicholas’s cancer. This was a fight that would take years. I did research and then I spread the word on the Internet. People began to listen and we formed a small group of Bichon Frise lovers called Small Paws Rescue.
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。
I started out sending the latest news on our rescue efforts to about twenty-five people.\
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________My achievement made me reflect on the past.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1. When did the earthquake happen?
| A．On Thursday afternoon. | B．On Thursday morning. | C．On Wednesday night. |
| A．Forty people lost their lives. |
| B．At least 140 people were injured. |
| C．A railway was nearly destroyed. |
| A．Help the victims. | B．Check the highways. | C．Tell the woman some survival skills. |
China has been working quietly to address air pollution. In addition to observing, I also communicated with locals and foreigners
According to Cui Xiaoyi, a resident of Beijing, due to serious air pollution the local administration (行政部门) sometimes warned
Muhammad Asghar, a representative of the Associated Press of Pakistan in China
Asghar added that China has not only done good work to address air pollution, but has also made contributions
The ideas
1. What’s the conversation mainly about?
| A．Fighting fire. | B．Detecting fire. | C．Preventing fire. |
| A．Australia lost 4% of its trees. |
| B．The system is used in America. |
| C．The system will use heat cameras. |
| A．The size of a football field. |
| B．The size of a plane. |
| C．The size of a car. |
| A．Protecting humans. |
| B．Purifying the air. |
| C．Saving animals. |
1. What will the weather be like in London next week?
| A．Rainy. | B．Sunny. | C．Foggy. |
| A．Toothbrushes. | B．Free breakfast. | C．Airport bus service. |
| A．Bring their passports. |
| B．Have fish and chips. |
| C．Wear sunglasses. |
9 . The National Heritage Responders is a volunteer network of around 100 experts in cultural heritage conservation from around Puerto Rico. They assist individuals and institutions in figuring out how to save important objects and buildings after disasters. Their crisis hotline has been busier than ever in recent years because of more frequent and severe weather brought on by climate change. In 2023, there have been around 70 calls so far, up from fewer than 10 in 2008, when the hotline first appeared.
Ann Frellsen, the Atlanta-based book and paper conservator, is a longtime heritage responder volunteer with more than three decades of experience in helping out cultural institutions after disasters. She was among those sent to Puerto Rico over several visits starting a couple of months after two hurricanes hit it in 2017.
After providing initial support via the phone, Frellsen and her team came in to help La Casa del Libro and other local institutions in crisis with equipment, supplies and advice. In fact, much of the advice the hotline provides is via phone or video-chat; volunteers are sent out into the field in certain cases, on an as-needed basis.
“There were no stoplights and signs on the highways because they’d all been blown away,” Frellsen said. She added that figuring out how to reach the more than 20 institutions that needed assistance in Puerto Rico was challenging—not to mention the on-the-job hazards.
When Frellsen isn’t heading into disaster zones to help save artifacts (文物) from fires, hurricanes and floods, she trains others in the heritage conservation field to do the same. Some of the participants may eventually take the test to become National Heritage Responders. But at this moment, they are deep in a hands-on training exercise, based on an imaginary situation cooked up by Frellsen and her co-trainers.
1. What can we say about Puerto Rico?| A．It calls on people to keep in contact. | B．Natural disasters are increasing there. |
| C．It works hard to build highways. | D．The weather is really nice there. |
| A．It teaches individuals how to protect themselves. |
| B．New volunteers can join it with no tests required. |
| C．Victims all over the world can contact it by hotline. |
| D．It sends experts to the disaster areas when necessary. |
| A．Dangers. | B．Skills. | C．Trainings. | D．Rights. |
| A．Taking various tests. | B．Entering a new disaster area. |
| C．Conducting a practical exercise. | D．Restoring priceless artifacts. |
10 . New Space Missions in 2024
ESA’s Hera mission
The European Space Agency (ESA) plans to launch its Hera spacecraft in October on a mission to return to an asteroid (小行星) system visited by NASA’s DART spacecraft in 2022. Hera is designed to collect data on the targeted system, called Didymos. The spacecraft is expected to closely examine the physical properties of Didymos and measure detailed effects of DART’s crash.
Europa Clipper
NASA hopes to launch its Europa Clipper mission in October. This orbiter is designed to carry out close examinations of Jupiter’s moon Europa. Specifically, the mission will look for signs that the icy moon might hold the right conditions to support life. NASA says the orbiter will fly in orbit around Jupiter and perform repeated close flybys of the icy moon.
Boeing’s Starliner test flight
NASA and Boeing have said they plan to launch the first crewed test flight of the company’s Starliner spacecraft. NASA says it is targeting May 2024 to have Starliner ready for flight. The launch date is to be set later.
The spacecraft completed its first unscrewed flight test to the International Space Station (ISS) last May. But Boeing has experienced several technical difficulties with Starliner during the mission and has worked with NASA to fix the problems as it prepares for the planned crewed flight.
SpaceX Starship test
SpaceX, another NASA’s partner, has been successfully using its rockets and spacecraft to transport astronauts and materials to the ISS since 2020. But the company will be seeking a successful test flight in 2024 for its super-heavy Starship spacecraft.
SpaceX experienced two failed Starship tests in 2023 — one in April and the other in November — which resulted in explosions. The April explosion caused major damage to the launch structure in the state of Texas. SpaceX has said it has been examining the issues related to the explosions and plans to carry out another test of Starship as soon as possible. But it will have to wait until the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) completes its investigation of the launch site damage and approves a new test.
1. Which of the following plans to collect data about Didymos?| A．NASA. | B．FAA. | C．SpaceX. | D．ESA. |
| A．In April. | B．In May. | C．In October. | D．In November. |
| A．The date for its third test flight is unclear. |
| B．It has succeeded in sending astronauts to the ISS. |
| C．The reason for its first failure has been identified. |
| D．Its second test flight damaged the launch structure. |
