1 . 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.

2 . Two and a half months before the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season officially begins, and almost six months before it enters its peak (高峰), weathermen are already predicting (预测) that it could be particularly active.

Officially, hurricane season begins from June 1 and runs through November. One reason is that sea surface temperatures in the tropical (热带的) Atlantic are already at record highs.

Meanwhile, another significant potential factor in this year’s hurricane season is taking shape thousands of miles away in the Pacific. Over periods ranging from three to seven years, the waters of the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean warm and cool in turn as a result of a repeating climate pattern called the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). El Niño makes Atlantic hurricanes less likely to form but La Niña does.

During the 2023 season, ENSO was in an El Niño period. However, by the time the 2024 season starts, it will have changed into a “neutral(中立)” period, but that by the peak months, it is likely to have changed fully into a La Niña.

“How quickly that change occurs can affect everything as well,” says DaSilva, a lead hurricane weatherman. “There’s a lag time. So, while we expect the change to occur in mid-summer, it may not be until late summer or fall where we really see those effects across the Atlantic basin.” As a result, he says, this year’s hurricane season could remain particularly active deep into November.

Of course, no report can predict when individual storms will come or the paths they will take, but DaSilva warns that those who live in areas likely to suffer hurricanes, especially around the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, should prepare. “If a tropical storm system comes into this area, it could rapidly strengthen, potentially close to land,” he also warns. “And that’s why people need to be careful and have their hurricane plans ready. Because any system with these kinds of conditions can explode very quickly. That’s what we’re concerned about.”

1. What is the function of Paragraph 1?

A．To give advice.	B．To explain the season.
C．To introduce the topic.	D．To inform a weather report.

2. What is a reason for this year’s hurricane season?

A．The hurricane season has entered its peak.

B．A repeating climate has changed weather in summer.

C．The sea surface temperatures are the highest of all time.

D．El Niño makes Atlantic hurricanes more likely to form.

3. What do the underlined words “a lag time” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?

A．A time delay.	B．A time in a zone.
C．A time waste.	D．A time in advance.

4. What does DaSilva agree with about this year’s hurricane season?

A．It can be exactly predicted ahead of time.

B．People needn’t worry about hurricane season.

C．It may be eventually controlled by weathermen.

D．People can’t be more careful about hurricane season.

3 . 4 Reasons Why Wild Animals Are So Important

As we know, the earth gives us food, medicines and materials, often through wild animals. These wild animals are important to our existence. Sadly, they are becoming extinct at an alarming rate. We need to change this loss of nature and create a future where wildlife and people thrive (蓬勃发展) again.     1     Here are some reasons why wild animals are so important to the world at large.

Wild animals keep balance in ecosystems.

    2     If any part is threatened or becomes extinct, this has a knock-on effect on the whole ecosystem. sending shock waves through the environment. For ecosystems to survive and perhaps even thrive, we must protect all of our wildlife.

Diversity (多样性) means healthier ecosystems and healthier wild animals.

When there is a wildlife issue, you’ll often hear the term biodiversity, which refers to the number of species in an ecosystem.     3     Why do we consider this important? A wide variety of animals means greater productivity and better health. If there are fewer animal species, a disease that affects any species spreads faster and more effectively.

    4    

All of the food that we eat comes from an animal or plant. Living without various food sources causes our nutrition (营养) to suffer. Protecting wildlife and its natural habitats strengthens food safety for humans around the world.

Wildlife helps medical research.

Wild animals have helped us find important medicines that help with many diseases.     5     Many medical systems like Chinese traditional medicines still rely on herbs and spices, but even Western medicine have made great progress with wildlife research.

A．All living things are interconnected.

B．Healthy ecosystems mean a lot of diversity.

C．Or we will lose these animals to future generations.

D．People worldwide depend on wildlife for their snack.

E．Wildlife provides important nutrients for the human race.

F．The human race has always turned to nature for medicine.

G．We should notice the influence caused by wildlife on culture.

4 . The African continent has seen its average monthly temperatures rise by 0.5 — 2 degrees Celsius over the past century, with up to another two degrees of warming projected for the next 100 years. The changing climate will break historical rainfall patterns, but which of these, temperature or rainfall, will have the most impact on a species, like rhinos (犀牛) ?

“Generally speaking, most, if not all, species will. in one way or another, be affected by the changing climate,” says lead author Hlelowenkhosi S. Mamba, who completed this research. It is therefore important to catch tendency (趋势) and model futures for some of the world’s weakest species. It can help prepare to reduce climate change’s effects, hence reducing global biodiversity losses.

To understand how our changing climate will affect rhino populations, Mamba and Timothy Randhir, professor of environmental protection, focused their efforts on the five large national parks that are home to most of the rhinos.

Mamba and Randhir then modeled two scenes for each of the parks: the IPCC’s high-emissions (排放) scenes and a more moderate (适度的) emissions scenes. They projected temperature and rainfall for each of the scenes out to 2055 and 2085 to arrive at a possibility that each park would remain suitable for the rhinos.

Nearly every park will become increasingly drier as emissions increase. This is all very bad news for the rhinos, because the team also found that, though the change in rainfall will not be most suitable for the rhinos, the changes in temperature are greater than what the species can bear.

“The temperature conditions in all study parks will become increasingly unsuitable for the species. And under the high-emissions scenes, the possibility of occurrence of the species falls to zero by 2085,” the authors write.

But to be forewarned is to be prepared in advance. “We propose that park managers think now about increasing water supplies, tree cover, watching for stress and planning to allow rhinos to move from one place to another place as the world warms,” says Randhir.

1. Why does the author ask a question in Paragraph 1?

A．To show an evidence.	B．To stress the main idea.
C．To lead in the topic.	D．To offer some background.

2. What does the second paragraph mainly focus on?

A．The means of the research.	B．The content of the research.
C．The process of the research.	D．The significance of the research.

3. What can we know about the research from the text?

A．Changes in rainfall have a greater effect on rhinos.	B．Each park will have no rhinos in 2055.
C．Changes in temperature affect rhinos more.	D．Each park will be warmer by 4. 5℃ in 2085.

4. What does Randhir mean in the last paragraph?

A．Rhinos are better suited to natural growth.	B．Rhinos are in great danger in the five parks.
C．Park managers should plan to protect rhinos.	D．Park managers must pay more attention to nature.

5 . 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

6 . 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

7 . 阅读下面短文，根据题目要求用英文回答问题。请在答题卡指定区域作答。

Balancing Trees and CO₂

Tree planting used to be regarded as an effective means of reducing climate change. Perhaps it’s time for us to rethink this practice. Trees pull CO₂ from the air. This effectively removes CO₂ from the atmosphere. But trees only hold onto CO₂ as long as they’re alive. Once they die, trees decay (腐烂) and release that CO₂ back into the atmosphere.

Recent studies have found that trees around the world are growing faster than ever. The rise of CO₂, mainly due to burning fossil fuels, is probably driving that rapid growth, said Roel Brienen, a forest ecologist at the University of Leeds, UK. High levels of CO₂ are increasing temperatures, which in turn speeds tree growth in those areas, he added.

The faster trees grow, the faster they store carbon. It seems like good news. However, it is known that fast-growing tree species, in general, live shorter lives than their slow-growing relatives.

In order to see whether the growth-lifespan trade-off (生长与寿命之间的权衡) is a universal phenomenon, Brienen and his colleagues analyzed over 210,000 individual tree ring records of 110 tree species from more than 79,000 sites worldwide. They found that, in almost all habitats and all sites, faster-growing tree species died younger than slow-growing species, and even within a species, the trade-off between growth and life span held strong.

The team also created a computer program that modeled a forest and tweaked (微量调整) the growth of the trees in this model. Early on, it showed that “the forest could hold more carbon as the trees grew faster”, Brienen reported. But after 20 years, these trees started dying and losing this extra carbon again. “We must understand that the only solution to bringing down CO₂ levels is to stop emitting (排放) it into the atmosphere,” said Brienen.

1. What does “this practice” in Para.1 refer to?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Why are trees around the world growing faster than ever?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Read the following statement, underline the false part of it and explain the reason. The team has found that the faster trees grow, the faster they store CO₂, and the longer lives they live.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Please briefly present what you can do in daily life to reduce the emission of CO₂.（about 40 words）
____________________________________________________________________________________________

8 . 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。

Chinese scientists have successfully cloned the world’s first Tibetan sheep in Northwest China’s Qinghai Province,     1     (hope) to improve the breeding efficiency (繁殖率) of the species by preserving their superior individuals.

The research team from Northwest Agriculture & Forestry University and the Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center in Xining, capital of Qinghai, have jointly bred a cloned Tibetan sheep,     2     was developed with the somatic (躯体的) cell cloning technique. This was done to improve the breeding efficiency of the species by cloning their highly productive individuals. The     3     (health) Tibetan sheep weighs 3. 4 kilograms. So far, two cloned sheep     4     (produce).

To produce 43 cloned embryos, the joint research team     5     (careful) selected three excellent breeding adult male sheep and one adult female sheep of the breed of Oula sheep, including     6     adult male sheep weighing over 200 kilograms. After the cloned embryos were transplanted into the surrogate (代孕的) sheep, their pregnancy rate reached 58.1%     7     first and 37.2% after 120 days. A group of lambs are expected     8     (be) born soon.

In the next step, with the     9     (establish) technology system, the scientists will expand and promote the reproduction of the high-quality Tibetan sheep to promote     10     (employ)and incomes of farmers, according to experts from the animal disease prevention and control center in Xining.

9 . A British man is excited but exhausted after becoming the tenth Briton to reach the summit (顶点) of K2, the world’s second-highest mountain.

Jake Meyer 34, a mountaineer and army reserve officer, reached the 28,251 ft (8.611 m) summit at 8 am local time on Saturday after a five-day climb from base camp. He had to spend two nights at a camp on the way to the summit to allow a snowstorm to pass.

“This has been a journey more than ten years in the making, and my third attempt at this extraordinary mountain,” he told The Times. “While we were lucky with a weather window for our summit day, the conditions were still incredibly challenging at times, I’m happy to be back at base camp and I know my family and friends will be relieved that K2 is in the bag.

Mr Meyer, from Gloucestershire, who reached the summit of Qomolangma at the age of 21. has been chronicling (按时序记载) his climb on social media, sending out a picture from the summit. After a two-day journey to base camp, he said,“I’m just looking forward to getting home to my incredibly supportive wife.”

K2 was first summitted in 1954 by two Italian climbers, Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni. It is the tallest mountain in the Karakoram range on the border of China and Pakistan. And it is the second most dangerous mountain in the world, killing every one climber out of four. Climbs are generally attempted in the summer due to the mountain’s severe weather.

This was Mr Meyer’s third attempt, after journeys in 2009 and 2016 were abandoned due to bad weather. Poor conditions also forced him to turn back last week in his attempt to reach the summit of Broad Peak, the 12^th highest mountain in the world and another of the “eight thousanders” — the 14 mountains in the world above 8,000 meters. He came within 150 meters of the top, which he was attempting to reach alone in preparation for his K2 climb.

1. What does the underlined phrase “a weather window” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．A piece of equipment for forecasting weather.	B．A window through which people look out.
C．A machine to protect against bad weather.	D．A period of suitable weather conditions.

2. What do we know about K2 according to paragraph 5?

A．The first attempt to climb it was made in 1954.

B．Climbing it is dangerous with a high death rate.

C．It is the most difficult to climb due to its poor weather.

D．None of the attempts to climb it were made in winter.

3. What do we know about Jake Meyer?

A．He spent five days climbing K2.	B．He was the third man to reach the top of K2.
C．He failed twice in his attempt to climb K2.	D．He reached the summit of Broad Peak last week.

4. Where is the text probably taken from?

A．A story collection.	B．A newspaper report.
C．A research paper.	D．A personal diary.

10 . 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。

The Angkor Archeological Park,    1     (lie) in Northwest Cambodia’s Siem Reap province and listed as a World Heritage in 1992, is the most popular tourist destination in the kingdom. It is also home     2     91 ancient temples built between the 9th and the 13th century. Cambodia     3     (have) a significant rise in the number of Chinese holidaymakers to its     4     (fame) park during the past two months in a state-owned Angkor Enterprise’s report, in which     5     total of 235,850 foreigners from 169 countries and regions toured the ancient park, up 50 percent in the same period last year.

Officials hope that the 2024 Cambodia-China Exchange Year would help bring Chinese tourists to Cambodia, especially to the Angkor. “I’m super confident that this year will become a new     6     (rise) force to attract more Chinese tourists,” Tourism Minister Sok Soken addressed at the launching event. He also said China was the fifth     7     (large) source of international tourists to the Angkor after South Korea, the USA, France, and Britain,     8     presence has significantly benefited the kingdom’s tourism development, economic growth and poverty     9     (reduce). He believes that the Chinese-invested Angkor International Airport, which officially launched its commercial operations in November 2023, would help motivate more international     10     (invest) to pump in fresh capital.