Sam was a junior high school student. He lived in a community in Charlotte and usually had little exposure to country life. So much of what he knew about plants came from text-books. Sam was a kind-hearted person. He longed for a chance to explore nature and he wanted to do his part to beautify the world.
Finally, the opportunity came. On Arbor Day (植树节), his class organized a trip to a local village to plant trees. Sam was excited about it and couldn’t wait to tell his mom the good news. So the next day, Sam and his mom went to buy some tools for planting trees, including a shovel(铲), a bucket, gloves and so on.
On the day of the event, Sam and his classmates arrived early at the starting point. It was a beautiful day and everyone looked particularly happy. With the tools in hand, Sam got into the bus with everyone else and headed off to their destination.
As soon as they reached the village, all the students were divided into three teams by their teacher. One team was responsible for planting the trees, one team for shovelling the soil and one team for watering the trees. At the teacher’s command, everyone started to do their job.
However, it was the first time that many of the students had taken part in planting trees, so they had no idea about how to start. Of course, Sam was one of them. Fortunately, their teacher was a middle-aged man from the countryside who had some knowledge of planting trees. In order to set an example to the students, the teacher started to plant trees himself. After watching the teacher plant the trees, everyone also became busy. Before long, they planted hundreds of trees. Sam watched very carefully, not wanting to miss any of the details. Finally, Sam learned how to plant trees by himself and felt happy.
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。
A few days later, a storm damaged some young trees in the community.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The neighbours praised Sam for what he had done.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2 . For children, space is magical — a whole world is out there, with so many things to learn and stories to read. Here are some children’s books about space and the solar system.
Mae among the Stars by Stasia Burrington
This beautifully illustrated picture book is attractive to young kids. It was inspired by the first African American woman in space, Mae Jemison. It tells the story of Mae as a little girl, who always knew she had big dreams about space. This is a great addition to a young kid’s collection, as a reminder to hold tight to dreams and never give up.
Space by Libby Jackson
This beautifully illustrated book gives kids a look at 50 women from around the world who were involved in exploring space in some way, from the 19th century to the present day. This is a perfect gift for young kids who want to know more about some of the lesser-known scientific achievements related to space exploration.
Chasing Space by Leland Melvin
This is Melvin’s story about being a football player-turned-astronaut, along with his recovery from an injury that nearly left him deaf. Kids will love reading his story about how he faced challenges and advanced ahead, and he also includes DIY experiments for kids to try, and a section of full-color photographs.
System and Beyond by David A. Aguilar
The book is full of beautiful illustrations of space, and is perfect for kids of all ages, exploring various planets and the solar system. Unlike other kids’ space book, this is a National Geographic book written and illustrated by an award-winning astronomer and space artist. Aguilar is also the former Director of Science Information and Public Outreach at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
1. What do Mae among the Stars and Space have in common?| A．They include less-known astronauts. | B．They tell about scientists’ childhood. |
| C．They cover women exploring space. | D．They are suitable for children of all ages. |
| A．Stasia Burrington’s. | B．Libby Jackson’s. |
| C．Leland Melvin’s. | D．David A. Aguilar’s. |
| A．It has beautiful pictures. | B．It tells about space artists. |
| C．It has won many grand awards. | D．It was written by an astronomer. |
Recently, Guangzhou has successfully hosted the “Understanding China” International Conference 2023, the 5th World Media Summit, and other significant events, once again highlighting its role as
Economy is another crucial aspect in understanding China. In recent years, Guangzhou has
Connecting with the world also requires a highly
Guangzhou’s openness, inclusiveness, vitality, and innovative spirit make it an ideal choice for hosting international events, which, in turn,
The city of Zibo has never seen so many visitors.
As the sun begins to set, the aroma of sizzling meat falls the air and draws in more
The city was barely known by outsiders
Zibo- style barbecue’s classic three-piece set contains roast lamb, green onions, and nan bread, which,
Behind Zibo’s sudden fame
To promote Zibo-style barbecue, Zibo has launched two dozen “special barbecue trains,” where local tourism officials would serve tourists
5 . In shallow coastal waters of the Indian ocean, Dugong, a kind of sea cow, is in trouble. Environmental problems pose such a major threat to its survival that the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) upgraded the species’ extinction risk status(地位)to vulnerable (脆弱的).
Much worse, Dugongs are at risk of losing the protection of the Torres Strait Islanders, who have looked after them historically, hunting them for food sustainably and monitoring their numbers. These native people keep their biodiversity, and have deep knowledge about their environment. But these people are also threatened, in part because rising sea levels are making it difficult for them to live there.
This situation isn’t unique to Dugongs. A global analysis of 385 culturally important plant and animal species found 68 percent were both biologically vulnerable and at risk of losing their cultural protection.
The findings clearly illustrate that biology shouldn’t be the primary factor in shaping conservation policy,says anthropologist Victoria Reyes-García.When a culture declines,the species that are important to that culture are also threatened.“Lots of conservationists think we need to separate people from nature,” says Reyes-García. “But that strategy misses the caring relationship many cultural groups have with nature.”
One way to help shift conservation efforts is to give species a “bio-cultural status,”which would provide a fuller picture of their vulnerability. In the study, the team used a new way to determine a species’ risk of disappearing: the more a cultural group’s language use declines, the more that culture is threatened.The more a culture is threatened, the more culturally vulnerable its important species are. Researchers then combined a species’ cultural and biological vulnerability to arrive at its bio-cultural status. In the Dugong’s case, its bio-cultural status is endangered, meaning it is more at risk than its IUCN categorization suggests.
This new approach to conservation involves people that have historically cared for them. It can highlight when communities need support to continue their care. Scientists hope it will bring more efforts that recognize local communities’ rights and encourage their participation-taking advantage of humans’ connection with nature instead of creating more separation.
1. What is the relationship between the native people and Dugongs?| A．The native people help conserve Dugongs. |
| B．The native people train Dugongs to survive. |
| C．Dugongs ruin the native people’s environment. |
| D．Dugongs force the native people to leave home. |
| A．The protection policy is used incorrectly. |
| B．Culture is connected to species’ existence. |
| C．Many groups take good care of each other. |
| D．Conservationists prefer nature over people. |
| A．It involves more preservation efforts. |
| B．It relies on the IUCN’s classification. |
| C．It highlights the effect of human languages. |
| D．It assesses the biological influence of a species. |
| A．Conservative. |
| B．Favourable. |
| C．Critical. |
| D．Ambiguous. |
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a health care system in which patients
According to the World Health Organization, nearly 80 percent of the world's population depends for its primary health care needs
Increasingly, however, modern medicines also contain substances from animals and plants. Given growing populations, increasing wealth, and the spreading
The Grand Canal is the oldest and longest man-made waterway in the world with a history of more than 2,500 years,
The canal
In 2014, it was listed as a UNESCO world heritage site. In 2019 China issued a plan
8 . The suburb I live in backs on to a large nature reserve. One morning I saw a koala (考拉) sitting in a palm tree in my front yard. I phoned around to ask what I could
I’ve always been befriending animals. As a young kid I used to pick up lizard eggs and
Once I had accreditation (合格证), I volunteered with the RSPCA in 2014, rehabilitating (使康复) wildlife. I was an ambulance driver,
One day, I thought why not
I cut the leaves of the eucalyptus trees for the koalas to eat and look after the
As a kid I would never have imagined doing this. I feel like I’m the
| A．learn from | B．do about | C．require of | D．save for |
| A．kicking | B．shooting | C．coaching | D．blowing |
| A．together | B．illegally | C．angrily | D．guiltily |
| A．roll | B．sell | C．break | D．hatch |
| A．rescue | B．admire | C．purchase | D．identify |
| A．courses | B．races | C．fairs | D．shows |
| A．watching | B．attending | C．recording | D．assessing |
| A．made out | B．ran across | C．gave up | D．cared for |
| A．leave | B．start | C．dismiss | D．advertise |
| A．house | B．hunt | C．train | D．amuse |
| A．confuse | B．direct | C．feed | D．test |
| A．aggressive | B．hungry | C．deserted | D．injured |
| A．sold | B．released | C．thrown | D．dragged |
| A．quietest | B．greediest | C．noisiest | D．luckiest |
| A．guess | B．calling | C．treat | D．fault |
9 . African penguins live on the rocky coasts of South Africa, Namibia and nearby islands. Like other types of penguins, the birds have white feathers covering their chests and black feathers covering their backs. They form lifelong pair bonds with mates, but they nest in huge colonies — so, scientists wondered how the birds were able to identify their partners among the sea of black-and-white birds. They wondered if their chest spots had something to do with it. To test this theory, they studied 12 African penguins at a zoo and marine park near Rome called Zoomarine Italia.
In one test, they hung two life-size photographs of the African penguins. One showed a random member of the colony, while the other showed the test subject’s mate. The scientists recorded the birds’ interactions with the photos: How long did they spend looking at each one, as well as how much time did they spend standing near each photograph? The penguins spent more time gazing at the photo of their partners — about 23 seconds longer, on average — than looking at the other photo. They also stood next to the image of their beau s for twice as long. Then, the researchers covered up the heads of the birds in the photographs, leaving only their speckled bodies visible, and the penguins still lingered near their partners’ portraits.
In another experiment, the researchers hung up two photos of a bird’s mate — but, in one, they had digitally removed its spots. In this case, the penguin again spent more time looking at the photo with the dots.
Finally, the researchers posted two photographs of penguins with digitally removed spots — one of the test subject’s mate and the other of a random penguin from the colony. In this scenario, the penguins did not appear to recognize their partners. They spent roughly the same amount of time gazing at or standing near both photos.
Together, the results of these experiments suggest African penguins are zeroing in on their partners’ spots and using them like name tags, scientists say.
“Our results provide the first evidence of a specific visual cue responsible for spontaneous individual recognition by a bird and highlight the importance of considering all sensory modalities in the study of animal communication,” the researchers write in the paper.
1. What can we learn from Paragraph 1?| A．African penguins live on the rocky coasts of North Africa. |
| B．Scientists are curious about the African penguins. |
| C．African penguins have white feathers covering their backs. |
| D．Scientists studied 12 African penguins only at a zoo near Rome. |
| A．Their partners’ voice. | B．Their partners’ heads. |
| C．Their partners’ back feathers. | D．Their partners’ speckled bodies. |
| A．Losing sight of. | B．Taking delight in. |
| C．Paying attention to. | D．Speaking highly of. |
| A．In a science report. | B．In a travel brochure. |
| C．In a biology textbook. | D．In a fashion magazine. |
10 . A good conversation should proceed like a tennis match: players each take turns responding, knowing instinctively (本能) when to speak and when to listen. This kind of complicated and back-and-forth talk is often considered to be possessed only by humans. However, according to a recent study, animals also seem to know when to speak and when to listen.
The study involved over 300 animals including birds, mammals (哺乳动物), insects, and frogs which practice turn-taking behavior. These animals alternate their call and response in a similar way humans communicate. Monkeys, for example, often exchange calls to locate each other in the wild and figure out whether they know one another.
While forms of communication are mostly sound-based, several species have more creative forms of viewable communication. Baby monkeys let their parents know they want to be carried with arm gestures, while birds, insects and frogs can get their messages across through colorful displays.
Kobin Kendrick, the main co-author on the study, says that making comparisons among animals that take turns when communicating can give us a better understanding of how this feature evolved in humans and our ancestors. “We know very little about the evolution and origin of the human language, so any possibility of gaining insight into it is worth going after,” he says.
Additionally, while the idea of turn-taking might bring to mind a picture of orderly, well-mannered animals, Kendrick stresses that this isn’t always the case. Owl (猫头鹰) chicks may try to outdo each other by making louder sounds in an effort to attract favor from their mothers during feeding. “This can be seen as an exception to the rule, highlighting the importance of turn-taking in general,” says Kendrick.
One problem with the study is that researchers themselves don’t know how to communicate with others outside their particular species of interest. Kendrick stresses another goal of the study is to create a wider framework that can bring together all the different researches on turn-taking, allowing scientists to conduct more cross-species comparisons. “We all believe strongly these fields can benefit from each other, and we hope the study will drive more crosstalk between humans and animals in the future,” says Kendrick.
1. What can we learn about the turn-taking behavior?| A．It is a unique human quality. |
| B．It is an acquired athletic skill. |
| C．It occurs between familiar relations. |
| D．It features complexity and interaction. |
| A．Frogs show skin colors. |
| B．Bees release smells. |
| C．Eagles scream in the sky. |
| D．Monkeys exchange calls. |
| A．To propose a definition. |
| B．To give a contrast. |
| C．To present an argument. |
| D．To make a prediction. |
| A．Research budget. |
| B．Research range. |
| C．Research frequency. |
| D．Research background. |
