1 . 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。

Last Sunday was the official birthday of the world’s oldest land animal. Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise(陆龟) living on the island of Saint Helena, turned 190 years old. The event     1    (celebrate) with a big party, which included a special “salad cake”.

Nobody knows for sure how old Jonathan is. But in 1882, he was brought     2     a gift to Sir William Grey-Wilson,     3     lived in Saint Helena. Pictures     4    (take) around that time show that Jonathan was already full-grown.

Since it takes about 50 years for Seychelles giant tortoises     5     (become) adults, animal experts say Jonathan must have been born around 1832. That’s earned him the Guinness World Record for the world’s oldest land animal. Joe Hollins, the veterinarian(兽医) who looks after Jonathan, says Jonathan is probably     6     (old) than 190, but there’s no way to know.

Mr. Hollins says the tortoise is     7    (general) pretty happy as long as he can sleep and eat. He likes to warm     8    (he) by sleeping in the sun.

Though Jonathan is still very active(for a tortoise), he does have some health problems. He’s blind,     9     he can no longer smell things, so he needs to be fed by hand. But he’s got a good appetite. His sense of hearing is also still strong. He     10    (recognize) Mr. Hollins’s voice and responds to it.

2 . In the vast desert plains of northwest Namibia, rhino (犀牛) trackers start a journey to monitor the desert-adapted black rhinos. These creatures, known for their poor eyesight, walk freely in this remote region.

Led by Sebulon Hoeb, the principal field office r of Save the Rhino Trust Namibia, the tracker carefully approach a grazing rhino named Matty 2. identified by his partner Ebson Mbunguha. Despite the windy conditions working in their favor, they maintain a safe distance, aware of the potential danger of encountering these massive animals.

Every day and night, devoted trackers and local community ranger s patrol (巡逻) the vast expanse of land, totaling 25, 000 square kilometers, where the desert-adapted black rhino thrives. Armed with extensive knowledge of the rhinos’ behaviors and characteristics, they carefully document their observations, contributing to conservation efforts and fighting poaching (偷猎), which remains a constant threat due to the high demand for rhino horns.

Despite challenges, Namibia’s community conservation model has succeeded in protecting the rhino population. By prioritizing the preservation of wildlife and ensuring local communities to benefit from their natural resources, Namibia has become a lighthouse of conservation efforts in Africa. Save the Rhino Trust, established in 1982, has played a vital role in this achievement, witnessing a remarkable recovery in the black rhino population.

The significance of community conservation is stressed by Namibia’s commitment to environmental protection, written in its constitution since gaining independence in 1990. With the establishment of shared conservancies covering over 20% of the country’s territory, Namibia has pioneered a sustainable approach that balances conservation with economic development.

For the rhino rangers who devote their lives to safeguarding these iconic creatures, the job is rewarding. Living under the vast southern sky, they bear weeks of tented living, braving the dangers of tracking rhinos on foot. Despite the challenges, their serious commitment ensures the continued survival of the desert-adapted black rhino, a testament to the power of community-driven conservation efforts in preserving Earth’s oldest mammals.

1. What is the primary role of the rhino trackers?

A．To relocate rhinos to other habitats.

B．To record the exact population of rhinos.

C．To offer rhinos food when necessary.

D．To learn about the current situation of rhinos.

2. What can be learned about the rhinos in Namibia?

A．They favor windy conditions.	B．They will go extinct.
C．They are easy to approach.	D．They can be violent.

3. Which best describes the conservation efforts in Namibia?

A．Limited.

B．Fruitful.

C．Inconsistent.

D．Unnoticed.

4. What’s the text mainly about?

A．The community-driven rhino conservation efforts.

B．The challenges facing rhino trackers in Namibia.

C．The history of rhino poaching in Africa.

D．The dangerous situation of rhinos.

3 . 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。

Nanxun Water Town

Located on the Hangjiahu Plain of the Yangtze River Delta, Nanxun Water Town was one of the     1     (rich) towns in China during the Qing Dynasty, largely due to its role in both the production and trade of silk. A few thousand years ago, China was the only place in the world     2     produced silk. Even after the country began to export the goods throughout the world via the Silk Road, the means of silk production remained a     3     (close) guarded secret.

In time, though, some other world powers got     4     (they) hands on some highly desired silk eggs. Though the secret was out, and China no longer maintained a monopoly (垄断) over global silk production, the wealthy continued to turn to China     5     high-end, luxury silk. The same holds true even today, with China still     6     (control) over three quarters of the world market.

Towns like Nanxun, as well as neighboring cities like Suzhou and Hangzhou, were, and still are, major silk production centers. They’re also strategically located close to China’s Grand Canal, the man-made 1,800 km waterway that stretches from Beijing all     7     way down to Hangzhou. During the Qing Dynasty, business was going     8     well that Nanxun Water Town was even home to some of the wealthiest and most powerful families in the entire country. These families were known as the “four elephants.” Their luxurious houses and gardens, most of which     9     (build) using a unique mixture of Chinese and Western architecture, are presently maintained by the town and open to     10     (visitor).

4 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What is Caroline Smith?

A．A zoo specialist.

B．A social worker.

C．A TV reporter.

2. What does Caroline talk about in the Kyrie Belle Show?

A．Recently extinct wildlife.

B．Latest campaigning activities.

C．Common misunderstandings of animals.

3. What does a monkey’s ear-to-ear smile suggest?

A．They are quite shy.

B．They feel at risk.

C．They are impatient.

4. Why does the speaker deliver the speech?

A．To advertise a national zoo.

B．To present a charity show.

C．To introduce a preservationist.

5 . 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。

Two giant pandas, Jinxi and Zhuyu,     1     (leave) for the Madrid Zoo in Spain next Monday for a 10-year residency, according to the China Wildlife Conservation Association on Wednesday. The panda couple come from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in southwest China’s Sichuan Province.

This action     2     (base) on the agreement on international conservation cooperation and research of giant pandas. It is     3     (further) the friendship of the two countries     4     (build) upon pandas. According to the reports, three Spain-born giant pandas, together with their parents, returned to China on February after living in Spain for more than a decade.

    5     all preparations made before transportation, the Chinese and Spanish sides are actively making efforts to ensure that the two giant pandas     6     (safe) arrive at Madrid Zoo. It will be helpful for them to adapt     7     the new environment.

According to the Xinhua News, the base has customized     8     special air transport cage to ensure that pandas can move freely, feed and rest inside the cage, and that the temperature inside the cabin is maintained at a     9     (suit) level. It is also arranged     10     a sufficient amount of fresh and high-quality local bamboo and bamboo shoots in Sichuan are prepared.

6 . Wild African elephants may break sleep records for mammals (哺乳动物). New data show that they seem to survive on about two hours of shut-eye a night. Much of that sleeping took place while they were standing up. The animals lie down to sleep only once every three to four nights.

Trying to figure out how much wild elephants sleep just by watching them 24 hours a day is tricky, especially in the dark. Much of what scientists had known about sleeping elephants came from animals living in zoos, notes Paul Manger, who is a brain researcher at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. In zoos, elephants have been recorded sleeping from about three hours to nearly seven during a 24-hour period. Using electronic monitors on African elephants in the wild, however, has turned up more extreme behavior.

Manger’s team implanted (植入) activity monitors in the trunks (象鼻) of two elephants. Both were female leaders of their herds in the Chobe National Park. Trunks, like human hands, are important for exploring the world. Elephants hardly keep them still — unless sleeping. The researchers thought that a trunk monitor that didn’t move for at least five minutes likely meant its host was asleep.

The monitors tracked the animals over about a month. During that time, the elephants averaged just two hours of sleep a day. What’s more, the elephants were able to skip a night’s sleep without needing extra rest the next day. Those trunk implants showed there were times when the elephants went up to 46 hours without any sleep.

There has been some thought that animals need sleep to store memories properly. But that can’t explain animals, like the elephants, which skip sleep for a night without needing catch-up rest later. “Elephants are usually not considered to be forgetful animals,” Manger observes. In fact, he notes, studies have found that they can have long memories.

1. How did the African elephants typically sleep according to the new study?

A．They stood up.	B．They walked around.
C．They grouped.	D．They kept eyes open.

2. Why did Manger’s team implant the trunk monitors?

A．To test a new tracker.	B．To help elephants fall asleep.
C．To train wild animals.	D．To study elephants’ sleep.

3. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．People always think elephants are forgetful animals.

B．A good night’s sleep benefits all the wildlife’s brains.

C．Little sleep doesn’t affect the memory of elephants.

D．Scientists can’t understand why sleep makes sense.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．Tips on watching wildlife.	B．Wild elephants’ sleep habit.
C．Efforts to protect wild elephants.	D．National nature reserves in Africa.

7 . As I stand in my favorite craft store, I’m faced with choices that mirror the world outside. You see, I love my foam (泡沫橡胶) board, which has foam inside and is sandwiched between two layers of paper or plastic. It’s easy to work with and affordable, but not friendly to the environment. Or take a look at the paintbrushes. The plastic handle brushes are cheap while the brushes with wooden handles cost a fair bit more.

Glues are the unsung heroes of my art, yet their plastic containers are far from eco-friendly. And don’t get me started on the packaging that these art supplies come in. It’s all plastic, and it’s a reminder that even in the art world, being green isn’t always easy.

As an artist, I’m not exactly rolling in profits. Most of what I earn goes right back into my materials, leaving little room for choosing green materials. Fresh out of university, I am still searching for a job. Since I currently don’t have a regular income, I’m living with my family to save costs and paying careful attention to what I can afford. But I also care deeply about climate change, since I’ve seen its impact and can’t bear the thought of it getting worse.

So, to reduce my personal impact on climate change while also living within my means, I make full use of my brushes until they’re on their last hair, and I’ve become a master at repurposing cardboard boxes and various packing materials. The firm plastic packaging that once housed my paints finds a second purpose as glass in my miniature (微型的) windows. The cardboard from those boxes’ serves as bases for a range of miniatures. I don’t waste a bit of foam board either; it’s kept for crafting mini-books for my sets.

It’s an ongoing process — a journey of give and take. While I try to reduce my ecological footprint, I am also learning to balance practicality while enjoying creating my own art.

1. What does the author find in the craft store?

A．Most materials aren’t as green as required.

B．It is difficult to buy cheap and green materials.

C．The prices of some green materials keep going up.

D．Her favorite green materials are always very popular.

2. What can we learn from paragraph 3?

A．The author is a struggling artist.	B．The author likes working at home.
C．The author mainly uses green materials.	D．The author creates art about climate change.

3. How does the author deal with her packing materials?

A．She sells them to buy books.	B．She exchanges them for paints.
C．She gives them to a recycling company.	D．She tries to reuse them in her artworks.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．My journey as a green artist	B．My expectations of a green artist
C．My experience of picking green materials	D．My exploration in crafting green artwork

8 . Blood may be thicker than water when it comes to human relationships and it appears that the same is true of jackdaws (寒鸦) after scientists found they readily switch friends to gain food but stick with family even at the risk of going hungry.

Alex Thornton, a professor of cognitive evolution, said, “We monitor hundreds of wild jackdaws, each of which is fitted with a tiny PIT tag like the chips (芯片) used for pet cats and dogs — embedded in (嵌入) a leg ring. In this experiment we randomly divided jackdaws into two groups — A or B — and programmed a pair of automated PIT tag-detecting devices to provide worms only if individuals from the same group(AA or BB) visited together.” If birds from different groups arrived together — A with B — the feeders would remain closed. Single birds would get grain, but not the more desirable worms.

Thornton said, “The idea was to find out if jackdaws could readjust their social associations. They might have friends in the wrong group. Do jackdaws ditch them and start to hang out with individuals who are in the right group? The jackdaws turned out to be very strategic, quickly learning to abandon friends from the other group so they could get the best rewards. However, they made an exception when it came to their close relations even if they got nothing. What we were able to do here was test the idea: can individuals keep track of the outcomes of past interactions and update their relationships? It turns out they can.”

Thornton said jackdaws were an excellent subject matter as they were clever and had dynamic social networks. “You’ve got individuals coming and going so beyond their strong relationships, and they have lots of other associations. They are similar to human society.” Michael Kings, of the University of Exeter, said, “These results help our understanding-of the evolution of intelligence as they show that being able to track and remember information about social partners can bring benefits.”

1. Which of the following matters most for jackdaws according to the experiment?

A．Their family.	B．Avoiding going hungry.
C．Staying away from risks.	D．Their friends.

2. What can be learned about the jackdaws in the experiment?

A．Jackdaws on their own got worms.	B．Jackdaws with their family got grain.
C．Jackdaws from the same group got worms.	D．Jackdaws from different groups got grain.

3. What does the underlined word “ditch” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Reward.

B．Abandon.

C．Destroy.

D．Believe.

4. What is the purpose of the last paragraph?

A．To encourage further research.	B．To give possible reasons for the results.
C．To explain the significance of the research.	D．To summarize the findings of the experiment.

9 . My family went to London for visiting specialists. The day before we _______ the ship, Father said goodbye gently to his five-year-old “friend”, an Australian cattle dog, Spider, who was loved by us all. Father’s friend Sandy kept him _______ while we were overseas.

Six weeks later, a _______ arrived from Sandy, giving my father the news that Spider had _______ just two weeks after we had sailed. I will always remember my father’s face _______ and his eyes filled with sadness as he read the letter. Sandy has _______ constantly on ABC radio and other local newspapers. _______ , the dog was never found later. Spider seemed to decide to _______ us elsewhere.

Finally, we made a _______. We sailed back and did everything that we could do ________ waiting. Several months passed but there was still no news concerning. My father took the ________ and kept looking for him.

One cold morning eight months after, my father had a call from an old lady who said she was putting food out “for a very old dog”. My father’s eyes were lighted up with ________. That was enough for my father to ________ immediately. When we arrived at the old lady’s house, she showed us the dog. It was Spider! My father did his special whistle (口哨) for Spider. “Woof!” he barked. Spider was capturing (捕捉) the ________ feeling that occurred when he first locked eyes with my father. To Spider, our ________ and love are the inspiration.

1.

A．sailed

B．parked

C．boarded

D．camped

2.

A．alive

B．away

C．accompanied

D．apart

3.

A．letter

B．story

C．service

D．test

4.

A．fallen ill

B．got stuck

C．lost life

D．run away

5.

A．confusing

B．shocking

C．moving

D．touching

6.

A．announced

B．advertised

C．posted

D．blogged

7.

A．Unfortunately

B．Luckily

C．Hopefully

D．Eventually

8.

A．attend to

B．take over

C．look around

D．search for

9.

A．decision

B．discussion

C．advice

D．plan

10.

A．as to

B．except for

C．instead of

D．due to

11.

A．lead

B．place

C．risk

D．pace

12.

A．silence

B．dissatisfaction

C．excitement

D．praise

13.

A．pulled up

B．drove off

C．stepped in

D．calmed down

14.

A．special

B．familiar

C．painful

D．empty

15.

A．expectation

B．creativity

C．generosity

D．determination

10 . Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic islands are remote, rocky and endlessly fascinating. The wildlife encounters are quietly breathtaking and the scenery is amazing. The chance to experience this special region on an adventure voyage is both an advantage and an inspiration, and now also an opportunity to give back by getting involved in scientific research.

Citizen science — where you help scientists collect data that feeds into important research projects — gathers valuable data for making informed decisions about urgent issues like climate change and wildlife conservation. “It gave the trip more purpose.” is in the words of one citizen scientist.

Becoming a citizen scientist is simple. All of our polar voyage partners operate citizen science programmes on their ships. Fun, interactive and informative, they are completely voluntary and no prior scientific knowledge is required. It’s about sharing new discoveries and deepening your connection to the natural world with small groups of like-minded people.

On a typical citizen science programme, you will usually be invited to participate in at least one session on most days. A typical day might involve a seabird count at 14:00 and a cloud survey at 18:00. Or you might be photographing whales and noting their unique markings. In addition, a citizen science coordinator (协调员) will arrange short lectures.

Take two examples from Polar Latitudes (the first to offer citizen science projects in the polar regions), and their ship the Seaventure: citizen scientists studying cloud formations in Antarctica have provided a great deal of information about how global warming is deeply impacting climate change. Just a few readings taken during the course of each voyage have resulted in a wealth of data. Thousands of whale tail photos taken by citizen scientists, meanwhile, provided data that was crucial to the creation of a 20,000-sq-km slow-down zone to reduce ship strikes.

There are often multiple chances to collaborate (协作) on different projects during your voyage and on-board citizen science coordinators will keep you posted on the projects you can participate in each day.

1. What is an adventure voyage in Antarctica now special for?

A．The chance to contribute to scientific studies.

B．The opportunity to experience wildlife encounters.

C．The possibility of visiting remote and rocky regions.

D．The availability of interactive entertaining programmes.

2. How can a visitor become a citizen scientist?

A．By presenting short lectures on the ship.	B．By passing a basic scientific knowledge test.
C．By making a citizen scientific research plan.	D．By volunteering to attend a citizen science project.

3. What is a typical activity for a citizen scientist during their voyage?

A．Conducting field experiments.	B．Analyzing historical weather data.
C．Organizing book sharing meetings.	D．Assisting with animal conservation efforts.

4. What does the last but one paragraph imply about citizen science programmes?

A．They require broad scientific knowledge.

B．They make a great difference to scientific research.

C．They are available on every voyage in the Antarctic.

D．They mainly focus on global warming and its impact.