1 . 根据课文内容及所给提示词的正确形式填空。

Matt is a primary school student who loves playing with little animals. One day, when he was on     1     (he) way to school, he saw a homeless cat sitting in a box. It was a black-and-white cat with bright eyes. The cat was so cute     2     Matt couldn’t help playing with it.

The longer Matt played with     3     (a/the) cat, the more he liked it. The little cat followed him as he left for school. Matt then decided     4     (take) the cat to school with him. He put the cat in his schoolbag     5     (and/but) went to school happily.

After Matt entered the class, he told some     6     (classmate) about the cat. As he opened the schoolbag to show them the cat, it suddenly jumped out and     7     (start) running around the classroom. It even jumped onto the teacher’s desk! Everyone in class was     8     (excited) than ever before. Just at that time, the teacher came in and caught the cat     9     (quick). Matt felt embarrassed and his face turned red.

To Matt’s surprise, the teacher came up to him     10     a smile, saying, “ Matt, it’s nice of you to lend a helping hand to homeless animals, but you are not allowed to take it to school.

2 . Four surprising ways algae (藻类) are driving innovation

Algae can be a double-edged sword. Increased human activity and climate change have caused explosions of algae populations in water bodies around the world sometimes choking entire ecosystems of sunlight and oxygen. Even though they are so closely associated with humanity’s negative impact on Earth, algae could also play key roles in helping fight pollution, viruses, and more.     1    

Filtering (过滤) water.

With microplastic pollution documented in almost all water bodies, a recent study shows that through absorption, algae can help filter microplastics out of water.     2    

Fueling air travel.

    3     Researchers at a German algae cultivation facility are already using it to fuel drones. They believe this and other sustainable fuels could reduce carbon emissions from airplanes by up to 80 percent.

Fighting viruses.

Red algae can prevent the replication (复制) of some viruses, including COVID-19, according to a 2020 study.     4     Thus, it could become a powerful medication to treat HIV, the virus that causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes (AIDS).

    5    

In 2019, freshwater algae were launched into space to turn the carbon dioxide exhaled (呼出) by astronauts on the International Space Station into oxygen. Since algae are also high in protein, they could replace up to 30 percent of astronaut food in the future.

A．Making space food more nutritious.

B．Making long-term space travel possible.

C．These are several ways algae are solving modern problems.

D．Some algae can also filter chemicals that can be used in fertilizers.

E．Brown algae have been shown to stimulate the body’s immune system.

F．Algae can produce more effective biofuels than traditional sources like soybeans.

G．It aims to harvest algae for energy while keeping the environment pollution-free.

3 . Al Larson, also known as “The Bluebird Man”, first began his labor of love after he read an article that described how building birdhouses could help to control their falling populations. After seeing a bluebird going in and out of a dead tree in his yard, Larson became inspired to start setting up little boxes that could serve as nests (鸟窝) for bluebirds.

What started as a hobby in his retirement turned into a full-time effort — and after almost forty years of devotion, he has recorded over 30,000 bluebirds, thanks to the 350 birdhouses that he has built across southwest Idaho. He often travels over 5,000 miles to check on all of his boxes during the summer nesting season.

Since bluebirds live in dead or nearly-dead trees, their population began to drop after the invention of the electric chainsaw (链锯) in the early 1900s, which made it easier for homeowners to remove their dead trees. In addition to having their habitats destroyed, the use of pesticides (杀虫剂) caused an uncertain future for the bluebirds of Idaho. But the efforts of Larson have shown us that if we take a moment to understand the needs of a species, we’ll find a way to deal with the problem. Though he is nearing the age of 97, Larson shows no signs of slowing down. Also, his inspiring story has been turned into a documentary Bluebird Man.

“Al is a living example of how much one person can achieve when they set their mind on a task. But he’s also an example of the benefits that a project like this can have for people,” filmmaker Matthew Podolsky said. “Bluebirds have given meaning to Al’s life, and they are truly the secret to his long life.”

1. Why is Al famous as “The Bluebird Man”?

A．He likes observing bluebirds.

B．He often feeds food to bluebirds.

C．He set up many boxes for bluebirds.

D．He made the documentary Bluebird Man.

2. Where do bluebirds usually make their nests?

A．In dead trees.	B．In Al’s house.
C．In gardens.	D．In boxes.

3. Which is the one of the reasons that caused the population of bluebird to drop?

A．The government controlled the populations of bluebirds.

B．The nests for bluebirds was destroyed by people.

C．Bluebirds lived in dead trees and were short of food.

D．Their habitats have been destroyed and people often used pesticides.

4. Which saying can best describe Al’s story?

A．Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.

B．The roses in her hand, the flavor in mine.

C．One is never too old to learn.

D．All roads lead to Rome.

4 . Since we’ve known about some cute animals, what about animals which aren’t so cute?

My favourite is a little creature called the Tasmanian devil. If you are out camping in Tasmania and come across one, the experience might scare you! Tasmanian devils hunt at night, so you won’t usually see them, but you may hear their loud cries when they are fighting or eating. The noise they make could wake the dead. Frightening! They are about the size of small dogs and look like rather large black rats. They also have a terrible smell! Their diet is mostly dead animals. Fortunately, despite their name, they are generally not violent towards people.

Australia also has some animals that many people have never heard of, for example, the duck-billed platypus. Is that some kind of bird? Not at all. While it may lay eggs in a nest like a bird, it’s really a primitive mammal, with a unique biology. Its eggs hatch after about ten days, and then the baby platypus nurses from its mother like all other mammals. Its nose looks like a duck’s bill, and it has feet like a duck’s so it can dive under the water, but it’s covered in hair. Do you know what’s really strange about a platypus? The platypus doesn’t use its senses of sight or smell to find food. It has a capacity to find food in the water by using electrical sensors in its bill. There are only a small handful of animals in the world that can do that!

1. What two things about Tasmanian devils can bother people most?

A．Their diet and violent behaviors.

B．Their loud noise and terrible smell.

C．They like fighting and are hard to hunt.

D．Their ugly appearance and terrible smell.

2. What do Tasmanian devils like to eat?

A．Small dogs

B．Large rats.

C．Dead animals.

D．Violent animals.

3. What makes the way duck-billed platypuses give birth so different from other mammals?

A．It lay eggs like a bird.	B．It nurses from its mother.
C．It can dive under the water.	D．Its eggs hatch after 10 days.

4. What is the unique way used by duck-billed platypuses to find food?

A．By using electrical sensors.	B．By using its senses of sight.
C．By using its senses of smell.	D．By hanging out in the water.

5 . Tiny, black-capped chickadees (北美山雀) have big memories. They store food in hundreds to thousands of different locations in the wild—and then come back to these places when other food sources are low.

Scientists have known that chickadees have incredible memory skills. That memory can be a matter of life or death for these birds when there are no enough food resources in colder months.

Some researchers thought that neurons called place cells (细胞) would explain these birds’ ability to remember where their food is stored. These cells are known to include information about where things are in space. But recently, Selmaan Chettih and his team found that each time a chickadee hides a seed (种子) in a specific location, a unique brain pattern appears—separate from place cells.

To observe this, Chettih and his team created special areas with lots of feeders filled with sunflower seeds. They put small flaps (片状下垂物) where birds could hide seeds.

The scientists tracked the activity in their brains. Each time a bird hid a seed under a flap, researchers saw a brief unique brain pattern appear—what they called the bar code. Different patterns appeared even if the birds hid many seeds in the same location. When the birds revisited these sites and retrieved the hidden seeds, the same bar code-like pattern appeared again, as though all the information about each location and seed were related to a unique brain pattern.

The researchers compared these memories to episodic memories in humans, which are memories of specific events or personal experiences. They’re important to how humans connect time, people, places and sensory information together.

Chettih says that this seed-hiding behavior has a clear pattern of activity, which may help researchers build a structure for how the brain creates and stores memories.

1. Why are memory skills necessary for chickadees?

A．Memory skills show their intelligence and learning abilities.

B．Memory skills can help them survive in colder months.

C．They need memory skills to identify different types of food.

D．They use memory skills to avoid being attacked by other animals.

2. What did Chettih and his team find?

A．Unique brain patterns appeared when chickadees hid seeds.

B．Chickadees’ memories were controlled by place cells.

C．Chickadees preferred hiding sunflower seeds.

D．Chickadees often hid many seeds in the same location.

3. What does the underlined word “retrieved” mean in paragraph 5?

A．Got back.

B．Gave up.

C．Repaired.

D．Designed

4. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To compare chickadees and human memory skills.

B．To present a detailed description of chickadees.

C．To introduce a study on chickadees’ memory.

D．To provide readers with a way to improve memory skills.

6 . As the weather warms up, turtles (乌龟) are on the move, especially females, who may be looking for a place to nest.     1    . In some areas, turtle habitats are entirely surrounded by roads, meaning that these creatures are at an even higher risk of vehicle collision (碰撞). The creatures need all the help they can get when crossing a road. Volunteers at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) recommend the following.

Pick up small turtles

    2    . You can gently hold their shell with both hands between their front and back legs and carry them across the road. Please don’t pick up them by their tails.

Take extra care with large turtles

Large turtles should be touched as little as possible. They can be gently encouraged into a cat or dog carrier.     3    .

Don’t assume a turtle is dead

Never assume that a turtle who has been hit by a car is dead. As PETA explains, turtles can suffer for weeks before dying.     4    . Test for a reaction by pinching (捏) a back to e or gently touching the corner of an eyelid. Injured turtles should be transported to a vet clinic right away.

    5    

So you’ve got an injured animal? Head to the website Animal Help Now and type in your location and type of wildlife emergency, and they will direct you to the nearest wildlife rehabilitator (康复员).

A．Find the nearest wildlife help

B．Pull over safely to a safe location

C．But turtles may not survive humankind

D．Smaller turtles can be picked up with both hands

E．Even if the shell is broken, the turtle may still need your help

F．Unfortunately, that place may very well be on the other side of a road

G．They can also be encouraged onto a flat surface that can be moved a short distance

7 . Beneath the blue waters of Trinidad and Tobago, plastic pollution is causing serious damage to marine ecosystems. Every year, over 88,600 tonnes of plastic waste is deposited(沉积)into the ocean around the Caribbean nation, harming marine life and impacting human health.

A new app is aiming to help young people in Trinidad and Tobago, along with other small island developing states, battle against the damage done by plastic pollution. Called Tide Turners, the app was developed by the United Nations Environment Programme with the help of young people. It challenges users to record their plastics consumption and develop an action plan to reduce their use of plastics. It also encourages young people to switch to reusable products and go plastic-free where possible: lifestyle changes that experts say can help stop the flow of plastic into the world’s oceans.

Reducing plastic pollution will take a joint effort from governments, businesses and, especially, youth. Children account for around 30 percent of the population in small island developing states in the Caribbean.

To tackle the plastic pollution challenge, the new app builds on UNEP’s Tide Turners Plastic Challenge Badge, which has so far engaged more than 500,000 young people in youth groups. Along with calling on youth to use less plastic, it encourages them to start campaigns and raise awareness about the dangers of plastic pollution.

In Trinidad and Tobago, Sarah Sobrian, who tested an early version of the app and advised on its development, is keen to get started. “The Tide Turners app is an incredible tool that educates and empowers us to change the situation we face,” she says. “I am incredibly eager to be a part of this and share this experience with those in my life. With this app, we can and will work together to create the impact that we have long wanted to see.”

1. What is the purpose of the Tide Turners app?

A．To help youths to fight against plastic pollution.

B．To track marine life populations in the Caribbean.

C．To help the young to develop the small island states.

D．To encourage businesses to switch to plastic-free packaging.

2. Why is the participation of young people particularly important?

A．They have more free time than adults.

B．They have access to funding the new app.

C．They are the main contributors to plastic waste.

D．They make up about one-third of the population.

3. What is Sarah Sobrian’s attitude towards the app?

A．Suspicious.

B．Favorable.

C．Indifferent.

D．Objective.

4. What’s the main idea of the text?

A．A new app can turn the situation around.

B．Plastic pollution is a serious threat to marine ecosystems.

C．Governments make great efforts to reduce plastic pollution.

D．Trinidad and Tobago are suffering from serious plastic pollution.

8 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. Who made the speaker interested in insects?

A．His father.

B．His schoolmates.

C．His teacher.

2. What did the speaker use to name butterflies?

A．Diaries.

B．Posters.

C．Paper.

3. What gave the speaker a surprise?

A．A blue butterfly.

B．White butterflies.

C．Many other insects.

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 . 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。

Australia has lots of unique animals, but which animal is a symbol of the country? It has to be the kangaroo, as it has a wide distribution throughout the country. It’s     1     tough animal that has to survive in a difficult environment. Baby kangaroos weigh only two grammes     2     birth. They then find their way into their mother’s pouch to stay safe and warm. After they learn to jump, they     3     (gradual) spend less time with their mother and learn     4    (be) independent. Kangaroos can hit and kick very hard,so if you see some kangaroos, remember they ‘re not for petting!

Another unique animal in Australia is koala. Koalas are really quite cute, but the truth is, they are very sensitive creatures who can easily panic because of even small changes in their environment. They spend quite a lot of time     5    (eat), sleeping, and hanging onto tree     6    (trunk), so interaction with humans can cause them a lot of stress. Because of this, the government began to make laws against touching koalas.     7     you want to hold a koala, you have to go to certain licensed zoos     8     animal experts make sure that the koalas     9    (select) for each session are in a good state for human contact and that they     10    (handle) for only a limited time and on a limited frequency of occasions.