1 . Personality has been described in all sorts of animal species. Some are shy while others are active. Now a new study suggests experts can reliably measure animal personality simply from the way animals move, and that the method could be used to help scientists and mathematicians from Swansea University and the University of Essex filmed the movements of 15 three-spined stickleback fish (三刺鱼) swimming in a tank which contained two ,three or five plastic plants in fixed positions. Using the high-resolution tracking data from video recordings, the team measured how long and how often the fish turned, and how long they stopped and started moving.
The data showed that each fish’s movements were very different, and that these differences were highly repeatable—so mush so that the researchers could identify a fish just from its movement data.
Dr Ines Furthbauerm, a co-author of the study from Swansea University, said, “These personalities in fish are like signatures—different and unique to an individual. We found the fish’s signatures were the same when we made simple changes to the fish tanks, such as adding additional plants. However, it is possible that these signatures change gradually over an animal’s lifetime, or suddenly if an animal meets something new or unexpected in its environment. Tracking animals’ movements over longer periods and in the wild will give us this sort of insight and help us better understand not only personality but also how flexible an animal’s behavior is.”
Dr Andrew King, lead author from Swansea University, said, “The research is significant because it suggest we might be able to quantify personality differences in wild animals.
1. What did the research team do to the fish?| A．They kept measuring their sizes. | B．They fed them with real plants. |
| C．They recorded their movements. | D．They put them in different tanks. |
| A．They remained relatively stable. | B．They changed easily accordingly. |
| C．They proved difficult to detect. | D．They were the same as others’. |
| A．Positive. | B．Disapproving. |
| C．Conservative. | D．Unclear. |
| A．Personality Determines Movements. | B．How Animals Move Seems Similar. |
| C．Personality Is Not a Secret. | D．Animals’ Movements Tell Personality. |
2 . Thanks to the 1999 Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, 26 endangered species in Australia have seen their populations recover.
It seems like that we're always hearing about new animals that have become endangered, but there's some good news in Australia: 26 animal species no longer meet the criteria to be listed as threatened. Australia’s biodiversity has been in decline, with more than 1, 700 species and ecological communities known to be on the line. In 1999, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act was passed to introduce protections for endangered animals. The burrowing bettong is one of 26 Australian species that have returned from the edge of extinction.
Seemingly these are working, as a recent study published in the journal Biological Conservation reviewed the animals that were previously or currently listed as threatened between 2000 and December 2022, and discovered that 26 species had recovered to no longer meet the criteria. Species that have seen improvement include the charmingly named burrowing bettong, the golden bandicoot and the bulloo grey grasswren.
Factors behind this improvement include habitat management, control of introduced predators (捕食者) and translocation of endangered animals to predator-free islands. However, the species have not been officially delisted at this time. The EPBC Act only allows species to be delisted if doing so will not have a negative effect on their survival, and researchers believe that conservation gains could be lost should management efforts be stopped.
Dr Michelle Ward, a conservation scientist at WWF Australia, told The Guardian, “The key problem with delisting species is that then they no longer have monitoring and no longer need certain funding plans.”
However, it is promising that researchers have found signs of improvement. Hopefully this will continue among these and other species!
1. What do the underlined words “on the line” in paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Out of place. | B．At risk. |
| C．Under control. | D．On the increase. |
| A．Some animals are facing extinction. |
| B．Burrowing bettong is a charming species. |
| C．The criteria to be delisted were hard to meet. |
| D．26 endangered species’ populations are recovering. |
| A．their living situation is severe | B．the delisting consequences are uncertain |
| C．the conservation gains are short | D．the habitat management level is poor |
| A．Unconcerned. | B．Doubtful. | C．Positive. | D．Worried. |
3 . For generations, Nafisa Bayniyazova and her family have made a living growing melons, pumpkins and tomatoes on farms around the Aral Sea. Bayniyazova, 50, has spent most of her life near Muynak, in northwestern Uzbekistan, tending the land. Farm life was sometimes difficult but generally reliable and productive.
Now, Bayniyazova and other residents say they’re facing a disaster they can’t beat: climate change, which is speeding up the decades-long disappearance of the Aral, once the lifeblood for the thousands living around it.
Decades ago, deep blue and filled with fish, the Aral was one of the world’s largest inland bodies of water. Thousands of migrants from across Asia and Europe moved to the Aral’s shores for jobs popping up everywhere from canning factories to luxury vacation resorts. Today, the few remaining towns sit quiet along the former seabed of the Aral—technically classified as a lake, due to its lack of a direct outlet to the ocean, though residents and officials call it a sea.
Much of its early disappearance is due to human engineering and agricultural projects gone wrong, now paired with climate change. Summers are hotter and longer; winters, shorter and bitterly cold.
Without the moderating influence of a large body of water to regulate the climate, dust storms began to blow through towns. Strong winds caused dunes (沙丘) to swallow entire towns, and abandoned buildings were filled with sand. A dozen fish species went extinct, and businesses closed down. “The fish factories closed, the ships were stuck in the harbor, and the workers all left,” said Madi Zhasekenov, former director of the Aral Sea Fisherman Museum in Aralsk, Kazakhstan. “It became only us locals.”
On her Uzbekistan farm, Bayniyazova’s family has dug an earthen well, hoping to hold on to the precious little water that’s left. “If there is no water, it will be very difficult for people to live,” Bayniyazova said. “Now people are barely surviving.” She doesn’t plan to leave her farm but yet knows more hardships are likely ahead.
1. How is paragraph 3 developed?| A．By reasoning. | B．By making comparison. |
| C．By experimenting. | D．By analyzing data. |
| A．The number of fish in the Aral Sea is increasing. |
| B．Madi Zhasekenov feels hopeful about his future. |
| C．Local people around the Aral have lost their livelihoods. |
| D．Madi Zhasekenov has adapted to the changing climate. |
| A．Ashamed. | B．Worried. | C．Relieved. | D．Embarrassed. |
| A．The Importance of the Aral Sea |
| B．How to Deal With the Aral Sea Disaster |
| C．We Will Face the Challenge of Adapting to Climate Change |
| D．Climate Change Is Quickening the Disappearance of the Aral Sea |
4 . Shop Sustainably
If you have to name one thing that contributes most to your ecological footprints, you may say the energy you use at home, or your car’s emissions.
●
●Avoid unnecessary packing. Buy loose fruit and vegetables instead of pre-packaged produce, and avoid products that contain multiple single packages or double packaging, like grain in a box and a bag. Consider switching from tea bags and coffee pods to tea leaves and ground coffee.
●Go organic when you can. In addition to the benefit organic farming has to insect biodiversity, it’s also considered more sustainable and better for the environment.
●Buy seasonal and native products.
| A．Take reusable grocery bags. |
| B．Select single-use plastic bags. |
| C．It supports local farmers and food producers. |
| D．You can also refill your own containers with loose-packed food. |
| E．When buying organic products, look for those officially certified. |
| F．But it’s what we eat that accounts for up to 60% of our personal demand. |
| G．You’ll find it convenient whenever you buy tea or coffee in the supermarket. |
5 . Finally, in March of 1703, the Adventure set sail for India. The winds were good until we got near Madagascar, an island off the east coast of Africa. Then a strong wind began to blow. We were trapped in the wind for twenty days. After many hours, the wind finally stopped and the sea became quieter. The storm had blown the Adventure hundreds of kilometers to the east.
“Where are we?” I asked the captain.
“I can’t tell for sure.” He said, “we are running out of water. We must reach land soon to fill our water barrels (桶).” Many days passed and we saw nothing but the sea. One morning, before everyone died of thirst, a sailor cried out, “Land!” Everyone on the ship was silent for a second. And quickly the ship sailed closer to the land. The sailors suddenly became turnultuous and all cheered.
“You men,” said the captain to the sailors, “take the rowboats and go. Fill the water barrels with fresh water.”
“Captain,” I said, “may I go with them to take a look at this place?”
“Of course,” he replied. “You can tell me later what it is like.”
When the rowboats reached the coast, one of the sailors said, “we will have to walk along the coast to look for fresh water.”
“I’m going to take a little walk,” I told them. “I will meet you back here in an hour.”
I walked about a kilometer, enjoying being on land again. Then I turned and walked back to meet the sailors.
When I arrived on the beach, the sailors were not there. They were in the rowboats, rowing as fast as they could toward the Adventure. I was going to shout out to them when I saw a very huge man walking through the sea. I was trying to catch up with the rowboats. The sailors were almost at the ship, and I could see that the huge man would not be able to catch them. Instead, it was coming towards me. Great fear went through my mind.
1. What happened when they got near the east coast of Africa?| A．They decided to set sail for India. | B．The captain lost his sense of direction. |
| C．A storm came and blew the ship heavily. | D．The captain couldn’t tell where they were. |
| A．sad | B．excited | C．bored | D．relaxed |
| A．Because he planned to help get fresh water for everyone. |
| B．Because he got tired of travelling and decided to live on the land. |
| C．Because he wanted to take a walk and look around. |
| D．Because he was looking for the huge man on the land. |
| A．The writer saw the sailors were caught by the huge man. |
| B．The sailors failed to get on the ship because it was too far away |
| C．The writer tried to run away as fast as possible. |
| D．The huge man caught the captain and controlled the ship. |
1. What will the weather be like later today?
| A．Rainy. | B．Cloudy. | C．Windy. |
| A．10°C. | B．18° | C．C. 28°C. |
| A．Take an umbrella. | B．Follow the forecast. | C．Put on more clothes. |
1. Why did Miriam’s uncle give her some money?
| A．To pay for her school tuition. |
| B．To celebrate her birthday. |
| C．To reward her for her kindness. |
| A．It inspired Miriam and her mother to visit Africa. |
| B．It tells the abuse of elephants in Thailand. |
| C．It is about a boy’s campaign to save elephants. |
| A．By teaching people to make clay elephants. |
| B．By drawing pictures about elephants. |
| C．By making and selling baked goods. |
| A．She’s a teacher. |
| B．She’s an animal doctor. |
| C．She’s an artist. |
8 . Birders get nervous when they see landscapes covered in wind turbines (涡轮机). When the wind gets going, their blades (叶片) can turn around at well over 200km per hour. It is easy to imagine careless birds getting cut into pieces and wind turbines do indeed kill at least some birds. But a new analysis of American data suggests the numbers are negligible, and have little impact on bird populations.
Erik Katovich, an economist at the University of Geneva, made use of the Christmas BirdCount, a citizen-science project run by the National Audubon Society. Volunteers count birds they spot over Christmas, and the society gathers the numbers. He assumed, reasonably, that if wind turbines harmed bird populations, the numbers seen in the Christmas Bird Count would drop in places where new turbines had been built. Combining bird population and species maps with the locations and construction dates of all wind turbines, he found building turbines had no noticeable effect on bird populations.
Instead of limiting his analysis to wind power alone, he also examined oil-and-gas extraction (开采), which has boomed in America over the past couple of decades. Comparing bird populations to the locations of new gas wells revealed an average 15% drop in bird numbers when new wells were drilled, probably due to a combination of noise, air pollution and the disturbance of rivers and ponds that many birds rely upon. When drilling happened in migration centers, feeding grounds or breeding locations, bird numbers instead dropped by 25%.
Wind power, in other words, not only produces far less planet-heating carbon dioxide and methane than do fossil fuels. It appears to be significantly less damaging to wildlife, too. Yet that is not the impression you would get from reading the news. Dr Katovich found 173 stories in major American news media reporting the supposed negative effects that wind turbines had on birds in 2020, compared with only 46 stories discussing the effects of oil-and-gas wells.
1. What does the underlined word“negligible”in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Insignificant. | B．Inaccurate. | C．Inconsistent. | D．Indefinite. |
| A．Previous studies. | B．Relevant data. |
| C．Reasonable prediction. | D．Experiment results. |
| A．Oil-and-gas extraction has expanded in America. |
| B．Birds are heavily dependent on rivers and ponds. |
| C．Many factors lead to the decline of bird populations. |
| D．Well drilling poses a serious threat to birds' survival. |
| A．Wind turbines could share the sky with wildlife. |
| B．More evidence is needed to confirm the finding. |
| C．Wind power will be substituted for fossil fuels. |
| D．Wind turbines deserve wider media coverage. |
9 . As a child, Cruz Avila walked through the forest every day in central Mexico’s Amanalco-Vall de Bravo Basin. She would pick wood and medicinal plants. She also learned to find birds and identify the different trees near her home. Avila learned that listening to a waterfall is a good medicine for the soul and the body.
Several months ago, she and other residents decided to make these walks an attraction for tourists. Their goal is to create a source of income, preserve the forest and support responsible medicine for the soul tourism. In 2021, Avila and other community members attended training as nature guides.
In recent years, residents of the forest communities have suffered from tourism that’s not environmentally sustainable (可持续的). In early April 2022, the communities officially presented their alliance (联盟). One of the people presenting it was Avila, and her voice echoed (附和) the feelings shared by many who are part of this project. “To us, forests are our home,” she said. “We want to take care of them as we take care of our home. We invite hikers and tourists to come to see our house, to get to know and enjoy this place with respect and care.”
Avila said her community has developed a sustainable tourism plan based on hiking and workshops. They also plan to have a viewing platform ready by 2023.
Avila said she plans to start promoting her hiking project, “I’m going to take visitors to a place called El Caballero, and halfway through, with the other neighbors, we’ll offer them a workshop on making pulque and bread,” she said. Pulque is a drink made from a plant that grows in the region.
She believes the tourism project will receive support from visitors. She thinks it will be especially popular with those who are eager to help protect the forests and want to learn about forest communities.
1. Why does the author describe Avila’s childhood in paragraph 1?| A．To explain the source of medicine. |
| B．To prove the importance of the forest. |
| C．To introduce the lifestyle of local teens. |
| D．To memorize the good days of children. |
| A．Sustainable rural tourism. |
| B．Respect for the local culture. |
| C．The restoration of destroyed forests. |
| D．The end of some tourism companies. |
| A．An experience of identifying trees |
| B．A chance to swim in a lake |
| C．A permission to pick medicinal plants. |
| D．A workshop to make pulque and bread. |
| A．Memorizing the Good Days in the Forests |
| B．Showing Respect for the Traveling Routes |
| C．Promoting Sustainable tourism to Protect the Forests |
| D．Developing the Local Traveling Business |
10 . From May to October in the southeastern U. S., five species of turtles move ashore under the cover of night to lay their eggs on the beach. During this time, thousands of turtle-loving volunteers search the shorelines for the turtles tracks as part of an ongoing effort to gather population data and protect the nests. But since sea turtles disturb huge areas of sand to hide their nests, human monitors are often left guessing where the eggs are.
Now, a new study suggests man’s best friend can do it better. A detecting dog named Dory found the location of sea turtle eggs more accurately than human volunteers- crucial information when all U. S. sea turtle species are threatened or endangered, says study leader Rebekah Lindborg.
Over months of training on a 50-by-50-square-foot artificial beach. Dory was trained to be alert to the smell of “cloacal mucus,” a sticky substance that coats a sea turtle’s freshly laid eggs, with Lindborg as her handler.
Then, the team convinced the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)to allow a friendly competition. During the high nesting seasons of 2017 and 2018, two groups went around a stretch of shoreline about five miles long in Vero Beach, Florida. Dory had a sensitive nose for turtles, identifying 560 sea turtle nests from three species. People found only 256.
Dory was also significantly better than her human competitors at choosing where to dig for eggs, substantially reducing the number of holes dug. She was also harder to stump—while human volunteers couldn’t find the eggs in 14.8 percent of nests, Dory only failed to deliver 5.7 percent of the time.
In a word, a dog could make a difference in situations where time is of the essence. That could be when you’re under the gun to relocate a nest that’s about to be flooded when the wave rolls in, or before heavy machinery rolls over the nest site for a construction project.
1. What is a challenge to volunteers concerning protecting turtles?| A．Covering their tracks. | B．Locating their nests. |
| C．Analyzing their population data. | D．Removing cloacal mucus from their eggs. |
| A．To seek help for their research on turtles. | B．To recommend their dog join the turtle search. |
| C．To test the results of their dog training. | D．To ask permission to use an artificial beach. |
| A．Get challenged. | B．Make choices. | C．Lose control. | D．Stay focused. |
| A．Watch the strange competition between dogs and turtles. |
| B．Meet Dory, the dog detective of sea turtle nests. |
| C．Protecting sea turtles has gone to volunteers. |
| D．Finding sea turtle eggs can be really hard. |
