1 . In nature, octopuses (章鱼) hunt mainly with their sense of touch, using their eight arms to feel out their environment for hidden creatures. Researchers at the University of Minnesota recently studied a different way octopuses hunt—when they identify prey (猎物) based on sight. The study findings show that the marine creatures are quite consistent and methodical in how they approach prey.

Lead researcher Trevor Wardill and his team placed California two-spot octopuses into water tanks, hiding them in caves where they would have one eye looking out. They then placed either fiddler crabs or white shrimp in the tanks to see how the octopuses would try to catch them, capturing the interactions on video. The crabs and shrimp behave differently when trying to escape from predators (捕猎者), so using both species gave the researchers an opportunity to see whether this led the octopuses to use a different arm for hunting depending on the prey.

Wardill’s team found that the octopuses almost always used the same arm to grab their prey. Specifically, the second arm from the middle of the octopuses’ body, on the same side of their body as the eye, caught the prey. If they needed more arms to grab prey, they would use the ones next to the second arm.

The octopuses also attacked differently depending on the prey. When faced with crabs, an octopus would move suddenly on top of the crab with its whole body. However, when catching shrimp, the octopuses would take one arm and reach out very slowly toward the shrimp, then grab it and latch (缠住) onto it with its other arms to pull it in.

Wardill and his team hope to do more research. They want to study the octopus’s brain as it attacks pre y to develop a better understanding of what role the creature’s nervous system plays in selecting the arms it uses.

1. What is the recent study mainly about?

A．Octopuses’ ability to hide itself.	B．Octopuses’ way to track prey.
C．Octopuses’ hunting mode via eyes.	D．Octopuses’ method of perceiving the environment.

2. What can we learn about the octopuses in the study?

A．They adopt different strategies to hunt.	B．They stretch arms slowly to catch crabs.
C．They move suddenly to prey on shrimps.	D．They use the second arm to catch prey anytime.

3. What does the follow-up test aim to find out about the octopuses?

A．Whether they’re nervous in hunting.	B．How their nerves work during hunting.
C．How they choose their arms in hunting.	D．Whether they use their brain during hunting.

4. Which of the following can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Octopuses: Skillful Hunters	B．Octopuses: One-armed Predators
C．Octopuses: A Sharp-eyed Species	D．Octopuses: A Mysterious Creature

2 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

On Horseback Among the Eagle Hunters

A. bond        B. covered        C. outwardly        D. demanding       E. famed F. currently        G. deserted        H. traditionally        I. accessing        J. extent K. tending

Nine-year-old Dastan, the son of a Kazakh (哈萨克族) eagle hunter, rode his pony alongside mine, running effortlessly without a saddle (马鞍) and giggling at my attempts to show my pony some affection. Surrounding us was the vast,     1     landscape of the Altai Mountains of western Mongolia, with a dusting of snow heralding the arrival of winter.

I spent almost three years living and working in northern Iraq, where I     2     the country’s efforts to defeat the Islamic State (伊斯兰国). In October 2019, I began working on a personal photography project. My goal was to explore the relationships between animals and the people whose livelihoods depend on them. To start, I flew to western Mongolia to meet and photograph the iconic Kazakh hunters, horsemen and animal herders (牧人).

Deep in the Altai Mountains, the Kazakh people have for centuries developed a special     3     with golden eagles. Alankush, an eagle hunter, said he looks after his eagle “as if she were a baby.” The ancient custom of hunting with eagles on horseback is     4     passed down from father to son and is considered a great source of pride.

In recent generations, many Kazakh families have migrated from the countryside to the country’s urban areas. This is partly because of the difficulties in     5     health care, education, social services and employment opportunities. Among those who have stayed, the ancient practice has provided an additional source of income from the visitors who pay to see the     6     birds in action.

Training and caring for golden eagles is just one aspect of an animal herder’s life. Others include training young horses,     7     sheep, and butchering meat. The daily demands of a traditional herding family’s life can leave little time for additional education. In response to their physically     8     lifestyles, parents who work as herders often send their children to boarding schools. They hope that their children will secure a more comfortable future. Paradoxically, such parental ambitions may result in the eventual disappearance of a culture and way of life that has survived for generations.

    9    , documenting the traditional ways of life in western Mongolia stands in contrast to my time spent photographing scenes of conflict and suffering in Iraq. The two subjects, however, share a common theme: the human struggle not just to survive, but to build a better future for oneself and one’s family. Despite the differences in the surroundings and the     10     of the challenges faced by the people I met, I felt a connection with the Kazakh horsemen, through our mutual affection for horses.

3 . Wooden houses surrounded by a thick forest, classical music playing softly in the background, a very special cafe, three meals a day and several outdoor activity areas. This sounds like a dream vacation arrangement (安排). But this is not a place for people. It’s for cats in the province of Samsun, Türkiye.

Kedi Kasabas, or “cat town”, is one interesting place in the country, a place where cats can experience what real comfort is!

The town, which covers an area of around 20 acres, is run by the local city and most admitted guests have a hard backstory. “All cats here are homeless and usually go through suffering s before being brought here. They are either injured or mentally suffer. We treat them and put them back into the town. The environment here is really beautiful for them,” Faruk Kan, a Kedi Kasabas vet, said.

Kan is not the only vet working at the shelter. There’s a whole team looking after the cats and making sure all their needs are met. The place even has a special area for sick or injured cats, where they receive personalized (个性化的) treatment.

There are currently 150 animals living in “cat town”, and the number keeps rising. There are wooden houses where they can rest, and also houses designed for socializing. During the winter they are provided with heated accommodation, so feeling convenient and warm is a sure thing for these furry creatures.

The love for cats seems to be a Turkish favourite. Istanbul is known for being home to several hundred thousand cats. There, people take care of street cats like kings. The four-legged friends are fed and kept healthy and they have already become part of the city view.

Even though cats may have a happy life outdoors in the forest or wandering around in the city streets, there’s nothing like having a stable (稳定的) home, lying next to a human friend.

1. What can be learned about “cat town”?

A．It is quite difficult to reach.	B．It is peaceful and comfortable.
C．It is very expensive to run.	D．It serves special coffee to visitors.

2. What does the underlined word “guests” in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．Cats.

B．Visitors.

C．Workers.

D．Volunteers.

3. What do we know about the cats in “cat town”?

A．They are thrown by their owners.	B．They came from pet lovers.
C．They are friendly to humans.	D．They used to suffer a lot.

4. Which does the author think is the best place for a cat probably?

A．The forest.	B．The city streets.
C．A human’s home.	D．A pet hospital.

4 . Do Lobsters Feel Pain?

The traditional method for cooking a lobster (龙虾) — boiling it alive — raises the question of whether or not lobsters feel pain.     1    . Lobsters go bad very quickly after they die, and eating a dead lobster increases the risk of illness and reduces the quality of its flavor. However, if lobsters are capable of feeling pain, the method and others, such as storing the live lobster on ice, raise moral questions for chefs and lobster eaters alike.

    2    . Lobsters have a peripheral system like humans, but instead of a single brain, they possess nerve cluster (神经簇). Because of this difference, some researchers argue lobsters are too dissimilar to vertebrates (脊椎动物) to feel pain. Nonetheless, lobsters do satisfy all of the standard for a pain response. Lobsters guard their injuries, learn to avoid dangerous situations, respond to anesthetics, and are believed to possess some level of consciousness. So most scientists believe that injuring a lobster causes physical pain.

    3    , so it is now becoming illegal to boil lobsters alive or keep them on ice. Currently, boiling lobsters alive is illegal in Switzerland, New Zealand, and the Italian city Reggio Emilia.

The most humane tool for cooking a lobster is the CrustaStun. This device electrocutes a lobster, making it unconscious in less than half a second or killing it in 5 to 10 seconds.     4    .

Unfortunately, the CrustaStun is too expensive for most restaurants and people to afford. Some restaurants place a lobster in a plastic bag and place it in the freezer for a couple of hours, during which time it loses consciousness and dies.     5    , but it is probably the most humane option for killing a lobster before cooking and eating it.

A．This solution is not ideal

B．And then, it can be cut apart or boiled

C．Lobsters are popular food in many countries

D．There is growing evidence that lobsters may feel pain

E．Scientists disagree over whether or not lobsters feel pain

F．Many restaurants choose more humane methods to cook it

G．This cooking way is used to improve humans’ dining experience

5 . The popular documentary series Aerial China (航拍中国) recently returned to the small screen. The latest and fourth season of it gives a perspective that is both excellent and informative. As the final of the series, the new season was shot across 11 provincial-level regions and started in the spring of 2020.

“The experience from the previous three seasons makes us more capable to follow wild animals while avoiding disturbing them,” says Yu, chief director of the series. China has made great efforts to protect endangered wildlife species and their habitats in recent years, and it has become much easier to spot rare species in the wild. Taking Tibetan antelopes as an example, the plateau-based creatures were difficult to encounter in the past, but the expansion of their population and enhanced research on their living patterns have allowed the camera crew to tailor plans to follow the animals.

Most close-ups for the season were shot by photographers from helicopters or cameras installed on drones (无人机). The vital moment for a successful shot depends on the mood of the animals or how good the weather is,” Yu says. In an attempt to fully show China’s huge changes over the past decade, the documentary series consulted experts from different fields to help select the most attractive shooting sites. In the final season, Aerial China has used 73 helicopters and 320 drones to shoot footage over an area of 900,000 kilometers, and selected around 1,000 staffers. More than 30 teams were assigned to shoot in different cities for the fourth season.

The previous three seasons have been watched by 850 million TV viewers and seen online over140 million times. For fans of the series, the director says he hopes that the new season will draw a bigger audience with its unusual perspective to show them China like never seen before.

1. Which can best replace the underlined word “perspective” in the first paragraph?

A．Reference.

B．Viewpoint.

C．Mention.

D．Standard.

2. Why are Tibetan antelopes mentioned?

A．To indicate a successful encounter.	B．To introduce new living patterns.
C．To show a biological improvement,	D．To save endangered wildlife species.

3. What does Paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A．The team members’ roles.	B．The splendid shooting sites.
C．The hi-tech devices for shooting.	D．The efforts spent in the season.

4. What does the last paragraph want to tell us?

A．This is the last but one season.	B．This season is well worth viewing.
C．The series is popular with TV reviewers.	D．The series is intended for Chinese fans.

6 . When I was young, our family cat broke out in a rash (皮疹). But an examination at the vet’s revealed no answers. When asked, “Has anything ________ in your home?” my mom explained my leave for college, and the vet responded “That’s it!” He gave my cat medicine that she took in my ________, and curiously didn’t need when I was home.

Years later after marriage, I adopted a well behaved cat. Suddenly he decided to ________ all our house plants. As it could be a ________ of his not feeling well, I took him to the vet. When tests all came back ________, the familiar question was asked again, “Has anything changed in your home?” We thought hard but couldn’t get it until one day we ________ our cat unsuccessfully trying to get in the window. Ah-ha! We had replaced the old ________ with new wooden blinds. They clearly ________ him from sitting in his favorite spot. Then I ________ the blinds every morning. The digging stopped.

I had forgotten those two incidents. Until recently our dog started ________ not herself and became an absolute________ on our daily runs. It was right when I was taking her to the vet that I thought of the question I would most ________ be asked. After years of being at home, I had recently gone back to work. It was a difficult ________ for our family, but I never considered the ________ it would have on one particular member of the family. Suddenly, she was ________ all day long in a quiet house. Why hadn’t I realized it before?

1.

A．happened

B．appeared

C．changed

D．come

2.

A．bedroom

B．permission

C．mind

D．absence

3.

A．put up

B．take up

C．hold up

D．dig up

4.

A．means

B．sign

C．manner

D．mistake

5.

A．positive

B．negative

C．fine

D．different

6.

A．controlled

B．witnessed

C．followed

D．conducted

7.

A．windows

B．tools

C．pictures

D．curtains

8.

A．blocked

B．developed

C．wasted

D．absorbed

9.

A．displayed

B．raised

C．covered

D．ignored

10.

A．working

B．acting

C．eating

D．sleeping

11.

A．mystery

B．wonder

C．pain

D．reason

12.

A．likely

B．politely

C．critically

D．eagerly

13.

A．exchange

B．replacement

C．transition

D．formation

14.

A．result

B．impact

C．possibility

D．treatment

15.

A．right

B．quiet

C．away

D．alone

7 . Thousands of jackdaws (寒鸦) are known to launch into the winter skies synchronously (同步地) from the treetops. For those early risers in winter, the morning routine of jackdaws is a familiar sight. Now, ecologists know that this synchronized group flight is a result of a democratic (民主的) process in which the majority of the flock reaches a consensus about the birds’ actions, such as their mass departure.

Jackdaws fly into the sky in huge numbers and then split into smaller groups to feed. To figure out how such large numbers of these birds decide when to take off, researchers from the University of Exeter recorded jackdaws’ calls over several months. They recorded when the first jackdaws began their calls and measured how loud the birds were. The team found that jackdaws left together once the chorus of calls reached a critical mass — the more rapidly the chorus swelled, the earlier the birds left.

“They all leave together, which is a really striking sight,” Alex Thornton said. Every call signals a jackdaw casting its vote to leave. When the intensity of the chorus doesn’t build enough, which means the jackdaws don’t agree, the birds depart in smaller groups instead.

The team also found that once jackdaws reached a consensus they departed almost immediately, with thousands of jackdaws taking off in less than five seconds. When scientists played past recordings of calls back to the jackdaws, they were able to push forward the birds’ launching by more than six minutes. However, other noise recordings, like the sound of a whipping wind, had no effect on the birds’ departure time.

Leaving together has various benefits, including protection from enemies and access to information such as where to find food. This research shows the critical role birdcalls play in group decision-making for this species. But the mission is not over yet. Researchers’ concern is that human activities might disturb jackdaws. “Imagine a flock near a busy road,” Thornton said. “If the birds can’t hear each other and can’t form a consensus on the time to leave together, it can have big impacts on their population. The next stage of our research will look into this.”

1. When will jackdaws’ mass departure most probably take place?

A．When their calls reach high intensity.

B．After they hear the first call of the leader bird.

C．When they feel a strong urge to feed themselves.

D．When the chorus of their calls integrates peacefully.

2. Which of the following belongs to a finding of the team?

A．Jackdaws can pick up speed in a short time.

B．Jackdaws respond specifically to their birdcalls.

C．Jackdaws can be easily affected by their fellows.

D．Jackdaws spend about five seconds on their voting.

3. What will the researchers focus their attention on next?

A．The benefits of jackdaws’ leaving together.

B．The effective ways to protect jackdaws’ hearing.

C．The impact of human noise pollution on jackdaws.

D．The role of birdcalls in jackdaws’ group decision-making.

4. What could be the best title for the text?

A．Jackdaws vote to take wing together

B．Jackdaws are smart decision-makers

C．Jackdaws live together in great numbers

D．Jackdaws are sensitive to different birdcalls

8 . Biophilic design (亲生物设计) is a concept used within the building industry to increase people’s connection with the natural environment by using direct nature, indirect nature, space, and place conditions. It is argued that this idea has health, environmental, and economic benefits for building occupants (居住者) and urban environments, with few drawbacks. Although its name was coined in recent history, indicators of biophilic design have been seen in architecture from as far back as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

Studies show that incorporating the natural environment into buildings can have a positive influence on physical and psychological well-being.

Studies by Roger S. Ulrich have consistently found physical health promoting outcomes associated with viewing nature scenes through windows. In his studies, he assessed patients' recovery from surgery. Half the patients had rooms with a view of green trees while the others saw a brick wall. Patients in the rooms with the nature view stayed in the hospital for fewer days and had a more positive recovery process in general than the patients who had a view of the wall. Similar results were found in a field study of office workers by Rachel Kaplan.

Additionally, children in low-income urban housing who had problems with learning because of being unable to pay attention to things for very long showed improved scores on a standardised measure of attention deficit disorder (注意力缺陷障碍) when they moved to houses with more outdoor natural vegetation.

From an economic aspect, people are likely to spend more on houses that have views of nature; buyers are willing to spend 7% more on homes with excellent scenery, 58% more on houses that look toward water, and 127% more on those that are next to water.

Appreciating natural beauty isn’t something that some people can enjoy and others can’t; it happen without effort or even conscious awareness. So the more our buildings can make use of our ancient sense beauty, the more likely they will support us psychologically and emotionally, as well as functionally.

1. What do we know about biophilic design?

A．It originated in Babylon.	B．It has no disadvantages.
C．It rarely uses indirect nature.	D．It enjoys a long history.

2. What does the underlined word “incorporating” probably mean in paragraph 2?

A．Including.

B．Transforming.

C．Pouring.

D．Folding.

3. How does the author show people's preference for nature in paragraph 5?

A．By giving examples.	B．By conducting surveys.
C．By listing figures.	D．By analyzing causes.

4. Which of the following shows the structure of the text?
(I=Introduction; P=Point; Sp=Sub-point; C=Conclusion)

A．

B．

C．

D．

9 . 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。

In a faraway place, lived a brave boy named Jack. Jack was only seven years old, but he was very aware     1     the world around him. He was particularly interested in animals, especially endangered ones. He loved reading     2     (information) books and watching documentaries about animals. He thought it was a significant problem that many animals were becoming extinct because of unbalanced ecosystems. Jack was very worried and felt a strong     3     (tense) about the issue.

One day, Jack decided to do something about it. He began to recycle as much as he could. He didn’t want to contribute     4     the destruction of the animal’s habitats. He also started to talk to his friends and classmates about the     5     (urgency) need to protect these wonderful creatures. He pretended to be a tour guide, introducing various animals in a     6     (humour) way to make it more interesting.

However, Jack knew that he needed to do more. He was stuck on     7     to do next. Then, he had an idea. He started writing letters to important people. He blamed     8     (legal) hunting and the extreme use of natural resources for the current situation, and he wanted them to take action.

His letters were very     9     (reality), and he was faithful to the facts. He wanted to     10     (energy) others and involve them in his mission. He hoped his words could make a difference.

10 . For the past four years I had been having up to 30 seizures (癫痫发作) a day. It made me _________ a lot.

Despite _________ visits to hospitals, no doctor could tell me the cause of it. At night, my family had to check on me just in case I wasn’t _________. So I could never be in a room alone and as a 21-year-old young man, I was finding the lack of _________ getting me down.

One day, my friend Kerri asked if I wanted an assistance dog. I knew there were guide dogs for the _________, but I wasn’t sure how a dog could help me. A few days later, Kerri told me she’d done some search and found a company “Dogs For Life”. From the website of the company, I _________ that they teach dogs to smell a chemical change in the body and _________ people when a seizure is about to _________.

Soon after, I _________ Baloo, a dog trained by Dogs For Life. It sat silently in the corner. As I sat down, Baloo suddenly __________ and jumped on me. Minutes later, I had a seizure. It had __________ the chemical changes in my body and tried to warn me. It was by my side until the __________ came. Instantly, I knew it was a good __________ for me, and I took her back home.

It’s __________ my life more than a handful of times and I couldn’t be more __________ for it.

1.

A．think

B．hide

C．suffer

D．learn

2.

A．personal

B．countless

C．formal

D．impressive

3.

A．sleeping

B．working

C．replying

D．breathing

4.

A．warmth

B．fun

C．safety

D．independence

5.

A．deaf

B．blind

C．injured

D．elderly

6.

A．wrote

B．learnt

C．overheard

D．planned

7.

A．warn

B．attract

C．follow

D．hit

8.

A．burn out

B．break in

C．come on

D．drop by

9.

A．saved

B．addressed

C．met

D．invited

10.

A．rose

B．lay

C．struggled

D．played

11.

A．sensed

B．caused

C．touched

D．cried

12.

A．action

B．attack

C．guide

D．help

13.

A．boss

B．teacher

C．partner

D．listener

14.

A．risked

B．stopped

C．kept

D．saved

15.

A．thankful

B．anxious

C．excited

D．patient