1. 活动目的；
2. 活动过程和感受。
注意：1. 写作同数应为80个左右。
2. 参考词汇：灭火器 fireextinguishers; 消防栓 fire hydrants
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My parents were always against me owning my own pet, afraid of the mess it would make or that I would quickly lose interest in taking care of it, but we made a compromise: I could volunteer at a local pet shelter on the weekends to test my sense of responsibility and dedication. That was how I first came to volunteer at the Avondale pet shelter and—more importantly—where I met my future best friend, Chocolate.
One hot August afternoon, my boss Charlie told me that they were bringing in a young black Labrador Retriever and that I’d be its primary caretaker. An hour after our conversation and in came Chocolate—a beautiful dog with shining brown fur and amazing blue eyes. At about 3 months old, I expected him to be a lot more energetic and playful, but he immediately backed and lay down at the back of his pen (围栏).
I asked Charlie what was the matter with him. He replied that Chocolate had a genetic problem which caused him to be born with a short tail, leading potential owners to think there was something wrong with him; so the breeder felt that they had no choice but to give up the puppy to the shelter.
He was overlooked and underappreciated. I felt very angry at the thought that an otherwise healthy dog could be thrown away so easily. At the same time, I felt a deep sympathy for this dog who had been cheated out of the love and attention he deserved. It was at this moment that I resolved to give Chocolate as much love and attention as I could while working as a volunteer.
Although Chocolate was reluctant and shy at first. eventually through enough treats and play he slowly came around and warmed up to me. Soon enough, whenever I came around his pen to let him out for his turn of walks and play, Chocolate was always excited and jumping with joy.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1:
As time passed by, the connection between Chocolate and I grew stronger and stronger.
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One day, Charlie said Chocolate must find a home soon or he would be removed.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3 . When photographer Chris Jordan first stepped onto Midway Atoll (中途岛) in 2009 to document “overwhelming” levels of ocean waste, little did he know that his striking image of a dead albatross (信天翁) chick would go viral and change the world’s response to the plastics crisis.
After hearing about an island covered in thousands of dead birds with stomachs full of everyday plastic items, he was determined to “find a unique way to photograph these birds indicating the severity of this environmental tragedy”. Though he never expected his images would go viral, his photos soon began appearing in magazines and newspapers all over the world. “Many people emailed me, expressing concerns and wanting to go to the island to save the albatrosses, but the plastic is not coming from this island. It’s a systemic problem,” says Jordan.
A recent report by WWF projects that plastic production is expected to more than double by 2040, resulting in plastic waste in the ocean four times by 2050. In 2010, 8 million tonnes of ocean plastic waste were from sources on land. That is the weight of some 650,000 double decker buses.
Jo Ruxton, the maker of the film A Plastic Ocean, says, “What makes Jordan’s photos resonate(共鸣)with people is that they recognize things in their daily use, and it’s when we see things that we actually use that makes people relate.”
“Every time I was with birds as they were dying, tears just poured. The grief was incredibly intense. Happily, things are improving — bans on everything from plastic micro beads in toothpaste to carrier bags have since come into force in various countries around the world. But for solutions, I believe the heart of this crisis lies in society’s disconnection between actions and their impacts on the environment and that a re-connection with nature and a raw appreciation for the world around us is what really drives positive change.” says Jordan.
1. What initially drives Jordan to Midway Atoll?| A．To support the ban on plastic items. | B．To record the environmental tragedy. |
| C．To create resonating images of plastic waste. | D．To photograph the amazing scenery of the island. |
| A．Reliable and determined. | B．Generous and responsible. |
| C．Creative and sympathetic. | D．Adventurous and intelligent. |
| A．Carrying out stricter bans on plastic products. |
| B．Strengthening education on environmental issues. |
| C．Advising using environmentally friendly materials. |
| D．Reestablishing the link between humans and nature. |
| A．The Photo: Making the Plastics Crisis Personal |
| B．The Method: Dealing with Marine Plastic Pollution |
| C．The Campaign: Restoring Our Relation with Nature |
| D．The Initiative: Fighting Against the Environmental Disaster |
4 . “You’re as stupid as a goat.” It is a common insult (侮辱) in Nigeria. Recently a study published in Animal Behaviour suggested that’s just not true.
Alan McElligott, associate professor of animal behavior and welfare in City University of Hong Kong conducted a study in cooperation with Marianne Mason, an expert in the cognitive (认知的) abilities of goats in England.
In the experiment, a speaker was hidden to play a recording of a human saying “Hey, look over here!” with two versions—a happy one and an angry one. When the study’s 27 goat participants entered the pen one by one, the speaker would play either the positive or negative version 9 times in a row. At first the goats would respond by looking up and even looking for the source of the sound. But after a few repetitions, they would just stop paying attention. Then the speaker switched to play the opposite version three times. 71% of those disinterested goats lifted their ears and looked up in the direction of the sound. Among those newly engaged goats, some started to investigate the source of the sound longer than in the initial stages of the experiment, suggesting they noticed the emotions had changed.
The finding is a case in point of the intelligence of goats. Actually, experienced goat farmers have already known that their livestock (家畜) are discriminating listeners and respond well to kind treatment. So why do such a study if that’s already known? “By showing this ability in goats, we’re trying to move the needle in terms of opening people’s eyes to the cognitive abilities of livestocks. Our overall goal is to get people to think about animals in a different way, to treat them a little bit better.” says Mason. The two researchers hope that people will start to understand these livestocks deserve to be nicely treated, especially as we are using them for our milk products and meat.
1. What did Alan McElligott and Marianne Mason work together on?| A．The intelligence of goats. | B．Social abilities of animals. |
| C．Distinctive behavior of goats. | D．Animal welfare in HongKong. |
| A．The 27 goats paid no attention to the voice all the time. |
| B．The majority of goats noticed the change of the emotions. |
| C．The speaker kept playing the positive version throughout the experiment. |
| D．The goats kept responding to the source of the sound in the initial stages. |
| A．Adjust a study goal. | B．Shift the public’s attention. |
| C．Make a positive change. | D．Change the original structure. |
| A．The background of the study. | B．The main purpose of the study. |
| C．The farmers’reactions to the study. | D．The wisdom of some goat farmers. |
Lǎozìhào refers to the old and famous shops, which have always been reliable and trustworthy and still enjoy
These famous and time-honored shops, eg, Quanjude and Tongrentang,
But these shops are more about businesses; they are also a historical and cultural phenomenon. He
Nowadays, with the rapid development of economy and fierce competition in modern society, some Lǎozìhào shops have been keeping pace
6 . In the Seychelles archipelago (塞舌尔群岛) in East Africa, flooding and erosion (侵蚀) caused by rising sea level pose an incoming threat to the country’s many low-lying islands. At the same time its mangrove forests (红树林), which serve as a vital aspect against these impacts, are disappearing: Approximately 70% of Seychelles mangroves have been destroyed since the late 1700s due to human-driven development and agriculture as well as soil erosion from sea-level rise.
Today the Seychelles Government is working with local community leaders to restore the mangroves, and not just for protection against rising sealevel. Research shows that these forests can store about 2.5 million tonnes of CO2 (equal to taking 500,000 cars off the road for a year), directly helping to fight climate change. They also provide a breeding ground for fisheries, a sector that contributes one-fifth of the country’s GDP, benefiting local communities’ livelihood and helping to protect the islands’ lively biodiversity (多样性).
While the concept of using nature to benefit both lives and lands is by no means new, global interest in “nature-based solutions” has skyrocketed in recent years. Many now see nature-based solutions as a key approach for addressing not only climate change but a range of social, environmental and economic challenges — from biodiversity loss, food security and air pollution to disease control and declining local economies.
Yet there remains widespread debate about what exactly constitutes a nature-based solution as well as how to best include these strategies into broader climate and conservation efforts. This indetermination has contributed to significant under-investment: It’s estimated that to limit temperature rise to below 1.5 degrees C (degrees F), hold back biodiversity loss and control land degradation (恶化), annual investments in nature-based approaches must be three times by 2030.
As nature-based solutions continue to rise on the global agenda, building a more consistent understanding around the concept and its implications will be key to raising support for effective, extensive solutions that benefit both people and the planet.
1. What do the first two paragraphs focus on?| A．The diversity of economy in East African. |
| B．The environmental protection in East Africa. |
| C．The disappearance of mangroves in East Africa. |
| D．The operation of nature-based solutions in East Africa. |
| A．Novel. | B．Effective. | C．Ruinous. | D．Uncertain. |
| A．500,000 cars are taken off the road. |
| B．Yearly investment increases by double. |
| C．The temperature rise is limited to below 2.7℃. |
| D．A conference on nature-based solutions is held. |
| A．What Exactly Are Nature-based Solutions? |
| B．Why Are Nature-based Solutions on the Rise? |
| C．How Can Nature-based Solutions Help Fight Climate Change? |
| D．What Are the Potential Weaknesses of Nature-based Solutions? |
7 . I have discovered that I have a second shadow these days as I go outside. This one, however, has four legs instead of two. It is my daughter’s adopted, black cat: Miss Alice. Every time I go out the door she is waiting on my front porch, meowing to be petted. Then she follows me down the hill to my car sometimes running in front so she can get in my way for even more petting. And when I finally return home she is there asking for attention again.
It wasn’t always this way. The very first time I saw Miss Alice she was hiding under my house just having had a family of kittens. When I looked under there I got an angry hiss (嘘声) from her, warning me I was in for a clawing if I got near her kittens. It took a lot of time, patience, kindness, love, and cat food from my daughter to tame her. At first she didn’t want to be touched at all. Then she would only allow an occasional petting. Now my daughter can pick her up and carry her up the road to her house like a little baby. It still makes me smile to see how my daughter’s loving, caring and sympathetic spirit tamed this wild cat and made her as lovable as the most affectionate dog.
I guess that is the power of love. It can heal a hurting heart. It can save a broken spirit. It can uplift a sunken soul. It can free you from fear. It can transform your life. It can even take a violent, wild cat and turn her into a puppy dog in a cat suit.
Embrace (拥抱) the love in your own life then. Welcome the love of your family and friends into your life. And let your own love flow through everything you think, everything you say, and everything you do.
1. What do we know about the cat from the first paragraph?| A．It enjoys staying with the author. | B．It tends to be in the author’s road. |
| C．It is often ignored by the daughter. | D．It gets well along with the daughter. |
| A．Feed her up. | B．Make her mild. | C．Arrange for her. | D．Dress her up. |
| A．The lovely dog. | B．The daughter’s love. | C．The cat’s babies. | D．The harmonious family. |
| A．Where there is life, there is hope. |
| B．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| C．Love is life in its fullness like the cup with its wine. |
| D．Do what you fear, and fear that nature will fade away. |
8 . A mere four months ago, a black cat named Bounty had no idea just how adventurous his life was about to become. Although the cat was
One of their first adventures included a
Since that first cycling tour, Bounty and Doina have
The two of them have cycled the entire length of the Italian peninsula! If you’d like to
| A．originally | B．temporarily | C．eventually | D．actually |
| A．gave out | B．broke out | C．turned out | D．found out |
| A．Shocked | B．Frightened | C．Embarrassed | D．Excited |
| A．necessities | B．products | C．presents | D．fruits |
| A．generous | B．creative | C．efficient | D．ambitious |
| A．hotels | B．journeys | C．problems | D．vehicles |
| A．skiing | B．hiking | C．flying | D．cycling |
| A．accustomed | B．opposed | C．blind | D．sensitive |
| A．cure | B．enjoy | C．protect | D．feed |
| A．cried | B．ran | C．sang | D．slept |
| A．offered | B．expected | C．finished | D．discovered |
| A．bicycle | B．cat | C．tour | D．carrier |
| A．protest | B．agreement | C．challenge | D．trust |
| A．have fun with | B．put up with | C．keep up with | D．get along with |
| A．helps | B．plans | C．orders | D．documents |
Katie had always longed for a pet dog, but growing up in a family of diplomats, her parents had to move around the world frequently, so having a pet didn’t fit their lifestyle. Even during her university years, the university’s rules didn’t allow it. It was only after she graduated and started living independently that the opportunity arose.
One day, Katie talked to her housemate and best friend from university, Rachel, about her desire for a pet dog. Rachel suggested, “why don’t you consider fostering a dog? There are so many stray dogs in need of temporary homes before they find their forever families. ”
The idea fascinated Katie as it allowed her to experience the joys of pet ownership without the lifelong commitment. However, she had some concerns, “What if I become too attached?”
Rachel reassured her, “Well, if you form a strong bond, you can always choose to adopt it yourself. ”
Without telling Katie beforehand, Rachel took the initiative and visited a local animal rescue organization to register for a foster dog. One sunny afternoon, when Katie came home from work, she was greeted by a small black-and-white dog. Her eyes lit up with joy and surprise. “Is this for real?”
“Here is Freda, ” Rachel said, beaming with pride. “She’s going to be our foster dog while she waits for her forever home.”
As the days passed, Katie experienced the joys and challenges of being a pet parent. Waking up to Freda’s sweet morning kisses became the best way to start her day. The daily walks with Freda turned into cherished moments of bonding, as they explored the nearby parks and strolled along the serene lakeside together.
However, amid the excitement and cuddles, Katie also learned the responsibilities that came with pet ownership. Juggling her demanding work schedule with Freda’s needs required careful planning and dedication. Katie came to understand why her parents never got one when she was a child. She also felt bad always asking her friends to dog-sit when she was too busy to care for Freda.
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。
Paragraph 1:
Eventually, the right family was found for Freda, but saying goodbye was bittersweet.
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Several months later, Katie discovered a small package on her front door.
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Chengdu, a city with a permanent population of more than 21 million and an area of more than 14, 300 square kilometers, is home
When
The charm of Chengdu goes far beyond pandas and Sichuan cuisine. For visitors interested in experiencing the folk customs and scenes of old Chengdu, my
