1 . Readers can explore the wonders of nature with Big Tree. The book was written by famous author and illustrator (插画家) Brian Selznick. It is filled with detailed black-and-white illustrations, which took years to complete.

The story introduces Merwin and Louise, two tiny Sycamore seeds (梧桐树种子) who began life during the time when dinosaurs (恐龙) travelled around the Earth. After they fell from their mother tree, they started a dangerous 147-million-year adventure to the modern day.

After reading it, I met with the famous author and illustrator at his home in La Jolla, California. Selznick explained the lessons that nature offers about helping our planet and each other. “All of us can do something to help the real seed,” Selznick said. “No matter how small you feel, there’s always something you can do.”

As for his main goal when writing Big Tree, Selznick said, “Readers feel like they are learning about interesting stories when they read Big Tree, but actually and secretly, they are learning about real science. That’s why I wrote Big Tree.”

In order to write Big Tree, Selznick went to the New York Botanical Garden, where he talked to a wonderful park manager. She walked him through the forest and talked about the way leaves work, the way trees grow and the way trees experience time.

Selznick said he learned a lot while creating Big Tree. “The manager thinks that forests are really communities. It really surprised me,” he said. “We live in communities, and when we run into trouble or danger, we communicate with each other to find solutions. Trees are doing the same thing. We’re all part of a community. And that, to me, was a really important part of Big Tree.”

1. What does paragraph 2 mainly focus on?

A．The main idea of Big Tree.	B．The discussion about Big Tree.
C．The review of Big Tree.	D．The story behind Big Tree.

2. What is Selznick’s goal in writing Big Tree?

A．To show the illustration art.	B．To share an interesting story.
C．To encourage readers to learn.	D．To make real science interesting.

3. What did Selznick do in order to write Big Tree?

A．He did some research.	B．He planted some trees.
C．He asked others’ advice.	D．He stayed in the forest alone.

4. What did the author learn when writing the book?

A．Trees are important for communities.	B．Trees can communicate with each other.
C．Trees can protect people against danger.	D．Trees run into trouble more often.

2 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What does the speaker say about competitions in the past years?

A．They were creative and fantastic.

B．They were enjoyable and successful.

C．They were completely new experiences.

2. What competition was held last year?

A．A dancing contest.

B．A singing contest.

C．A reading contest.

3. What is the purpose of the Pets’ Competition?

A．To help students choose pets to take home.

B．To lead students to treat pets kindly.

C．To give students chances to show their pets.

4. What does the speaker ask the students to do?

A．Train dogs in their free time.

B．Learn more theory about animals.

C．Keep a record of the competition.

3 . In an awe-inspiring incident, a young killer whale recently demonstrated remarkable intelligence by seeking assistance from a group of humans to save its trapped mother, which challenged our conventional understanding of wild predators (食肉动物).

The online viral video, shared by Alvin Foo, began with a young killer whale emitting distressing cries towards a group of people on a boat. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, the concerned individuals promptly responded by contacting a rescue team. The young whale’s desperate request for help touched more people’s hearts and set a truly extraordinary chain of events in motion.

As the rescue team arrived, they were amazed to witness the young killer whale’s playful interaction with the humans. The whale appeared elated, seemingly understanding that assistance had finally arrived. This interaction between the mother killer whale and rescuers underlined the potential for mutual understanding beyond the boundary of traditional predator-prey relationships.

The young whale took on the role of a guide, leading the rescue team to its mother trapped in a fishing net. It navigated the water with purpose, as if fully aware that the humans possessed the means to save its mother. This display of intelligence left the rescuers in awe, highlighting the complex cognitive abilities of these magnificent marine creatures. With its guidance, the rescue team swiftly initiated the liberation process, carefully cutting the net to free the trapped whale. Astonishingly, they seemed to understand that the humans were there to help and did as asked.

The instant the mother whale was finally freed, an eruption of joyous cries filled the air. The emotional outpouring conveyed the immense gratitude of both the mother whale and the young whale to the humans who had intervened. As the rescue team made their way back to shore, the two whales swam alongside them. This heart-warming sight emphasized the lasting impact of the rescue. The bond formed through this extraordinary rescue operation was well obvious, proving that the profound connections can be established between various species. The journey back to safety symbolized the victory of compassion over adversity.

1. What can we learn about the video from paragraph 2?

A．It spread widely.

B．It went unnoticed.

C．It documented humans’ requesting help.

D．It recorded passive response to the rescue.

2. What does the underlined word “elated” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Tired.

B．Excited.

C．Frightened.

D．Confused.

3. What is the young whale like?

A．Wise and cooperative.	B．Complex and mysterious.
C．Curious and careful.	D．Wild and rude.

4. What does the author mainly want to convey in the last paragraph?

A．Adversity is a good discipline.

B．It is urgent to protect wildlife.

C．Different species can coexist in harmony.

D．Human intervention poses a threat to whales.

4 . 根据句子结构的语法性，在下面空格处填入一个适当的词或使用括号中词的适当形式填空。

In June 1992, four farmers near the village of Shiyanbei in Zhejiang Province, China, made a(n)     1     (amaze) discovery. When they drained several ponds (排干几个池塘) on their land, they uncovered a secret     2     (hide) under the water’s surface. Five large man-made caves appeared, leading to the discovery of 19 more caves nearby. These caves     3     (know) as the Longyou Caves.

    4     (strange), the caves were not documented in any writings of the period. Following many studies since the caves were first found, caves scientists have tried to put forward explanations of the true purpose behind their     5     (create). But so far none have agreed. Artifacts (人工制品) within were discovered to be from the period 91 to 48 BCE,     6     makes the caves over 2,000 years old. The caves are     7     shockingly good shape after centuries of floods. Interestingly, the caves are of different     8     (size). Some are over 100 feet wide with vaulted ceilings (拱形天花板), supported by stone columns (柱). Others are much     9     (small).

Today, five of the caves are open to tourists, inviting them to experience the great wonders of     10     past.

5 . One day when Jack was walking in the park, he saw a woman, who lived a few miles away, sitting on a bench (凳子) with a dog beside her. The dog was looking up at the woman.

Jack walked up to the woman and said, “Hello, Sue how are you? May I sit and talk with you for a while?” “Of course, please sit down,” Sue said. Jack sat down next to Sue on the bench, and they talked quietly together. The dog continued to look up at Sue as if waiting to be fed.

“That’s a nice dog, isn’t he?” Jack said pointing at the animal.

“Yes, he is. He’s handsome. He’s a bit of a mixture but that’s not a bad thing. He’s strong and healthy.”

“And hungry,” Jack said.

“He hasn’t taken his eyes off you. He thinks you’ve got some food for him.”

“That’s true.” Sue said.

“But I haven’t.”

They both laughed and then Jack said, “Does your dog bite (咬人)?”

“No,” Sue said. “He’s never bitten anyone. He’s always gentle and friendly.”

Hearing this, Jack decided to hold out his hand and touched the animals head. Suddenly it jumped up and bit him.

“Hey!” Jack shouted. “ You said your dog didn’t bite.”

Sue replied in surprise, “Yeah, I did. But this is not my dog. My dog’s at home.”

1. The dog looked at the woman because ________.

A．the woman wanted to feed him	B．the woman was friendly
C．he was strong and healthy	D．he was hungry

2. Jack and Sue were ________.

A．friends	B．next-door neighbors
C．strangers	D．in the same family

3. Jack touched the dog because he believed ________.

A．the dog was handsome	B．Sue’s dog was unfriendly
C．the dog was Sue’s	D．Sue’s dog was at home

4. We can know from the passage that ________.

A．Sue gave a wrong answer	B．Jack made a mistake
C．Jack known the dog well	D．The dog waited for the food

5. The dog bit Jack because ________.

A．he didn’t took food	B．he didn’t know him
C．he didn’t take his dog	D．the dog didn’t find his master

6 . A tsunami is an extremely large wave in the sea caused by an earthquake at the sea bed. The following safety tips may help you deal with it.

Before the tsunami

Know the warning signs of a tsunami: rapidly rising or falling coastal waters, a loud noise from the ocean, or rumblings of an earthquake. “If people along the Indian Ocean coastline on December 26, 2004, were aware of these natural warnings, fewer people would have died.” says an expert.     1     And you’d better map your evacuation(疏散) route.

During the tsunami

● If you’re in a tsunami area and there is an earthquake, first drop to the floor, cover your head and neck, and hold on to something stable.     2    

●     3     “Listen to the authorities, but do not wait for tsunami warnings and evacuation orders,” suggests the U.S. site Ready.gov.

● People often mistake the distance they have to go to be safe. “Many people think they’ve got to go miles,” Richards says. “    4    ” If you’re a visitor staying in a tall concrete hotel, he adds, going above the fourth floor likely will be safer than evacuating.

● Stay put in a safe area until an official all-clear is given. The first wave may not be the last or the strongest and the danger can last for hours or even days.

After the tsunami

First, stay clear of damaged or flooded areas and downed power lines. Meanwhile, listen for further alerts and instructions about evacuation zones and shelters.     5     Phone systems are likely to be down or busy at that time.

A．But it might be just right behind Johnny’s house.

B．But they can also come back as soon as possible.

C．If you’re in a low-lying area, move inland as soon as possible.

D．Take the warnings seriously, and strictly follow the requirements.

E．Listen for official warnings, but also listen and watch for natural signs.

F．Besides, you should be familiar with your government’s warning system.

G．You’d better use texts and social media to communicate with loved ones.

7 . The Grand Canal is the mother river of Yangzhou. Simultaneous (同时) with her, Yangzhou city was built, developed, achieved prosperity, and even went into less importance with her downfall. Pi Rixiu, a poet of the TangDynasty, once made the following comment on Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty who had the Grand Canal built: “Everyone complains that the Sui Dynasty ended because of the canal; however, it is still an important way for people to travel. If he hadn’t had so many palaces and dragon boats built, his merits could have been compared with Dayu.” The poet not only criticized the emperor’s dissolute behavior, but also fully recognized his achievements. Nowadays, the Grand Canal still shoulders the responsibilities of transporting coal from the North to the South, transporting grain from the South to the North, and delivering water from the South to the North.

The ancient Guazhou Ferry is located where the ancient canal and the Yangtze River meet. The following is a famous ancient poem eulogizing the Guazhou Ferry. Moonlight on the Spring River by Zhang Ruoxu, a Yangzhou citizen in the Tang Dynasty, described the beautiful scenery of Guazhou of the dim moonlight with gently flowing river.

In spring the river rises as high as the sea,

And with the river’s tide uprises the moon bright,

She follows the rolling waves for ten thousand li,

Where the river flows, there overflows her light.(Zhang Ruoxu)

According to the government’s planning, every effort will be made to maintain the original style of the ancient neighborhoods and streets in the old town of Guazhou.

1. We can know from the passage that__________.

A．Yangzhou city achieved prosperity all the time

B．Pi Rixiu was a poet of the Qing Dynasty

C．the Grand Canal still plays an important role nowadays

D．Sui Dynasty ended because of the Grand Canal

2. What does the underlined word “eulogizing” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Producing.

B．Praising.

C．Presenting.

D．Painting.

3. In Zhang Ruoxu’s poem, the word “sea” rhymes with “__________”.

A．bright

B．li

C．light

D．river

4. This passage would most likely be found in a book of__________.

A．culture

B．nature

C．novel

D．Science

8 . On Monday, 2023, people across Kenya took part in the country’s first national tree-planting holiday. The holiday was created by Kenya’s president to encourage people to plant trees as part of a plan to fight the climate crisis.

Kenya is famous for its beautiful forests and wildlife. But large areas of Kenya’s forests have been cut down. Those trees would normally help absorb carbon dioxide.     1    

Currently, just 7% of Kenya is covered by trees. Kenya has been seriously affected by the climate crisis. The country has been hit by a severe drought, and the area’s rain patterns have been changing for the worse.

An app is created to help organize the tree planting.     2     It helps people collect seedlings, find places to plant, and record their efforts. The app will also help the government track how many trees have been planted in different areas around the country.

On Monday, people all over Kenya turned out in large numbers to take part in the holiday. In the capital, Nairobi, hundreds of people joined in, even though it was raining.     3     But the government had a goal of planting several hundred million more before the end of December.

    4     But some people were upset because the holiday was announced too late for them to be able to take part. Still others have criticized the government for a decision made earlier this year to end a ba n on cutting down older trees.     5     Some hope that it will happen every year.

A．Most Kenyans supported the event.

B．It’s not yet clear how many trees were planted.

C．It’s a greenhouse gas that causes the climate crisis.

D．Even so, people were very excited about the holiday.

E．The app is called JazaMiti, meaning   “filling with trees”.

F．Government leaders led planting efforts all over the country.

G．To prepare for the day, the government got young trees ready.

9 . Every living thing has DNA that can be used to identify it. They leave bits of DNA behind them wherever they go. DNA left behind like this is called “environmental” DNA, or eDNA. Scientists can use it to tell what kinds of animals are in a certain place.

Testing eDNA isn’t a new idea. Most of the time, scientists used to look for eDNA in water. Now, there are two teams of scientists who have come up with a new way of identifying animals in an area by testing eDNA in the air.

Both teams chose to test in zoos because there were rare animals not naturally found in the area. One team collected samples from different locations at Denmark’s Copenhagen Zoo, and the other team did it at Hamerton Zoo Park in the UK.

Basically, both teams used vacuums and fans to collect tiny bits of eDNA in the air. After collecting samples, they went back to the laboratory and compared their samples with examples of DNA from different animals. Therefore, the scientists were able to identify many different animals at the zoos.

Both teams have tracked different animals, even endangered ones without interfering with them in this new way. They are so excited about their new way that they combine their results of the test and publish a paper together in order to invite more scientists to join them.

However, it’s still unknown that whether this new way will work out fine or not in the wild nature. If scientists know where the wild animals live, they can do a better job of protecting them.

So the next step is to figure out how to take this new method into nature.

1. The two teams of scientists did the following things EXCEPT_________.

A．using vacuums and fans to collect tiny bits of eDNA in the air

B．knowing how to collect eDNA samples in the wild nature

C．comparing their samples with examples of DNA from different animals

D．working together to publish a paper

2. What’s the best title for the passage?

A．Two Teams of Scientists Find Rare Animals	B．Differences Between DNA and eDNA
C．Scientists Identify Animals by eDNA in the Air	D．How to Track Endangered Animals

3. The structure if the passage may be__________.

A．	B．
C．	D．

10 . You may have never seen a dodo bird in your lifetime. Driven to extinction on the island of Mauritius in 1692, the species has become a thing of the past. But it could soon be brought back to life.

A company called Colossal Biosciences, which has offices in Austin, plans to “de-extinct” the species alongside some other well-known extinct species, the woolly mammoth (长毛象) and Tasmanian tiger. According to the company, all three will be de-extinct within the next decade.

The dodo bird was a giant flightless pigeon (鸽子) on the island of Mauritius. The island, off the east coast of Africa, was visited by sailors in the early 1600’s. When the sailors arrived there, they would walk around the island and knock the heads of the dodos because there was nothing else to do on the island. By 1692, the species was extinct.

“Bringing back extinct animals isn’t just because we can,” says Forrest Galante, a scientist who serves as a conservation advisor to Colossal Biosciences. “In the case of the dodo, it will put back something of the food chain.” Removing the bird created a gap in the ecosystem of the environment, Recovering it, in theory, should help fill that gap. “You’re bringing back a creature, an individual and a group of them that will most importantly repair a damaged ecosystem, because they’ve been removed by human beings,” says Galante.

Just like in Jurassic Park, DNA is required to bring back an extinct animal. DNA from species like the dodo bird and woolly mammoth can be recovered. According to Galante, this DNA is then hatched into a related species that is living today. In the case of the dodo bird, a pigeon is used. When the pigeon lays eggs, dodo birds will hatch from the eggs.

The new dodos will not be the exact same type of bird, but close enough to fill the gaps their extinction left behind.

1. What does Colossal Biosciences plan to do?

A．Preserve existing endangered animals.	B．Document the history of extinct species.
C．Bring back some extinct animal species.	D．Teach people to raise and train dodo birds.

2. What might cause dodo birds to go extinct according to the text?

A．Lack of food.	B．Human activity.
C．Loss of habitat.	D．Coastal natural disasters.

3. What does Forrest Galante say about bringing back the dodo bird?

A．It is beneficial to the ecosystem.	B．It is a little late to do such a thing.
C．It is far beyond humans’ capability.	D．It is unnecessary to save the species.

4. What is paragraph 5 mainly about?

A．The inspiration for collecting DNA.	B．How dodo birds hatch from their eggs.
C．The impact of pigeons on dodo birds.	D．The use of DNA for reliving dodo birds.