1 . Weeds and pests are “garden heroes” according to the Royal Horticultural Society.
The RHS is now encouraging gardeners to welcome weeds instead of considering them enemies. The rebranding(重塑形象)comes just in time for this year’s Chelsea Flower Show, held by the RHS. In the show 4 out of 12 of the gardens will include “weed heroes” as an important part, according to Sheila Das, the RHS Wisley garden manager.
“If you’ve got a weed”, says Das, “it’s telling you what’s going on underground. Your weed is your adviser. It’s your friend. So don’t treat weeds as troubles, something growing where they shouldn’t. They are actually plants in the right place”.
Nettles(荨麻草)let a gardener know that the soil is rich in nitrogen, and fat hen, a weed often considered “troublesome”, is a sign that an area is low in nutrients.
Until last year, the RHS published a yearly “pest” list, including snails and slugs. But this year, to be more “biodiversity(生物多样性)positive”, they’ve published a list of the most beneficial wildlife into our garden, and both snails and slugs are making a comeback.
Sheila Das noted our gardens would be a duller place without those unpopular ones. Apart from food for hedgehogs, frogs and birds, slugs and snails are excellent for recycling dead plant and animal waste, helping to keep soil healthy.
These are just the first steps towards the RHS’s goal towards better biodiversity. Sheila Das said, “The RHS has realized the role of gardens in supporting biodiversity and it will no longer call any garden wildlife as ‘pests’. Instead, there will be greater consideration of the role that weeds, slugs, and snails play in a balanced garden eco-system together with more popular wildlife such as birds, hedgehogs and frogs. ”
1. Why does the rebranding come in time for the show?A.The weeds’ gardens will win. | B.The weed heroes will be known. |
C.It will be popular worldwide. | D.It will be an excellent competition. |
A.Giving examples. | B.Introducing a topic. |
C.Describing a scene. | D.Making comparison |
A.They support a habitat for rich biodiversity. |
B.They play a great part in wildlife protection. |
C.They contain only popular weeds and insects. |
D.They keep a balance between weeds and pests. |
A.Pests are good advisers. | B.Weeds make a comeback. |
C.Weeds and pests are our friends. | D.Heroes will win the flower show. |
2 . More than 40 percent of Antarctica’s ice shelves have reduced in the past 25 years, potentially accelerating sea level rise by allowing more landice to flow into the ocean.
Healthy ice shelves naturally retreat and grow over time. An ice shelf is continuously flowing and advancing but will also lose mass through melting or calving, which is when its front breaks off into the ocean.
In West Antarctica, the Getz Ice Shelf experienced some of the biggest ice losses, shedding 1.9 trillion tons of ice over the study period. Most ice shelves in East Antarctica however, increased in volume or stayed the same.
The current ice shelf data set is not long enough for researchers to definitively make climate change connection yet, but it would be a ” remarkable coincidence if the natural variability in ice shelves were just that much larger.
A.Then it can gain ice from the land and grow again |
B.Ice shelves are massive floating sections of ice extending from glaciers on land. |
C.The east is not as exposed to the warm water like the other side of the continent. |
D.The thinning of the ice shelves has shown up in the surrounding environment, too. |
E.Ice shelves not just the big ones, are. steadily losing mass over time with no sign of recovery |
F.One theory is that the warmer water on the western side could be slowly coming in the region. |
G.Additionally, climate models predict ice shelves will steadily shrink in a warming world as observed, eventually hitting a tipping point for ice sheet collapse. |
Timmy was a boy aged twelve. One day, while he was walking home from school, he found a stray (流浪的) dog wandering aimlessly on the street. The poor creature looked dirty and hungry. It looked up at Timmy with big, pleading eyes, as if to say, “Please take me home.” Timmy couldn’t resist the sad face of the small dog. Without hesitation, Timmy decided to take the dog home with him. He knew that his parents would be surprised because they had never kept a pet, but he couldn’t bear the thought of leaving the animal alone. When he arrived home, he introduced the dog to his family. To his surprise, his parents agreed to let it stay.
Timmy named the dog Max, and the two quickly became inseparable. They spent their days playing together in the park and exploring the countryside. Max was always by Timmy’s side, whether he was riding his bike or playing soccer with his friends. When Timmy returned home from school, Max would run to him and jump up into his arms, licking his face with joy.
One sunny day, Timmy and Max were playing in the park when they came across a beautiful pond. Max couldn’t resist the temptation (诱惑) to take a swim in the cool water, so it ra n towards the pond. Timmy followed it, but as soon as they reached the edge of the pond, Max jumped right in without any hesitation.
Timmy watched as Max swam around in the water, having the time of its life. He wanted to join in the fun, but he didn’t know how to swim. As he peered into the water, he noticed that it was much deeper than he had thought. Suddenly, he lost his balance and fell into the pond. He tried to stand up, but the water was too deep, and he started to panic.
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。
Max quickly realized that something was wrong.
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Word spread that a stray dog had saved a boy’s life.
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This story happened in a small village in North America, where a disabled boy named Tom lived with his parents. When Tom was born, his right leg was a little twisted (变形的). When Tom could neither walk nor stand upright for two years, his parents took him to a doctor. After a careful examination, the doctor said complete recovery was impossible. So the doctor made a structure of iron rods (杆) that could be tied through Tom’s shoe to a belt over his knee. With the help of the structure, Tom could stand properly and walk at times, and his life became a little easier than before. But one thing always bothering him was that he could not play like other children, although he was still happy.
On the way to Tom’s school, there was a small flower shop. Its owner was a kind old man. In this shop, there lived his five small pet puppies. One of the puppies was lame (瘸的). It always dragged its leg and followed the rest of the puppies. Tom often stood in front of this flower shop after school and watched the puppies. Of the five, Tom liked that little lame puppy most.
One day, Tom saw a board hanging in front of the shop. It read “Puppies for Sale at $50” Tom went straight into the shop. Pointing at the lame puppy, he asked the old man to sell it to him. Tom took a $5 note out of his pocket and gave it to the old man. “I only have $5 now and you keep it. I’ll pay 50 cents a month for the rest,” Tom said. “But it is a puppy which will limp for the rest of its life. It will never be able to run with you or play with you in the park. Do you still want to buy it?” the old man asked in surprise.
Tom told the old man firmly, “Yes, I want this puppy.” Then the old man returned Tom’s $5 and said, “If you want this puppy, I’ll give it to you for free.”
Paragraph 1:
Tom got a little upset after hearing this from the old man.
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Paragraph 2:
Then, Tom approached the lame puppy with his twisted right leg.
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5 . Tariq Qaiser, an architect, is trying to protect mangroves (红树林). The trees could save Pakistan’s largest city Karachi, sitting on the Arabian Sea, from natural disaster. He comes to Bundal Island several times a week to document the illegal cutting of mangrove trees. Very often, “You can’t hear a single bird because the chain saws are so loud. The trees are cut down illegally for firewood,” he says, shaking his head. Besides, developers clear the mangroves to make room for construction.
Karachi has a hot climate, and its concrete buildings and paved roads make it even hotter. Offshore, there are islands where mangroves grow. They could be the key to slowing climate change. Mangrove forests pull carbon dioxide out of the air, holding four times as much of the planet-warming gas as other forests can. They support diverse ecosystems. As sea levels rise with global warming, the trees could play a big role in protecting coastal cities like Karachi from flooding. Karachi’s mangroves are disappearing. But its numbers are rising in other parts of Pakistan. With replanting efforts, the country has tripled (三倍于) its mangrove coverage over the past 30 years.
Qaiser’s work may have worked. Recently, a court in Karachi declared Bundal Island’s mangroves to be protected forests. But unforested parts of the island remain unprotected, and developers want to build there. City officials say this could provide much-needed housing and bring in billions of dollars. They claim that some of that money could be used to plant mangroves in other parts of Pakistan.
Ecologist Rafiul Haq appreciates Qaiser’s “extraordinary work” educating the public about mangroves. But he wishes Qaiser would look at the bigger picture. “Only 7% of Pakistan’s mangroves are in Karachi,” Haq says. He thinks it’s wrong to focus on the losses in 7% of the country while ignoring the success in 93% of it. But Qaiser believes it’s important to protect every bit.
1. What do we know about Karachi’s mangroves?A.They occupy the building land. | B.They’re home to various birds. |
C.They’re primarily being used as firewood. | D.They protect the city from climate catastrophe. |
A.Their birthplaces meet crisis. | B.They boast huge diversity. |
C.Their bonds with nature are close. | D.They grow at a rapid speed. |
A.Grow mangroves in other areas. | B.Destroy buildings to grow mangroves. |
C.Build more mangrove reserves. | D.Use mangroves to make profit. |
A.Challenging. | B.Effective. | C.Insignificant. | D.Partial. |
I sat at the breakfast table with my four-year-old son, Andy, trying to ignore the ache in my stomach. “Mama, want to play?” “Not today, baby.” I shook my head. These days I could barely get out of bed. I was still recovering from an operation. I hoped for strength and happiness. But the future seemed so hopeless.
Suddenly Andy jumped up from his spot on the kitchen floor. “Bird!” he shouted, rushing to our courtyard. Sure enough, there was a white dove seated in a tree. It sat there for a few moments, and then flew away. Strange, I’d never seen one in our neighborhood before.
When I dragged myself to the kitchen the next morning, the dove was back. This time it was with a mate carrying sticks, “Look, Andy,” I said, pointing to the tree. “They are going to make a nest.” The doves flew in and out of the courtyard all week, building on top of the tree.
Andy could hardly contain his excitement. Every morning, he’d run into the kitchen and take his spot by the door, talking to the birds while they worked. His happiness was influential. Much as I was sad, I couldn’t help but look forward to the doves’ visit too.
Then it all went wrong. The courtyard was a safe enough spot for a nest, but the tree is broad, thin leaves were far from stable. One night, a strong wind blew, throwing the doves’ nest to the ground. I heard the twigs(细枝) break apart.
I examined the damage. Nothing good ever lasted. I wouldn’t blame the doves if it never came back. But they returned. They started again from the beginning. Again, though, the wind destroyed all their hard work. The next day, and the next, they started again, as if nothing had happened.
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。
I knew I had to do something.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“It works! The birds are back!” Andy announced.
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A.Five. | B.Six. | C.Seven. |
A.Tidal waves. | B.Damaged dams. | C.The rising warm air. |
A.Drought. | B.Sea level. | C.Disappearing species. |
A.He does research on polar bears. |
B.He proves hurricanes get stronger. |
C.He aims to protect coral reefs. |
One morning, Ann found a lost dog wandering around the local elementary school. She asked her neighbors around if they were the owner. It turned out that nobody in the neighborhood knew this dog, let alone claimed it.
Ann took photos of the dog and printed off 400 FOUND fliers(传单), and put them in mailboxes. She went to the dollar store and bought some pet supplies, but she warned her two sons not to fall in love with the dog for they would find its owner. At the time, Ann’s son Thomas was 10 years old, and Jack, who was recovering from a heart operation, was 21 years old.
Four days later Ann was still looking after the dog, whom they had started to call Riley. Jack had been walking Riley every morning around the neighborhood. In the meantime, Thomas managed to gain the right to feed Riley. It was the first thing after school. The three of them became inseparable.
When she arrived home from work, the dog threw itself against the screen door and barked madly at her. As soon as she opened the door, Riley dashed into the boys’ room where Ann found Jack suffering from a heart attack. Riley ran over to Jack, but as soon as Ann bent over to help him the dog went silent. The ambulance arrived in time to save Jack’s life.
“If it hadn’t come to get me, the doctor said Jack would have died,” Ann reported to a local newspaper. At this point, no one had called to claim the dog, so Ann decided to keep it.
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。
The next day, Ann received a call from a man called Peter.
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Peter drove to Ann’s house to pick up his dog.
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My wife, Hannah, and I don’t usually keep house plants. Anything in pots gets either over watered or underwatered. But after I was diagnosed (诊断) with a brain cancer, with an expectation of no more than a year to live, I loved the idea of having something new and green around.
My friend Mitch gave me what he said was a lucky bamboo plant in a deep-green pottery bowl with three pencil-sizes talks (茎) bound together. We placed the plant in the living room window across from the couch where 1 spent much of the day. I smiled when I looked at it over the coffee Hanna b brought me each morning.
It old Hannah I wanted to care for the plant myself. When it didn’t immediately turn yellow or brown or lose all its leaves, I was pleasantly surprised. Tending to the plant gave me a sense of accomplishment at a time when I sometimes felt useless. Brain cancer limited my ability to walk, and the treatment left me exhausted, making it hard for me to accomplish everyday tasks.
As a family physician, I was used to being the one who provided care, not the one who received it. Since my diagnosis in August 2018, far too often, it seemed that I had to rely on help from other people. The enormous change left me feeling aimless and unsettled. Watering the plant, as small an act as it was, connected me to a core part of my old identity and taught me I could still be a caregiver.
Plants and people could still depend on me. Over the next few months, I recovered from surgery and completed radiation. Even after I returned to work, I continued to care for the plant. Soon, it had nearly doubled in height and its leaves were shiny and thick. Both the tree and I were thriving. But hen, somehow, it began to show signs of stress. No matter what I did, the leaves kept browning and hanging down to the floor.
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。
“If my lucky bamboo dies, I might die too!” I yelled,
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As my anxiety reduced, I began to search online to help my failing plant.
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10 . Many animals move from one place to another at certain times of the year. This
Every
The solution to the mystery of the monarch’s amazing ability comes at a time when it is in serious trouble. Its
A.annual | B.monthly | C.daily | D.unusual |
A.buy | B.find | C.send | D.drop |
A.spring | B.summer | C.autumn | D.winter |
A.easy | B.disappointing | C.exciting | D.difficult |
A.travel | B.run | C.drive | D.crawl |
A.north | B.south | C.east | D.west |
A.Soon | B.Therefore | C.However | D.Besides |
A.habitat | B.problem | C.way | D.answer |
A.adapt | B.adjust | C.tell | D.memorize |
A.size | B.position | C.heat | D.color |
A.scientist | B.professor | C.flight | D.butterfly |
A.Eventually | B.Immediately | C.Frequently | D.Obviously |
A.consumption | B.income | C.population | D.output |
A.Hopefully | B.Sadly | C.Usually | D.Gradually |
A.eyes | B.wings | C.determination | D.behaviour |