1 . Lay eggs and make noises — that’s it? Anyone involved in chicken farming knows that the animals are capable of much more. Researchers have found evidence that roosters (公鸡) could recognize themselves in a mirror. Whether this is successful, however, depends on the experimental contexts.

Whether animals can recognize themselves and thus have self-awareness is one of the central questions in behavioral research. The mark test, a classic test for self-recognition came to the scientists. In the test, if an animal stands in front of a mirror and begins to explore the colored mark placed on its body, this is considered proof that it recognizes its reflection as itself.

“However, our goal was to conduct the mirror test in an environment that is better adapted to the ecologically relevant behavior of the roosters,” says Sonja, a researcher from the University of Bonn. She came up with the idea of using a natural behavior of roosters for the experiment.

Initially, the researchers set up a test area and placed a net to separate two compartments (隔间), through which the roosters could see each other. Then a picture of a fox was placed onto the ceiling of one compartment. Faced with the predator, the roosters let out 77 alarm calls in the presence of a partner, but only 17 when they were alone. The result shows that most roosters, faced with a fox, do alarm partners, which is the perfect illustration of the animals’ self-awareness. The next step was to place a mirror between the two compartments instead of the net. In all, only 25 alarm calls were let out. “The result indicates that the roosters don’t mistake their reflection for a partner, and possibly recognize themselves in their mirror image,” says Sonja.

For comparison, the team also performed the classic mark test. Here, the roosters didn’t recognize themselves in the mirror. The research team sees clear evidence that the classic mirror-mark test produces more reliable results when the behavior of the particular species is included in an ecologically relevant context. “In the classic situation, a rooster may not show self-recognition,” says Sonja. “But when a fox threatens him, it becomes clear that his reflection is not another rooster, but himself.” Further research on animals’ self-awareness is needed so as to better understand animal rights and animal welfare.

1. What is the purpose of the mark test?

A．To explain why animals show certain behavior.

B．To discover what behavioral research focuses on.

C．To tell whether animals can identify their mirror image.

D．To reveal how animals get used to the natural environment.

2. What does the underlined word “predator” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Enemy.

B．Partner.

C．Researcher.

D．Reflection.

3. Why did the researchers add a mirror in the second step?

A．To present the experiment result.	B．To change the experimental condition.
C．To replace the experiment subject.	D．To simplify the experimental process.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．Animal behavior draws researchers’ attention.

B．Animal welfare deserves more human efforts.

C．Roosters’ self-recognition works in classic mark tests.

D．Roosters’ self-awareness improves in threatening contexts.

2 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Freddie Forbes stared in awe (敬畏) at the platform in the packed school hall. The headmaster marched onto the stage, followed by the captains of the school soccer team and rugby side. Freddie watched enviously (羡慕地) as each was presented with an honors jacket for their contribution to the school’s sporting success over the previous year. When the next presentation of honors jacket would come around, Freddie knew there was little hope that he would be the receiver of one of these treasured items of clothing.

“I wish you all a happy summer holiday,” the headmaster announced. “Although most of you will be going away to sunnier parts, there are others who will be staying near their home. The local council has asked the school to undertake a project over the next six weeks to help clear up litter around the area and separate it for recycling. If anyone is interested, come to my office and you will be supplied with a litter picker, bags and heavy-duty gloves.”

Freddie knew he would be at a loose end over the holiday, so he went to the office along with four other boys to pick up the equipment needed to gather up the rubbish which littered the streets around the school. When he arrived home, his mother looked at him curiously as he placed the equipment on the kitchen table.

“What is this all about?” she asked with a smile on her face. “Mum, I’m an average pupil and I’m not very good at sports,” he replied. “This waste recycling is one way I can contribute to the good name of the school.”

“Just as long as you don’t get fed up and stop half way through,” said Mum.

“I have made up my mind to stick this out through thick and thin,” Freddie said confidently.

注意：1.续写词数应为150个左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Over the next few weeks, the other boys dropped out of the project.

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Hearing his name called by the headmaster, Freddie nervously made his way to the platform.

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3 . Have you ever got the feeling that your dog is judging you? Well, you’re in for a surprise because it’s actually your dog who might be viewing you with a critical eye. Eliza Fletcher and her colleagues wondered whether dogs might rate us in terms of our skillfulness, particularly when those skills might come in handy for our four-footed little friends. So they set up a simple experiment.

They showed 60 dogs two persons opening containers. One person is competent. That person was able to pop open the top after just a couple of twists while the other person failed at this task. That person tried to open the lid, but then gave up. The actors repeated the performance on a second container, with the same results. Then the researchers handed both actors a third container. In some trials, this container was empty. In others, it contained a treat. And what they found was that female dogs spent more time staring expectantly at the person who had previously demonstrated container-opening know-how. And they were more likely to approach the competent person, but only when they thought they might get free food. Dogs in the empty condition showed no preferences.

So, why would females be more careful observers of people’s performances than males? Female advantage in the social cognitive domain (认知领域) has been reported across many species including humans. In other words, in many cognitive studies, furry females seem to show a higher social IQ than males. And sex differences have been seen in other dog studies. For example, females look at their owners more frequently and longer than males when facing unsolvable task. Female dogs solve significantly more tasks than males in social learning task.

So, next time Fifi looks at you with those puppy dog eyes, you might be thinking, what a good dog! But she might be thinking, eeem, you could do better.

1. Why did Eliza Fletcher do the experiment?

A．To figure out the rate of human skills.

B．To prove dogs have better skills than humans.

C．To test whether dogs judge human’s skillfulness.

D．To find out whether some human skills are easy for dogs.

2. How does the author develop paragraph 3?

A．By making comparisons.	B．By making inferences.
C．By giving explanation.	D．By analysing figures.

3. What is the purpose of the last paragraph?

A．To remind people of the research result.

B．To entertain readers with a vivid picture.

C．To prove that dogs are intelligent enough.

D．To show close relation between men and dogs.

4 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

In her small town, Emma was known for her love and respect for all living creatures, and she believed that humans and animals should coexist peacefully and harmoniously. One day, while hiking in the nearby woods, Emma spotted a wounded (受伤的) deer caught in a hunter's trap. Without hesitation, she carefully freed the deer and nursed it back to health.

Over the next few weeks, Emma devoted her time and energy to caring for the deer. She visited it every day after school, bringing fresh fruits and vegetables. She carefully examined its wounds, applying some medicine to help it get better and prevent infection. As the days went by, the deer began to regain its strength, and Emma was overjoyed to see it stand on its legs once again.

Emma also took the time to learn about deer behavior and their natural habitat. She researched the best foods to feed the deer and created a comfortable place for it to rest in during the day. She even made a small water fountain to ensure that the deer had access to clean drinking water.

As the weeks turned into months. Emma watched as the deer grew stronger and more confident. It would often follow her around the backyard, nudging (轻推) her playfully with its nose. Emma felt a deep sense of satisfaction knowing that she had played a part in saving this beautiful creature's life.

One sunny afternoon, as Emma sat in her backyard reading a book, she heard a familiar sound. She looked up and saw the deer standing near her, looking at her with gentle eyes. It was clear that the deer had fully recovered and was ready to return to the wild.

Emma felt a sense of sadness but also knew that it was time for the deer to go back to its natural habitat. She opened the gate and watched as the deer bounded away, disappearing into the forest. From that day on, Emma continued to care for animals in need, knowing that she had made a difference in the life of at least one creature.

注意：
1. 续写词数应为150个左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Months later, Emma had almost forgotten about the deer when one day, she received an unexpected visitor.

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From that day on, the deer became a regular visitor to Emma's backyard.

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5 .

Climate change influences how organisms live and function in their environment. Investigating how organisms adapt is essential for accurately predicting their survival, and tracking genomic(基因组的) changes helps researchers determine the lasting effects of the changing environment. Copepods, a dominant coastal species, are particularly useful for studying genetic changes in response to shifting marine environments. By studying copepods, researchers can get an idea of how the ocean food chain might react to changes in the Earth’s climate.

Tracking a copepod’s evolving genome in the wild, however, can be time-consuming and laborious. To circumvent this challenge, Pespeni and her team used an evolve-and-resequence approach in the lab. They exposed a copepod population to three stressors—water warming, acidification via high CO₂ levels, and combinations of the two ocean warming and acidification (OWA) conditions in the laboratory, and tracked their adaptations to these conditions over 25generations. Previously, they tracked reproductive fitness traits such as egg-hatching success under these conditions. They found that the fitness of the population exposed to OWA conditions initially decreased, but then adapted to the stressors over several generations.

In the current study, the researchers sequenced the genomes of animals in each experimental group at generation 0 and 25 to quantify how allele (等位基因) frequencies changed in response to experimental selective pressures. The researchers found adaptive alleles related to development were unique to the multiple stressor experiment, providing a possible explanation for the observed selection of hatching success.

“We showed that the warming alone was a much strong er selective pressure than CO₂. But when you combine them, you get a unique synergy. So, it’s not just one plus one equals two; it’s one plus one equals something totally different,” said Pespeni. Whereas previous studies observed the effects of single stressors on evolving organisms, Pespeni’s study demonstrated that multiple stressors result in a unique response to selection in a non-additive manner. This is important because human-induced environmental changes are multifaceted(多方面的), and additional stressors are still needed to further mimic natural environmental changes, and this study reveals the complexity of the genomic adaptive response.

According to Morgan Kelly, a professor who was not involved in the study, the insights presented by the researchers in this study call into question the previous single stressor studies and will influence future experimental design. “There’s this big question of the role that evolutionary change will play in response to climate change, and the way the researchers integrate genomic information is the best of its kind in the world of marine experimental evolution,” said Kelly.

According to Pespeni, there is reason to maintain hope in the face of climate change because her work revealed that the copepods eventually fully regained their ability to reproduce following the combined environmental changes.

1. What can we learn about Pespeni’s previous and current studies?

A．The previous study tried new ways to quantify the response of copepods.

B．The current study may explain the success of hatching in the previous one.

C．The previous study reveals the complexity of the genomic adaptive response.

D．The current study sequenced copepods’ genes of 25 generations in each group.

2. To improve their future research, researchers should         .

A．study how other species adapt to global warming

B．include additional stressors in their experiments

C．track a copepod’s evolving genome in the wild

D．compare Pespeni’s study with previous ones

3. What makes the current study particularly significant?

A．It integrates genomic information in the research.

B．It shows most species can easily adapt to climate changes.

C．It confirms the effectiveness of previous single stressor studies.

D．It demonstrates multiple stressors produce an additive response.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A．Scientists Edit Genomes to Help Copepods Survive

B．Research Removes People’s Worries about Climate Change

C．Combining Climate Stressors Leads to Unique Genomic Changes

D．The Evolve-and-resequence Approach Helps Fight Climate Change

7 . If the great dinosaurs hadn’t gone extinct, would they have dominated Earth today? There has been a debate about this possibility for decades. Recently two analyses have put the surprising cognitive (认知) abilities of dinosaurs — and their potential limitations — in a new light.

In one study, Suzana Herculano-Houzel at Vanderbilt University calculated the likely number of neurons (神经细胞) in dinosaurs’ pallium, a brain structure that is responsible for advanced cognitive functions. Research suggests that it is the number of neurons in these areas, rather than the brain size, that indicates an animal’s cognitive potential. For example, despite having a very small head, birds have more densely packed brain cells than many mammals (哺乳动物) and so can possess roughly as many neurons as monkeys. The result is that some birds show great cognitive abilities, comparable to the smartest non-human mammals. And it is precisely birds, being the only surviving lineage (宗系) of dinosaurs, that are Herculano-Houzel’s foundation. By comparing the relationship between brain size, number of neurons and body size in numerous existing birds and available fossils of dinosaurs, Herculano-Houzel concludes that a large dinosaur such as T. rex could have housed two billion to three billion neurons in its pallium. If so, dinosaurs could have had the capacity for tool use and planning for the future.

But neurons’ number may not be enough. For intelligence, brain architecture also matters. And this could be the weakness of dinosaurs, argues Anton Reiner from the University of Tennessee. Over 350 million years of separate evolution, mammals and dinosaurs found two rather different ways to organize cognitive functions. The mammalian neurons are organized in a relatively thin layer formed by compact columns. In each column, different parts can communicate with one another over short distances. In contrast, in the dinosaurs that survive today, namely birds, the organization is less compact. According to Reiner, expanding brain capabilities beyond a certain point could make the structure far more complex and less efficient than it is in humans. If this were the case, an increase in brain size would correspond to a greater distance between different parts of the brain, slowing down their communication.

The issue remains open to debate. Herculano-Houzel and Reiner each published a paper with rejections to the other’s argument. Meanwhile, other scientists have entered the fight. For example, neurobiologist Giorgio Vallortigara assumes that speed in transmitting information between networks of neurons is probably one of dinosaurs’ strengths.

Whatever the truth is, understanding how and if brain architecture imposes limits on the development of cognition could reveal much about the evolution of abilities and behaviors of various animals. Also, this debate may tell us more about our own species than about dinosaurs.

1. Why do Herculano-Houzel and Reiner study birds?

A．Because birds are more intelligent than dinosaurs.

B．Because birds’ brain structures are the same as dinosaurs’.

C．Because birds are the only survivors of the dinosaur family.

D．Because birds have the same cognitive abilities as dinosaurs.

2. What does the word “compact” underlined in Paragraph 3 most probably mean?

A．Tight.

B．Light.

C．Large.

D．Wide.

3. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Dinosaurs’ ability for tool use owes to bigger brains.

B．The number of neurons has little to do with brain architecture.

C．Greater inter-brain distance causes higher cognitive efficiency.

D．The factors behind dinosaur intelligence remain to be identified.

4. Which would be the best title for the passage?

A．Are Dinosaurs Comparable to Humans in Intelligence?

B．Are Dinosaurs with Bigger Brains the Ultimate Geniuses?

C．How Smart Were Dinosaurs? New Studies Fuel the Debate

D．Can Dinosaurs Outsmart Birds? Researches Cast a New Light

8 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

For as long as I can remember, my parents raised me with dogs, cats, birds and fish in the house, and I felt the most comfort with these pets in my surroundings. As an only child, I grew up talking to these animals since I never had a partner to play with at home.

I created characters for each of the pets and I included them in my imaginary adventures, tying capes onto the dogs, who were changed into superheroes, and giving headwear to the cats, who became girls. Even after I began attending pre-school, I’d eagerly await my return from school so that I could relay all the exciting details to my pets who would listen and pretend to be slightly interested in my wandering. In fact, I probably communicated with my pets more than I did with my friends, since these animals offered a sense of safety which no individual could provide. It never felt strange for me to talk with members of different species and I always felt satisfied after I spoke with them.

Imagine the shock I faced when I realized that certain cruel persons badly treated their pets. Over the spring break of third grade when I visited Aunt Judy and my cousins in Philadelphia, I met her one-eyed cat, Gordon. A cold, skinny creature, I firstly avoided directing my attention towards the cat. Aunt Judy must have noticed my strange behavior, so she took me aside and explained that the Gordon’s owner had deserted him. The cat was extremely unhealthy and injured when Aunt Judy discovered him.

After she had found medical treatments for the cat, my aunt decided to keep him because Aunt Judy said, “The unwanted animals are the ones most in need of someone to love them wholeheartedly.” After my aunt’s advice, I spent additional time to know Gordon and as days passed, he grew less afraid of me and I became more willing to love him.

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。

Para 1: It broke my heart to see his sad eyes.

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Para 2: No creature loves such a lonely end to their life.

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9 . Some ants have figured out how to avoid getting lost: build taller anthills, according to a recent study.

Desert ants living in the hot, flat salt pans of Tunisia spend their days looking for food and reach as far as 1.1 kilometers from their nests. To find their way home, desert ants use a navigation system, relying on the sun’s position and counting their steps to track their location relative to their nest.

But this system becomes increasingly unreliable as the distance from the nest increases. “We realized that, whenever the ants in salt pans came closer to their nest, they suddenly pinpointed the nest hill from several meters distance,” says Markus Knaden, a researcher at Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology. “This made us think that the hill serves as a nest-defining landmark.”

So Knaden and colleagues captured ants from nests in the middle of salt pans and from along their shorelines. Only salt-pan nests had distinct hills, up to 40 centimeters tall, whereas the hills on shoreline nests were lower or barely noticeable. Next, the team removed any hills and placed the captured insects some distance away from their nests. Salt-pan ants struggled more than shore ants to find homes. Shore ants relied on the shoreline for guidance and weren’t affected by the hill removal, the researchers concluded.

The team further conducted another study to see if desert ants were deliberately building a taller hill when their surroundings lacked any visible landmarks. So, the researchers removed the hills of 16 salt-pan nests and installed (安装) two 50-centimeter-tall blocks near eight of them. The other eight nests were left without any artificial visual aid. After three days, the researchers found that seven ants from the unaided nests had rebuilt their hills. But only two ants from the nests with man-made blocks nearby had bothered to rebuild.

“It implies that ants regularly assess the complexity of their environment and change their decisions based on their conclusion,” says ecologist Judith Bronstein of the University of Arizona.

1. What aspect of ants is the recent study mainly about?

A．Challenges of survival.	B．Landmarks of habitats.
C．Intelligence of navigation.	D．Comparison of varieties.

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

A．Explored.

B．Recognized.

C．Climbed.

D．Crossed.

3. Why did researchers set shoreline ants in the experiment?

A．To observe different ants’ reactions.	B．To prove impacts of various habitats.
C．To disturb desert ants’ navigation system.	D．To test anthills’ functions and significance.

4. What conclusion about desert ants can be drawn from the follow-up study?

A．Evaluate and make changes.	B．Visual aid is a must.
C．Cooperation brings victory.	D．No man-made blocks are used.

10 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

When John pulled into his mother’s driveway with his young daughter, Lily, the sight of the familiar lychee (荔枝) tree welcomed them. “Look, Lily,” John said, pointing to the towering tree in the front yard. “It’s the family tree.”

Lily smiled as John treated the tree as if it were a real family member, patting its trunk (树干) affectionately. As they were admiring the tree, the screen door opened and out stepped Grandma Mei, bathed in the warm Florida sunlight. Grandma Mei, who came from the province of Guangdong in China, was known for her green thumb, particularly when it came to lychees.

Seeing her granddaughter, Grandma Mei adjusted her baseball cap and asked if Lily was ready for some lychees. But Lily hesitated, for the fruit’s appearance was unlike any other fruit she had tried before. With a laugh, Grandma Mei gave her a gentle hug. “More lychees for me then, John,” Grandma Mei said.

“Let’s get busy!” John said with enthusiasm, rubbing his hands together. “Family tree’s waiting.”

Hearing Dad calling the tree by name, Lily couldn’t help laughing. “Laugh if you want, Lily, but this tree is really family. On cold nights, before family tree was fully grown, Grandma Mei used to take my blanket and throw it over that tree.” Grandma Mei nodded, adding that she had to protect the tree from bad weather so that it would become a big strong tree and grow fruit for the whole family.

John, eager to start the day’s work, began climbing the tree, determined to harvest the best lychees for the family. Lily watched in amazement, noticing the clusters (簇) of lychees, their skin rough yet inviting.

As John skillfully cut through the branches with a cutter, Lily expressed her concern for the well-being of the tree. John explained to her that cutting the ends of branches won’t hurt family tree. Instead such behaviour made it healthier and stronger.

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。

Lily’s hesitation towards the fruit gradually shifted to curiosity and she wanted to try it.

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Later in the afternoon, they all sat under the tree, surrounded by boxes filled with lychees and sharing stories related to lychees.

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