1 . Next time you’re having trouble solving a tricky puzzle, consider asking a nearby bumblebee.

A new study in the journal PLOS Biology finds that bumblebees can learn certain behaviors from each other, suggesting these social insects have a capacity for what we humans call “culture.”

In the past couple of decades, a growing body of evidence has shown that animals like chimps and birds show behaviors of learning. If what they learn lasts for a long time, it turns into a tradition. And culture is made up of multiple traditions. “Bumblebees, though, have some of the most complex behavioral abilities, nobody’s really thought to look at culture in such insects and generally assume they’re mostly driven by inborn factors instead,” says Alice Bridges, a behavioral ecologist at Anglia Ruskin University in England.

To prove them wrong, Bridges built a puzzle box, whose base held the reward: a drop of super sweet sugar water. The box was designed with a rotating (旋转) top that can be rotated by pushing either on a red tab clockwise or a blue tab anti-clockwise. Some bees were trained to push the red tab to get the sugar water while others pushed the blue one. Then, these tutor bees were placed inside different colonies (蜂群), along with the puzzle boxes.

The experiment ultimately played itself out. In colonies where the tutor bee had originally learned to push the red tab, the other bees in the colony usually pushed the red tab. In colonies where the tutor bee was trained to push the blue tab, their fellow bees also tended to do the same. In contrast, in the control groups without tutors, the bees sometimes learned how to open the boxes, but most of them would do it once or twice and then never again. “They perhaps hadn’t quite made the link between their behavior and the reward,” Bridges supposes.

“Many of us consider ourselves to be rather special…because we have culture, we can learn and we’re social,” Bridges says. “But now it turns out that even the bee also has culture, which is an uncomfortable truth: human culture, once thought unique, does not emerge ‘out of the blue’ but has obviously built on deep evolutionary foundations.

1. What is people’s common attitude to bumblebees having culture?

A．Positive.

B．Indifferent.

C．Interested.

D．Doubtful.

2. Why does Bridges place trained bees inside different colonies?

A．To test their learning capability in new settings.

B．To see if they will spread the secret of the boxes.

C．To evaluate their ruling power in various groups.

D．To observe if they will share their food with peers.

3. What does the last paragraph mainly talk about concerning the study?

A．Its appeal to the public.	B．Implications on cultural origins.
C．Its practical application.	D．Suggestions for future directions.

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

A．Human Culture Is Losing Its Uniqueness

B．Bee’s Behavior Builds on Biological Factors

C．Culture May Be Present Among Bumblebees

D．Animals’ Evolution May Start From Colonies

3 . As cities balloon with growth, access to nature for people living in urban areas is becoming harder to find. If you’re lucky, there might be a pocket park near where you live, but it’s unusual to find places in a city that are relatively wild.

Past research has found health and wellness benefits of nature for humans, but a new study shows that wildness in urban areas is extremely important for human well-being.

The research team focused on a large urban park. They surveyed several hundred park-goers, asking them to submit a written summary online of a meaningful interaction they had with nature in the park. The researchers then examined these submissions, coding (编码) experiences into different categories. For example, one participant’s experience of “We sat and listened to the waves at the beach for a while” was assigned the categories “sitting at beach” and “listening to waves.”

Across the 320 submissions, a pattern of categories the researchers call a “nature language” began to emerge. After the coding of all submissions, half a dozen categories were noted most often as important to visitors. These include encountering wildlife, walking along the edge of water, and following an established trail.

Naming each nature experience creates a usable language, which helps people recognize and take part in the activities that are most satisfying and meaningful to them. For example, the experience of walking along the edge of water might be satisfying for a young professional on a weekend hike in the park. Back downtown during a workday, they can enjoy a more domestic form of this interaction by walking along a fountain on their lunch break.

“We’re trying to generate a language that helps bring the human-nature interactions back into our daily lives. And for that to happen, we also need to protect nature so that we can interact with it,” said Peter Kahn, a senior author of the study.

1. What phenomenon does the author describe at the beginning of the text?

A．Pocket parks are now popular.	B．Wild nature is hard to find in cities.
C．Many cities are overpopulated.	D．People enjoy living close to nature.

2. Why did the researchers code participant submissions into categories?

A．To compare different types of park-goers.	B．To explain why the park attracts tourists.
C．To analyze the main features of the park.	D．To find patterns in the visitors’ summaries.

3. What can we learn from the example given in paragraph 5?

A．Walking is the best way to gain access to nature.

B．Young people are too busy to interact with nature.

C．The same nature experience takes different forms.

D．The nature language enhances work performance.

4. What should be done before we can interact with nature according to Kahn?

A．Language study.	B．Environmental conservation.
C．Public education.	D．Intercultural communication.

4 . More than anything, this is a book about unconditional love—a bond between a caring woman and a loyal dog. Harley’s Harlequin Heart written by Christy Jaeger and_________through the narration(叙述)of the dog Harley, shows why the power of love can overcome the_________that is part of every life journey. It also teaches us how we can make the world a(n)_________place together with dogs.

Harley takes us along on all his_________with his owner Jaeger—from growing up, being trained, to going to dog shows. Then one day, Harley is_________with bone cancer. Fortunately, it appears that there’s enough time to explore_________“Jaeger told me that everyone has a sixth sense, which_________ them when something’s not right. Looking back, I’m glad she paid attention to her_________alarm.” Harley thought.

Through surgery, this smart dog_________. It isn’t easy and he tells us about his pain and fears. But chances of__________look promising. After this experience, Harley__________realizes that when someone has cancer, the entire family will__________. However, all the people playing a part in the__________form a connection that is unbreakable .

Harley’s__________with cancer might concern adults considering reading this book with their children. But Jaeger through Harley’s__________ provides such a friendly, positive perspective(观点) that there is so much more reason to__________this book. Besides, it helps greatly that the book has a(n)__________ ending.

As Jaeger notes, “The book__________love to all who read it. This small element can be__________in the human and animal worlds.” Love can defeat all. That__________couldn’t be any clearer than in this wonderful book.

1.

A．explained

B．presented

C．designed

D．included

2.

A．misfortune

B．unease

C．inconvenience

D．discomfort

3.

A．easier

B．safer

C．better

D．richer

4.

A．packages

B．dreams

C．burdens

D．adventures

5.

A．diagnosed

B．attacked

C．loaded

D．faced

6.

A．mysteries

B．problems

C．cures

D．challenges

7.

A．forbids

B．hits

C．informs

D．warns

8.

A．active

B．inner

C．useful

D．sudden

9.

A．pushes through

B．bends down

C．cheers up

D．gets off

10.

A．treatment

B．recovery

C．victory

D．entry

11.

A．innocently

B．automatically

C．gradually

D．accidentally

12.

A．suffer

B．behave

C．perform

D．delay

13.

A．grouch

B．circle

C．protection

D．process

14.

A．competing

B．battling

C．continuing

D．mixing

15.

A．development

B．discovery

C．imagination

D．description

16.

A．possess

B．close

C．share

D．print

17.

A．typical

B．happy

C．ridiculous

D．sudden

18.

A．spreads

B．sends

C．expands

D．devotes

19.

A．decisive

B．logical

C．attractive

D．influential

20.

A．routine

B．force

C．message

D．image

5 . Demands for stronger protection for wildlife in Britain sometimes hide the fact that similar needs are felt in the rest of Europe Studies by the Council of Europe of which 21 countries are members have shown that 45 per cent of reptile species and 24 per cent of butterflies are, in danger or dying out.

European concern for wildlife was outlined by. Dr Peter Baum, an expert in the environment and natural resources division of the council when he spoke at a conference arranged by the administrators of a British national park. The park is one of the few areas in Europe to hold the council’s diploma for nature reserves of the highest quality and Dr Baum had come to present it to the park once again. He was afraid that public opinion was turning against national parks and that those set up in the 1960s and 1970s could not he set up today. But Dr Baum clearly remained a strong supporter of the view that natural environments needed to be allowed to survive in peace in their own right.

“No area could be expected to survive both as a true nature reserve and as a tourist attraction.” he went on. The shortsighted view that reserves had to serve immediate human demands for outdoor recreation should be replaced by full acceptance of their importance as places to preserve nature for the future.

“We forget that they are the guarantee (保证) of life systems on which any built-up area depends,” Dr Baum went on. “We could manage without most industrial products but we could not manage without nature. However our natural environment areas which are the original parts of our countryside have become mere islands in a spoiled and highly polluted land.”

1. Recent studies by the Council of Europe have declared that _________.

A．wildlife needs more protection only in Britain

B．all species of wildlife in Europe are in danger of dying out

C．there are fewer species of reptiles and butterflies in Europe than elsewhere

D．many species of reptiles and butterflies in Europe need protecting

2. Why did Dr Baum come to a British national park?

A．Because he needed to present it with a council’s diploma.

B．Because he was concerned about its management.

C．Because he valued the park as the only national park of its kind in Europe.

D．Because he wanted to congratulate the park for finally receiving a diploma.

3. The last sentence in the second paragraph implies that _________.

A．national parks should serve more purposes for human activities

B．people would go on protecting national parks

C．certain areas of the countryside should be left undisturbed by man.

D．people should defend the right to develop the areas around national parks

4. The underlined word “recreation” in Paragraph 3 could be replaced by _________.

A．preservation	B．relaxation
C．expression	D．modernization

5. What do we know from the passage?

A．Council of Europe is an international organization mainly intended for nature preservation.

B．Industrial products are not important at all in maintaining human survival.

C．Council of Europe holds high standards for presenting diplomas to nature reserves.

D．Britain has the most effective measures for environmental protection.

7 . 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。

My husband and I enjoy seeing life through the eyes of our children. It’s amazing to watch as they discover their world.

While we were outdoors last summer enjoying the sunshine, our oldest daughter, Kaytlin, called me to the doorway. Beneath the steps was a baby red squirrel.

We watched it from a distance, not wanting to disturb it or scare off its mother. But after a long wait—and looking all around our house for signs of a nest or a mother—we realized the tiny squirrel was lost.

Shaking terribly, he was weak, thin, and hungry. We tried to find an expert to help, but the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife website showed that there were no wildlife experts in our area. After some quick research, we concluded that the best way to give the squirrel a fighting chance was to care for him ourselves. So a trip to the local store for milk and supplies was in order. More research taught us how much to feed him, how to estimate his age, how and when to wean (断奶) him, and that we should let him go as soon as he could survive on his own.

Our daughters and I took turns in feeding “Squirt.” Kaytlin took on the most responsibility. She taught him to eat from a bottle, and she woke in the night for his feeds.

To our relief, Squirt soon became healthy and strong. Within a few weeks he became more active. He would chatter (吱吱叫) for his next meal, playfully go around the girls, and lie down on them for sleep. It wasn’t long before he was weaned onto solid food and reintroduced to the wild.

His first few visits to the great outdoors were funny. Just like a child, he would play in the grass some and then run back to Kaytlin for safety. Soon she had him climbing trees and finding nest material.

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。

One day in the trees, Squirt met up with a family of gray squirrels.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

One night, Squirt didn’t come back to our house and it rained hard.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8 . How do you teach a monkey new tricks? Labs have proved difficult places to train monkeys to respond to different sounds, but in the forests of Senegal’s Niokolo-Koba National Park, researchers were astonished how quickly one species of monkey adapted its behavior to a new sound.

Julia Fischer at the German Primate Center in Gottingen and her team flew drones over a community of green monkeys in the area, to see what they made of a new flying object in their environment. They responded instantly, making alarm calls to warn one another of the potential new threat.

The vocalizations were distant from the ones they made in response to models of leopards and snakes, but almost identical to calls made by a related species of monkey about eagles. The results suggest a hardwired response to the perception of an aerial threat and the use of that specific call.

They monkeys adapted so quickly to the mechanical noise that they began scanning the skies and making the calls even when the sound of the drone was played from the ground. The monkeys were never seen issuing alarm calls in response to birds of prey in the area, suggesting that the birds they usually see aren’t considered a threat. The drones, however, seemed to be perceived as dangerous. “It’s certainly disconnecting, unpredictable, something they’ve not seen before, so it makes sense to alert everybody,” say Fischer. She says she was “blown away” by how rapidly the monkeys appeared to learn. “The listeners are smart. It’s almost impossible to get a monkey in a lab to do an audio task. It isn’t clear why such learning is harder in a lab environment,” she says.

The study involved a year’s worth of fieldwork by a team of eight, who flew the drone about 60 meters above the monkeys. The research wasn’t without incident. Fisher had to duck inside a shelter made of palm leaves at one point, after a baboon ran to attack the leopard model she was holding.

Vervet monkeys in East Africa are related to green monkeys. They have been closely studied for the different calls they make in response to a variety of predators, including pythons, leopards, baboons and martial eagles.

The expectation for the green monkey study was that they would stay silent. come up with a new alarm call or produce one similar to the velvet monkeys’ eagle call. Fischer’s bet was on the eagle call option, and she was proved right. The vocalization appears to be highly conserved by evolution. “It teaches us about how different their vocal communication system is from ours,” says Fischer. “There is a very limited level of flexibility.”

1. What can be learned about green monkeys’ behavioral adaptability to a new sound?

A．They made sounds similar to a new flying object.

B．They alerted each other to possible danger.

C．They responded as though they had seen eagles.

D．They scanned the sky for the source of the sound.

2. In paragraph 4, the writer mentions “birds of prey in the area” in order to ______.

A．compare the different sounds made by the monkeys

B．specify the monkeys’ extraordinary adaptability

C．illustrate these birds pose no threat to the monkeys

D．prove drones are more appealing to the monkeys

3. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．The study conducted by Fischer and her team was painstaking.

B．Monkeys differ greatly in their ability to adapt to a new sound.

C．Researchers have unlocked why monkeys learn quickly in nature.

D．Monkeys turn out to be quite flexible in their vocal communication.

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

A．Unbelievable—Monkeys Should Make Different Sound!

B．How Do Monkeys Get New Tricks?

C．Monkeys See Drones...

D．Vervet Monkeys vs Green Monkeys

10 . A new study focused on birds examines how the movements of rivers in the Amazon have contributed to that area’s exceptional biological diversity.The research team, led by the American Museum of Natural History, found that as small river systems change over time, they spur the evolution of new species. The findings also reveal previously unknown bird species in the Amazon that are only found in small areas next to these dynamic river systems, putting them at high risk of extinction.

The lowland rainforests of the Amazon River basin harbor(藏匿) more diversity than any other ecosystem on the planet. It is also a globally important biome(生物群落) containing about 18 percent of all trees on Earth and carrying more fresh water than the next seven largest river basins combined. Researchers have long wondered and hotly debated how the Amazon’s rich biodiversity arose and accumulated.

“Early evolutionary biologists like Alfred Russel Wallace noticed that many species of primates and birds differ across opposite riverbanks in the Amazon,”said the study’s lead author Lukas Musher. “Moreover, accumulating geological evidence has suggested that these rivers are highly dynamic, moving around the South American landscape over relatively short time periods, on the order of thousands or tens of thousands of years.”

To investigate how the movement of rivers across the landscape has influenced the accumulation of bird species in the Amazon, the researchers sequenced the genomes(基因组) of six species of Amazonian birds.

Because these rivers move around the landscape at different time scales, their movements can have varying outcomes for bird species: when river rearrangements occur quickly, populations of birds on each side can combine before they’ve had time to differ; when river changes happen slowly, species have a longer time to diverge from one another.

1. What does the underlined word “spur” in Paragraph 1 mean?

A．Stimulate.

B．Renew.

C．Pursue.

D．Interrupt.

2. What have researchers debated on?

A．What the Amazon’s biodiversity indicates.	B．How the Amazon’s biodiversity was formed.
C．Whether the Amazon has the richest biodiversity.	D．Why Amazon bird species are at risk of distinction.

3. What can we conclude from LukasMusher’s words?

A．There are six species of American birds.

B．Rivers move very slowly in South America.

C．Most species differ across opposite Amazon riverbanks.

D．River movement may lead to the Amazon’s biodiversity.

4. What has influenced the change of bird species in the Amazon?

A．The location of river movement.	B．The populations of birds.
C．The speed of river movement.	D．The amount of the genomes.