1 . Falcons are powerful birds that may be trained to hunt in cooperation with humans. The art of training falcons as “hunting dogs of the skies” is called falconry (训鹰术). It was developed in the ancient Arabian Desert around 4000 B. C. In the past, falconry mainly involved hunting with falcons to supplement one’s diet. But now, it has become the favorite sport and pastime in the Arabian Peninsula.

Falconry includes three major processes: acquiring the falcons, training them, and hunting with them. Every year, falconers begin capturing wild falcons in June and July, the migration season. The best birds to catch are the ones with naturally nurtured hunting skills, aged one or two years. Once the falcons are captured, their heads are immediately covered with a leather hood. This is essential because they imprint as their master whomever they see first after the hood is removed. Right after a bird is caught, the training process starts. It begins by depriving (剥夺) the bird of food to make it easier to tame. The birds are taught to know their own name and respond to their master when called. Arab falconers live with their birds day and night in order to build a strong relationship with them.

By the end of October or mid-November, the trained falcons are ready to hunt in the desert. They have excellent vision, 2. 6 times greater than that of a human. They are also the fastest divers on the planet. One hunting technique that sets them apart from other animals is that they can be trained to deliver their prey, without killing it first. This is vital in Islamic culture because animals used for food must still be alive to ensure that the meat is halal, that is, properly prepared according to Islamic law.

Falcons have played such a crucial role in traditional Islamic cultures that a number of countries in the Middle East have made them their national bird. Falconry has grown so popular that specialist hospitals have been established to take care of these magnificent birds. Falcons are even issued their own passports. They are the only animals in the United Arab Emirates that are legally allowed to travel inside planes, enjoying a level of luxury that some humans can only dream of.

1. What is the main reason for Arabic people to hunt with falcons today?

A．To serve as entertainment and exercise.

B．To supplement their diet.

C．To replace the practice of hunting with dogs.

D．To honor their national bird.

2. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Falconers don’t give food to falcons in order to capture them.

B．Falcons are not allowed to see their masters during the training process.

C．Wild falcons with natural hunting skills are ideal for falconers to catch.

D．The trainers’ names are written on the hoods covering the birds’ heads.

3. What especially makes falcons a unique species for hunting in Islamic culture?

A．Falcons keep their prey alive before delivering it to falconers.

B．Falcons can form a strong bond with their owners quickly.

C．Falcons’ vision is particularly suitable for hunting in deserts.

D．Falcons are relatively easy to train for specific hunting.

4. According to the article, what privilege do falcons enjoy in the Arab world?

A．Free air ticket.	B．Passports issued by the King.
C．Expensive meals.	D．Access to specialized medical care.

2 . Humans can make do with scarves, coats and gloves in cold weather. Some animals can hibernate (冬眠) for the winter. A new study finds that reptiles (爬行动物) and birds do something that is similar to hibernation, but a little different. In very cold weather, their body temperatures greatly drop into an energy-saving state in order to survive. The ability to thermoregulation (体温调节) for reptiles and birds is possible.

In Texas, where the city of Beaumont reached a low of 18 degrees Fahrenheit last month, it looked as if alligators (短吻鳄) had died of cold — yet alive in iced-over water. By ensuring their long noses stayed above the water line, the cold-blooded creatures were able to lower their body temperatures to survive the sudden short period of very cold weather. The process, in the case of cold-blooded animals like reptiles, is called brumation — it’s like a short state of hibernating. While in this state, reptiles become sleepy and they can go for a long time without eating or drinking. For example, alligators can be in brumation from just a few hours to months.

Like reptiles and mammals, birds can go into a state called torpor in order to save energy under very cold conditions. “Torpor is somewhere between a short sleep and hibernation,” said Justin Baldwin, a PhD candidate in biology at Washington University in St. Louis. Baldwin studied 29 species of hummingbirds living in Colombia. Researchers found that hummingbirds can enter into deep or shallow torpor, depending on several factors, including their size and weather conditions. In deep torpor, the birds are much more likely to be affected by disease. And what’s more, they would be easily harmed by their enemies.

Some bird lovers want to help the birds when they are in torpor. For example, the Bird Alliance of Oregon offers a few tips on how to keep the birds from danger.

1. What does the new study show?

A．Body temperature is important for animals.

B．Thermoregulation exists in reptiles and birds.

C．Reptiles and birds’ thermoregulation is unusual.

D．Body temperature drops greatly during reptiles and birds’ sleep.

2. What can we learn about alligators in paragraph 2?

A．They are active in brumation.	B．They are dead in cold weather.
C．They face extinction in cold weather.	D．They eat and drink nothing in brumation.

3. What does the author want to say about the birds in deep torpor?

A．They can get enough sleep.	B．They may harm other birds.
C．They may waste plenty of energy.	D．They may be under threat.

4. What might the author continue talking about?

A．Risks of animal hibernation.

B．His opinions of the study about birds.

C．Some detailed measures to protect the birds in torpor.

D．Other problems raised by cold weather.

3 . As an only child, Renae often felt _________. But that all changed when she turned ten. For her birthday, Renae’s grandmother _________ her with a lovely puppy named Chloe. From then on, the two were _________. Every bit of love Renae gave, the little dog returned more. “She was such a sweet dog,” Renae says. “She’d lick your face forever if you didn’t stop her.”

When Renae was 14, her father got a new job and the house needed to be free of noise. “Chloe liked barking,” Renae says. “I didn’t want to lose my dog but I didn’t have any _________ as a kid.” With no easier _________, the family sent Chloe to a humane society(动物保护协会). Though they were _________ that the dog would find a new home with people who loved her, they couldn’t know for sure. “I called the humane society to try to _________ what happened to her, but they couldn’t tell me anything. So, I never knew,” Renae says _________.

Later, Renae grew up, got married, and had a child. But her family didn’t feel quite _________. Remembering the joy that having a dog had brought her as a kid, Renae wanted her daughter to __________ the same. She had it in her mind that she would __________ a puppy. One day she saw a post on Facebook about a senior dog that needed a new home. The dog in the photograph looked like Chloe-she was even named Chloe. In an __________ it was decided: she would adopt it. “When we met, she ran up to me and started __________ my face. I was crying,” Renae says. “I just knew in my heart that it was her.” After years of thinking she’d never see her dog again, Renae is __________ to have her back. “I get so excited to come home and see her,” she says. “__________ Chloe, she’s made herself right at home,” Renae says. “And why shouldn’t she? She knows that she’ll be with me forever.”

1.

A．anxious

B．embarrassed

C．responsible

D．lonely

2.

A．reminded

B．attracted

C．surprised

D．pressed

3.

A．flexible

B．horrible

C．generous

D．inseparable

4.

A．choice

B．measure

C．benefit

D．loss

5.

A．conclusion

B．decision

C．tradition

D．inspiration

6.

A．impressed

B．typical

C．optimistic

D．sensitive

7.

A．take out

B．find out

C．drop out

D．put out

8.

A．disappointedly

B．crazily

C．excitedly

D．amazingly

9.

A．complete

B．original

C．current

D．formal

10.

A．accomplish

B．attempt

C．experience

D．observe

11.

A．adapt

B．adopt

C．acquire

D．abuse

12.

A．instant

B．incident

C．individual

D．instruction

13.

A．hugging

B．patting

C．licking

D．stressing

14.

A．motivated

B．astonished

C．alarmed

D．delighted

15.

A．As long as

B．As well as

C．As with

D．As for

4 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. Who first traveled around the moon before human beings?

A．Dogs..

B．Monkeys..

C．Tortoises.

2. Why were the creatures studied after returning to earth?

A．To see how they were affected.

B．To examine where they were affected.

C．To find out whether they were affected.

3. What caused the main changes in the creatures?

A．The space travel..

B．A lack of food..

C．Loss of appetite.

4. What happened in 1948?

A．One dog landed in the Indian Ocean.

B．Mice helped people explore space.

C．Monkeys were being sent into space.

5 . 语法填空

The Chinatown in San Francisco attracts     1     (crowd) of visitors each year. The climate is mild all year round, thus     2     (ensure) that it is always a good time to visit the Chinatown.

Keep your eyes open, and you will be astonished     3     (find) the fascinating sights, customs and traditional Chinese culture in real life, such as games of Chinese chess and people practicing tai chi in peaceful     4     (surround). The stores there offer a unique range of goods as well as clothing. There are Chinese tea shops, where visitors are permitted     5     (consume) various Chinese tea. But it has been confirmed     6    many tourists are thrilled to see its traditional dishes from all over China.

6 . 根据汉语提示完成短文

    1     (对稀有物种感到兴奋和惊讶) in the forest, Tim, a biologist, was immersed in     2     (拍摄它们的照片). It was when his cellphone battery ran out that he realized that he was lost in the forest. Without a compass or a map, he thought he     3     (无法走出去). What’s worse, he tripped and     4     (腿受伤了). After numerous attempts and failures, he saw the flash on the main road. At that moment, he was excited beyond description.

7 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

    1     moment I stepped out of school, I saw a dark blue­gray cloud approaching. But I didn’t know what a huge tornado was. I heard my mother yell my name. She asked me to get in her car. I ran to the car and got in. She     2     (immediate) started the car and headed for our house.

When I looked back at the cloud, it had a small funnel­looking (漏斗状的) cloud inside. We finally got to our house and then we heard a loud siren (警笛). My dad looked scared in the     3     (emergent). He brought the radio and a flashlight, while my mom    4     (grab) some batteries. My mom attempted     5     (shelter) me from the disaster. We turned on the radio and heard that an EF­2 tornado had touched down just east of my school. Then I heard a long deep sound that began to shake the house. That was the most horrible moment of my life and I hoped nothing like that     6     (occur) again.

8 . Sleep is a necessary biological(生物的)function that has long interested scientists.

As we all know, most animals sleep. Scientists have studied everything from mice to fruit flies in the lab to get a better understanding of what happens when animals sleep—and why so many do it. However, gathering data on how animals sleep in their natural habitat has always been tricky and hard to do.

But scientists did just that with wild chinstrap penguins(帽带企鹅)in Antarctica. In doing so, researchers found birds in the nesting colony took over 10,000 microsleeps throughout the day-amounting to 1l hours of sleep. The microsleep last only seconds. Researchers think that microsleeps might help the animals avoid enemies that might be more likely to strike if the penguins are asleep for longer—especially when one parent goes out feeding in the ocean for days, leaving the other parent to protect the eggs.

Vladyslav Vyazovskiy, a sleep scientist who was not involved in the study, is excited about this new data. “Most of what we know about the fundamental biology of sleep was obtained in laboratory conditions, which were completely different from conditions where sleep evolved. Context matters,” says Vyazovskiy.

Microsleeps are much shorter than the minutes-long micronaps that have been shown to benefit humans. And study co-author Paul-Antoine Libourel is careful to not mix this insight about the success of microsleeps in penguins with that in humans. “This is not related to human physiology, and won’t tell us more about the function of human sleep.”

To study the penguins, scientists implanted devices into a small group of penguins’ brain and neck muscles. These brainwave and location data coupled with filming these birds in the nest gave sleep data about them. But the equipment had never been used before, so this data collection was only supposed to be a test.

The study is an early insight into a relatively large amount of scientific knowledge about sleep. “Pretty much every study on sleeping birds discovers something new, something we didn’t know before,” says Libourel.

1. What is the penguins’ taking microsleeps aimed at?

A．Surviving the severe cold.

B．Ensuring enough rest for growth.

C．Securing themselves from attackers.

D．Building up energy to hunt for food.

2. What is Vladyslav Vyazovskiy’s attitude towards the research?

A．Favorable.

B．Tolerant.

C．Doubtful.

D．Unconcerned.

3. What does the author want to say by mentioning human micronaps?

A．Micronaps are of great benefit to humans.

B．Animal microsleeps differ from human micronaps.

C．The function of human sleep has yet to be figured out.

D．The research contributes to the understanding of human micronaps.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Most animals need to take microsleeps

B．Micronaps are important for human health

C．The penguins take over 10,000 microsleeps a day

D．Scientists show interest in animals’ sleep quality

9 . In a fascinating discovery, western lowland gorillas (大猩猩) at Zoo Atlanta have been caught summoning their keepers using a strange cough-sneeze mixture, which researchers have called a “snough”. Only two other species have displayed this ability to create new vocalizations to attract our attention: zoo-housed chimpanzees and orangutans. Now, we can add gorillas to that list.

As many of us know, Koko put a spotlight on gorilla intelligence in the 1980s and 1990s with her incredible ability to communicate with humans using sign language. She was trained and worked hard at it, but now it seems gorillas have taken it upon themselves to establish unique communication with us in their own way.

Roberta Salmi, a biological anthropologist at the University of Georgia, and colleagues ran an experiment to confirm the purpose of the “snough”, by placing eight of the zoo’s gorillas in three different situations. In the first, only the keeper was present; in the second only the food was present; in the final one, the keeper was holding the food. The food and keeper were in sight but out of reach. The gorillas involved used the “snough” vocalization most when there was a human present with food, indicating the call is likely an attempt to get the keeper’s attention.

This complex vocal learning — the ability to produce unique calls — is rare in the animal kingdom and confirmed only in some species of birds, bats and elephants. But they all do so by imitating. The analysis showed the gorilla’s “snough” is a unique sound, not an imitation — although they are certainly capable of imitating us in other ways.

“These results demonstrate that gorillas can change their calls to produce a novel sound and furthermore confirm that they can produce their calls and gestures intentionally to change the attention state of their caregiver,” the team concluded in their paper. We’ve clearly long underestimated these clever souls.

1. Which of the following can replace “summoning” underlined in paragraph 1?

A．pleasing

B．calling

C．finding

D．warning

2. How did the researchers carry out the research?

A．By ordering the gorillas to make the “snough” vocalization.

B．By training the gorillas to attract their keepers’ attention.

C．By comparing the gorillas’ reactions in different situations.

D．By gathering information about the gorillas from their keepers.

3. Why does the author mention some other animals in paragraph 4?

A．To illustrate gorillas can imitate humans in other ways.

B．To confirm only gorillas have the ability to produce unique calls.

C．To prove the animals can produce unique calls through imitation.

D．To show gorillas’ ability to invent the new vocalization is uncommon.

4. What can be inferred from the research?

A．Some animals have the ability to make new sounds.

B．Gorillas can create a new sound to draw zookeepers’ attention.

C．Some intelligent animals try to attract attention by imitating.

D．Gorillas are able to communicate with humans using unique gestures.

10 . Low-maintenance (无须费神的) care is one of the biggest advantages of owning a cat. Cats are known for being independent. And unlike dogs, cats don’t require daily walks in order to get their exercise fix.     1     It’s necessary to make sure your cat has plenty of chances to move her body.

Why is Exercise Important for Cats?

Exercise is very important when it comes to keeping your cat healthy. Exercise, along with diet, is important for maintaining your cat’s weight.     2     Plus, that extra weight can put added pressure on the legs and feet, leading to mobility problems down the road.

Exercise is also good for mental health (精神健康).     3     As an added benefit, enough physical exercise can keep your cat from acting in destructive (破坏性的) ways.

How Much Exercise Does Your Cat Need?

The exact amount (数量) of recommended exercise differs from cat to cat.     4     This doesn’t necessarily mean running or walking for 30 minutes straight, though.

How to Help Your Cat Exercise

    5     Try playing together for at least 15 minutes or so per day with toys. With enough independent games, toys, and tools for your cat to use on her own terms, she will also get in more movement, like walking, climbing, and scratching (抓).

A．Cats are good at taking care of themselves.

B．Exercise helps to kill boredom and lower stress.

C．That doesn’t mean cat exercise isn’t important, though.

D．Taking your cat outside can inspire her interest in exercise.

E．For most adult cats, though, 30 minutes per day is recommended.

F．Fat cats may be cute, but being overweight can lead to health problems.

G．Playing with your cat every day is one of the best ways to help them exercise.