1 . Christmas was approaching. I still hadn’t prepared a gift for my wife Donna. However, Donna was good at
We had just moved to Italy and were still
Northern Italy is usually
Donna’s daily calls continued, and so did my daily visits. I still didn’t mention the
When approaching our home, Donna shouted, “You give me the best Christmas gift!” I was
| A．decorating | B．recycling | C．evaluating | D．planning |
| A．thoughtful | B．cheap | C．common | D．similar |
| A．exercising | B．unpacking | C．wandering | D．arguing |
| A．library | B．house | C．store | D．clinic |
| A．horribly | B．abnormally | C．reasonably | D．rarely |
| A．freeze | B．escape | C．starve | D．move |
| A．replaced | B．advocated | C．ruined | D．enriched |
| A．collection | B．treatment | C．approval | D．description |
| A．reward | B．topic | C．proposal | D．assistance |
| A．turn in | B．turn out | C．turn on | D．turn away |
| A．complaint | B．schedule | C．disappearance | D．prediction |
| A．proudly | B．silently | C．angrily | D．blindly |
| A．analyze | B．get | C．break | D．publish |
| A．frightened | B．thrilled | C．inspired | D．confused |
| A．purpose | B．theory | C．adventure | D．example |
Japan said on Tuesday that it had decided to
The
“The Japanese government ignores concerns and strong opposition both at home and abroad. Such an
Greenpeace(绿色和平组织)criticized Japan’s plan and said there are other solutions that should
3 . Wetlands, making up about 6% of Earth’s land surface, are found on every continent except for Antarctica.
Protecting against floods. Wetlands play a crucial role in protecting against floods. The plants and soil in wetlands act as natural sponges (海绵), storing excess water during heavy rainfall or storms.
Purifying (净化) water. Wetlands have exceptional abilities to purify water. Acting as natural filters, the plants, soil and micro creatures in wetlands remove sediments, excess nutrients and pollutants from water sources.
Fighting climate change. Aside from these vital functions, wetlands also play a significant role in fighting climate change.
However, the world’s wetlands are being lost at an alarming rate. Restoration and conservation projects offer hope that these ecosystems can be saved.
| A．Supporting life |
| B．Protecting birds |
| C．This process helps to improve water quality |
| D．The water stored in wetlands can be drunk |
| E．Wetlands play an important role despite their small coverage |
| F．Wetland plants have remarkable carbon storage capabilities |
| G．Thus, wetlands can reduce the risk of flooding in surrounding areas |
4 . Last year in early summer, I was walking to my house when I saw two large birds standing in my yard. They didn’t seem to
A few weeks later, the birds
As I inched towards the birds,
The mother put the baby birds under her wings and carefully crouched down over them so her babies were well
I was watching them with respect when I suddenly
I felt sorry to have disturbed them and left quickly. I am amazed by their
| A．remind | B．confirm | C．notice | D．protest |
| A．immediately | B．familiarly | C．creatively | D．slowly |
| A．feeling | B．sense | C．opinion | D．idea |
| A．investigated | B．removed | C．gathered | D．reappeared |
| A．stuck out | B．put down | C．hang out | D．turned around |
| A．collection | B．discovery | C．conclusion | D．mission |
| A．jumping | B．fighting | C．seeking | D．marching |
| A．curious | B．patient | C．worried | D．careful |
| A．neater | B．simpler | C．longer | D．stronger |
| A．fed | B．hidden | C．raised | D．identified |
| A．tripped | B．moved | C．alarmed | D．responded |
| A．target | B．defence | C．threat | D．escape. |
| A．shooting | B．spilling | C．folding | D．spreading |
| A．military | B．individual | C．brave | D．average |
| A．gratitude | B．respect | C．emotion | D．pleasure |
The year 2013 marked a turning point in my life. In June, my husband was offered a new Job in Ghana. Feeling that I had hit a career bottleneck as a photographer and copywriter (广告文字撰写人), I, without any hesitation, made the decision to relocate with him.
While my husband engaged in work, my visa didn’t grant me the same privilege. But that’s okay. I didn’t know what to do anyway. I was left isolated, homesick and lacking purpose. Our new home was a bungalow near a river that cut across expansive grasslands. With few people around our home, I turned to nature, which had been a fondness of mine since childhood. Every day, I would take my camera and wander around, photographing aimlessly.
It wasn’t long before September arrived, bringing the full flow of the rainy season. After one particularly bad thunderstorm, I found a finch (雀) — a poor little thing barely a month old with one wing broken — on the ground. Evidently, he had been abandoned by his flock, his nest blown from a tree. The sight was heartbreaking. He was the size of my lite finger. His eyes were tightly shut and he was shuddering, too young to survive alone. I somehow felt a connection with it. Immediately I scooped him up and cautiously placed him in a cardboard box with towels, mimicking a nest, and stayed up all night researching how to care for him.
The next day, he seemed to regain some energy. He woke with his mouth open, though still too weak to let out a call. I fed him some food and chirped (叽喳) at him. To my amusement, he chirped back and even climbed into my hand. I affectionately gazed at this adorable creature, who was now boldly pecking (啄) my fingers now and then. A surge of warmth ran through me. Tenderly stroking his feathers, I chirped a lullaby, singing him to sleep. Gradually, his eyes drooped and he drifted off. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the scene — as far as he was concerned, I was his mother.
Para 1. “I will take care of you.” I murmured, making my promise to him.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Para 2. At that moment I realized that as I dedicated myself to the finch’s care, something within me changed.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A civilian rescue team of named Ramunion from Hangzhou, East China’s Zhejiang Province is expected to arrive in Turkey on Wednesday, with an advance team
The advance team is equipped with
Deng Boqing, vice chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA),said in an interview that Chinese government
China announced 40 million yuan ($5.8 million) of emergency assistance to Turkey and the dispatch of a rescue and medical team. It will also provide Syria
Chinese
More than 4,000 people have been killed and nearly 20,000 people injured after two
7 . Don’t Buy Fertilizer (肥料)! It Is All Around You.
The cost of everything seems to be rising around the world. So, growing our own food is a good way to save money. However, the cost of gardening has also been rising. Now make your own!
Consider cut grass
If you leave cut grass on the grassland, you may not need fertilizer. As grass breaks down, it benefits the soil (土壤).
Make your own compost (堆肥)
Compost is the best thing you can add to soil. Compost helps to control how much water stays in the soil. It keeps dry soil wet. Compost also adds nutrients (营养) to the soil.
To make your own compost, simply collect fruit and vegetable leftovers. Do not add meat, milk, or fats. You can keep the food leftovers in a bowl in your kitchen.
Just be sure to bury (埋) them at least 25 to 30 centimeters deep. This will keep hungry wildlife from digging them up.
Use leftovers from around your house
Are you a fish owner? Plants can also get help from used fish-tank water. This water is rich in nutrients. Do you cook vegetables in water? If so, save it!
And water from cooked eggs is full of calcium. This is especially useful for tomatoes. Just make sure to let the water cool to room temperature before using it on your plants.
You can even use eggshells (壳). Dry out the eggshells.
| A．They are good for plants. |
| B．Then break them up into tiny pieces. |
| C．This will help grass to continue to grow. |
| D．The same can be done with banana wastes. |
| E．Whenever it fills up, bury it directly in the garden earth. |
| F．And bury the leftovers several centimeters from the plants. |
| G．The water is filled with useful things that could help your garden. |
8 . Nowadays many people realize kitchen gardening helps reduce their carbon emissions (排放) and save them hard-earned cash and choose to grow their own food.
Select your garden location. You don’t need a plot of land to grow your own food. You can grow inside or outside.
Select your plants. After that, you’re ready to choose which plants will work best for your garden. If you’ve got a yard, you have your choice of beans, root vegetables, fruit trees, berries, and herbs.
Choose good soil. If your yard garden has quality soil, you can plant food in it. Otherwise, you may choose purchased soil in raised beds. You’ll see a difference when using high-end organic soil.
Enjoy your harvest. Nothing tastes better than the food you grew yourself, and after all your hard work gardening, you deserve a celebration.
| A．Feed your plants nutrients. |
| B．Water deeply and infrequently. |
| C．Invite some friends over for dinner. |
| D．Of course, whether to celebrate is up to you. |
| E．So we designed this guide to help you grow your own food. |
| F．Even a well-lit window can grow vegetables in small containers. |
| G．Container gardeners often favor tomatoes, onions, and small fruit trees. |
China will establish a new batch of national parks, including Huanghekou, Qianjiangyuan-Baishanzu and Kalamayli, in a steady and
Speaking at the second National Park Forum held in Xining, capital of Qinghai province, Guan said China has adopted the strictest measures
China’s national parks are specific land or sea areas
In 2021, China established the first batch of national parks, with
“The Sanjiangyuan park realized the full protection of the source of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang
“Efforts
10 . When micro-plastics end up in farm fields, the pollution can damage plant growth. But two young researchers now report that combining fungi (真菌) with certain farm wastes can partly overcome that problem.
May Shin, 20, and Jiwon Choi, 18, met in a research design class at the Fryeburg Academy, a high school in Maine. May had desired to explore how micro-plastics might affect the ecosystem. Jiwon was crazy about plants and fungi. The young scientists cooperated to test how long-lived plastics might affect farm crops.
Scientists have shown certain fungi can aid root growth and a plant’s nutrient uptake. Those organisms are named arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Certain farm wastes, like straw, can provide nutrients to plants and help stabilize their roots. Such wastes are also known as mushroom substrate (基质) and people often grow mushrooms in them.
May and Jiwon planted over 2,000 scallion (大葱) seeds in pots of soil. Half the seeds got soil polluted with micro-plastics. The rest grew in plastic-free soil. The plants then were further divided into four groups. The young scientists added AMF to the soil in one group. Another group had a top layer of mushroom substrate. A third group got both treatments. The last group got none. For three weeks, the pair tracked how many scallions sprouted (发芽) in each group and measured the plants’ height once each week.
About twice as many scallions sprouted in clean soil compared to that containing plastic bits. But among plants surviving in the polluted soil, a combination of AMF and mushroom substrate helped them out. Those getting both treatments grew 5.4 centimeters per week. That was faster than either of the treatments alone or those getting none.
Jiwon and May then looked at the plant roots with a microscope. Where AMF had been added, it grew into those roots. That increased the scallion roots’ surface area, May said, which should promote their uptake of nutrients. So “I see this project as coming up with a sustainable solution for plant growth in polluted soils,” said May.
1. Why did May and Jiwon work together?| A．To see the effects of long-lived plastics on farm crops. |
| B．To find the relationship between plants and fungi. |
| C．To design a research on the growth of plants. |
| D．To explore the way that the ecosystem works. |
| A．To prove the existence of micro-plastics. | B．To compare fungi with farm wastes. |
| C．To tell the advantages of farm wastes. | D．To provide some related information. |
| A．Its purpose. | B．Its design. | C．Its findings. | D．Its reasons. |
| A．By keeping the plants more resistant to pollution. | B．By allowing the plants’ deep area more freedom. |
| C．By making nutrients more available to the plants. | D．By exposing the roots to a larger surface area. |
