1 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in each blank with a proper word given in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. advances               B. colonize               C. concerns               D. eventually            E. extremely F. face                      G. spread                  H. stop                    I. surface               J. survive   K. visit

Living in Space

Stephen Hawking, one of the world’s most important scientists in history, believed that to survive, humans must move into space: “Once we     1    out into space and establish independent colonies, our future should be safe,” he once said.

Today, the European Union, India, China, Russia, and Japan are all planning to send astronauts back to the earth’s closest neighbor: the moon. Some of these countries want to create space stations there between 2020 and 2030. These stations will prepare humans to     2    and later live on Mars or other earthlike planets.

Robert Zubrin, a rocket scientist, thinks humans should     3    space. He wants to start with Mars. Why? He thinks sending people to Mars will allow us to learn a lot — for example, about the ability of humans to live in a very different environment. Then we can     4    create new human societies on other planets. In addition, any     5     we make in the fields of science, technology, medicine, and health will also benefit us here on the earth.

However, not everyone thinks sending humans into space is a smart idea. Many say it’s too expensive, even if it’s just a short journey. A one-way trip to Mars, for example, would take about six months. People travelling this kind of distance     6    many health problems. Also, these first people would find life     7    difficult out in space. On the moon’s     8    , for example, the sun’s rays are very dangerous. People would have to stay indoors most of the time.

Despite these     9    , sending people into space seems certain. In the future, we might see lunar cities or even new human cultures on other planets. First     10    : the moon.

2 . Washing machines and fridges will be labelled with their carbon footprint as part of efforts to promote greener products and bring down carbon emissions (排放).

UK government want to introduce a system in which products would be labelled to show how much greenhouse gases had been given off while making the product. Officials favour a system in which labels describe the product’s emission figure along with a ranking, such as from A to G. A rating of A would represent a “zero emission” product.

In consultation papers published earlier, the government said: “The combination of the emissions figure and ranking system could give a simple way to find out the best products, as well as the raw data needed to make more detailed comparisons.” Officials hope the labelling would encourage people to buy greener products, helping to bring down carbon emissions.

The government has not set out which products the emission figures would apply to, but it is likely to eventually apply to products whose production process involves significant emissions, such as heavy goods involving steel or plastic.

The proposal is among several steps by the government to encourage UK companies to cut their emissions, alongside wider measures to boost clean energy supplies.

Officials are also considering introducing new import taxes to protect UK factories from being affected by cheap imports from competitors. Under the proposals, imported goods without costs for going green would face extra taxes. The potential so-called carbon border taxes are aimed at protecting areas such as steel and chemicals.

Matthew Germain, an expert in British Environmental Law, said the measures would mean the UK was “at least keeping step with the European Union (EU)”. The EU reached a deal in December of 2022 to charge carbon taxes on imports of iron and steel, and electricity. Countries will not be affected if they have same climate change policies to the EU.

1. What new information will be added to labels of products?

A．Their raw materials.	B．Consumers’ ratings.
C．Amount of carbon emission.	D．Advantages and disadvantages.

2. What is the purpose of the new labelling system?

A．Help consumers save money.	B．Promote eco-friendly choices.
C．Improve production efficiency.	D．Develop the country’s industry.

3. What do we know about the carbon border taxes?

A．They bring the country a step ahead of the EU.

B．They have no influence on countries of the EU.

C．They make British companies more competitive.

D．They increase the costs of imported green goods.

3 . 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。

On the north bank of Fuxian Lake in Chengjiang County, Yunnan Province sits a straw-hat-shaped mountain     1     (call) Maotian Mountain,     2     a 512-hectare site is praised as a “world-class treasure trove of fossils” by the international scientific community. On July 1,1984, young paleontologists in China discovered a fossil of the arthropod (节肢动物化石) with a long tail in Maotian Mountain. “    3     we had studied in China were just shell of fossils. The arthropods, lifelike fossils with legs, which belonged to fossils of soft-bodied animals, are     4     game changer in the research of China’s paleontology (古生物学)”, Hou Xianguang, a paleontologist said.

Scientists have obtained a large number of research results on Chengjiang Fossil Site. The reason why Chengjiang fauna (动物群) is     5     great significance is that it is closely related to the emergence of the animal tree of life.

Up to now, more than 20 phyla and more than 280 species     6     (record)in the Chengjiang Fossil Site, of which, 80% are new species. On July 1, 2012, the Chengjiang Fossil Site     7     (be) inscribed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO,     8     (become) China’ s first World Heritage Site for paleontological fossils.

The UNESCO evaluation says the Chengjiang Fossil Site is one of the     9     (early) records of a complex marine ecosystem of the early Cambrian communities. The property displays excellent quality of fossil     10     (preserve). It presents an exceptional record of the rapid diversification of life on Earth during the early Cambrian period.

4 . How to Prepare for and Survive a Flood

Flooding is a common natural disaster around the world.     1     If so, quickly review these flood safety guidelines to increase your chances of survival and protect your possession.

Pay close attention to the radio, television, community announcements or your cellphone for official flooding updates.     2     A flood watch means a flood is possible in your area. A flood warning means flooding is already occurring or will occur soon—and you should be prepared to leave the flood area.

    3     Put at least three days of supplies for everyone in it, including water (one gallon per person per day), non-perishable (不需要保质期的) food, a flashlight, battery-powered radio, solar-powered phone chargers, extra batteries, a 7-day supply of medications.

If you have time before you leave, secure your home. Bring in outdoor furniture. Move necessary items to the highest part of the upper floor of your home. Turn off all the appliances (家电) like TV, refrigerator, washing machine, air-conditioner.     4    

Do not walk through moving water. Six inches of moving water can sweep you off your feet. If you have to walk in water, walk where the water is not moving.     5     If you come upon a flowing stream where water is above your ankles, stop, turn around and go another way. People underestimate (低估) the force and power of water.

A．Have an emergency survival kit on hand.

B．Are you in a frequently flood-stricken area?

C．How to ensure your safety in a serious flood?

D．Take as many useful furniture as possible when you leave.

E．Know the difference between a flood “watch” and “warning”.

F．Use a stick to check the firmness of the ground in front of you.

G．Do not touch electrical equipment if you are wet or standing in water.

5 . Music is known to have a great deal of mental and physical benefits on humans. From helping to treat physical medical problems to relieving stress, music can be extremely beneficial in helping to improve health.     1    

Animals may have a great deal of stress.     2     Dogs and cats may be stressed when around men because they were badly treated by a man, and they may never forget that. A dog who was attacked by another dog while on a walk may be always afraid to go on walks, or even be afraid to leave the house.

    3     Cats, dogs and horses will not all have the exact same stressors (压力源), so you just have to pay close attention to your animal and what makes them unique, such as changes in eating habits, too much sleep and too little sleep, just to name a few.

Music can be extremely beneficial for animals in high stress situations.     4     In the atmosphere, they feel calm, safe and well protected. Music can be specifically helpful when played at veterinary (兽医的) clinics for animals who are afraid of the vet. This helps calm the owners of the animals and the staff at the office besides the animals.     5     That’s why it is being taken up at a variety of veterinary clinics around the world.

A．It can create a space for them.

B．The same goes for our furry friends, too.

C．They could be stressed for a variety of reasons.

D．It would be a beneficial practice for all parties.

E．Another place where music can be helpful is in car rides.

F．There are ways that you can identify stress in your animals.

G．It’s no wonder loud noises can cause dogs and cats so much stress.

6 . The Great Barrier Reef in Queensland has suffered several mass bleaching events due to the impacts of climate change. The Australian government turned down a proposal for a new open-cut coal mine near the Great Barrier Reef, considering environmental laws and the risk of “irreversible damage”. It was the first time the government had used its powers under environmental laws to reject a mine.

In turning down the project, Tanya Plibersek, the minister for the environment and water, cited significant potential environmental dangers to the reef, which is already heavily threatened by climate change.” The risk of pollution is real and the damage to the reef, once done, will never be repaired. “The project would have had unacceptable impacts on freshwater in the area and potentially on fragile seagrass meadows,” Plibersek said in a video posted on social media. She said that during the public consultation period, her department had received 9,000 public comments about the mine in just 10 business days.

The government has been under pressure from UNESCO to better protect the reef and in 2022, it pledged one billion Australian dollars for efforts to protect the fragile ecosystem, including climate adaptation measures and water quality programs. Last year, the Great Barrier Reef, which stretches for more than 2,300 kilometers, experienced its sixth mass bleaching event, due to warming waters caused by climate change.

The government, elected in 2022, came to power promising stronger action on the climate in a country still heavily depending on fossil fuels. But its climate policies are rated “insufficient” by Climate Action Tracker, which found Australia is not on course to meet targets to limit warming to 1. 5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The government has rejected calls from the country’s Green Party to turn down all new fossil fuel projects.

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

A．Permanent.

B．Gradual.

C．Severe.

D．Significant.

2. Which statement would Plibersek probably agree with?

A．The reef is in good condition now.

B．9,000 people made good comments on the mining project.

C．The mining project has drawn the attention of the public.

D．The mining project has had bad effects on freshwater in the area.

3. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．Fossil fuels are not in demand in Australia.

B．The government has made effective climate policies.

C．The government failed to carry out its previous promises.

D．The Green Party reached an agreement with the government.

4. What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．The Great Barrier Reef is faced with mass bleaching events.

B．Australia is on the way to protecting the Great Barrier Reef.

C．The Great Barrier Reef calls for help due to climate change.

D．Australia says “No” to a mine near the Great Barrier Reef.

7 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

In 1976, the crew of a US Navy boat near Hawaii witnessed something truly amazing. As they pulled up the anchor from the sea floor some 200 metres below, they were surprised to see that a 4.5-metre shark had swallowed it and was being lifted onto their boat. The crew were fascinated by this wonderful creature,     1    no one had any idea what species the shark belonged to.

Scientists later examined the shark and concluded that     2    was a completely new species. The shark was then given the name “megamouth”—a very suitable name, given its extremely large jaws.

Since this discovery only thirty—six more megamouth sharks     3    (sight). This is one of the newest species of fish     4    (discover), and many things about it are still a mystery.

When we think of sharks, usually we think of predators like great whites. Great whites, at 3.7 metres in length, are     5    (feared)animals in the sea, preying on small whales, seals, other sharks and sometimes even people. They demonstrate incredible power and speed when     6    (hunt). However, not all sharks are dangerous. For example, sharks such as the megamouth live off plankton and other small fish, and will never attack humans. Indeed, there are actually more than 360 species of shark, from the whale shark     7    can reach 14 metres in length, to a much smaller shark which measures only 21 centimetres from head to tail.

Despite their differences, all sharks     8    have some things in common. For example, sharks do not have bones, but have flexible cartilage instead which makes them very good swimmers. Also,     9    most fish, many species of shark hatch their eggs inside their bodies, giving birth to live baby sharks.     10    scientists have learnt a lot in recent years, there are still many things about both sharks and the deep blue sea which we do not understand.

Who knows? There may be many other species of marine life even stranger than the megamouth, still unknown and waiting to be discovered.

8 . 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。

Paris, known as the City of Love, shines bright all day long. The lights of the city attract     1     (tourist) and keep the atmosphere warm and glowing.

However, these lights are not environmentally friendly because they are always on. One group of Parkour athletes,     2     get from one point to another by running, climbing, and jumping, decided to take matters into their own hands.

More than ten years ago, Paris City Hall passed a law,     3     (encourage) stores to turn lights off between 1:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m..     4     (unfortunate), in the hope of attracting more people, many stores ignored this policy. That is, until the Parkour athletes.

    5     (tire) of this waste of electricity, athletes go out at night, determined to reduce the overuse of light. They seek out emergency light switches that     6     (locate) outside the stores. Using their parkour skills, they switch     7     as many lights as they can. Groups like “On The Spot” record themselves throughout the night and post it on social media, spreading awareness and encouraging others to find     8     (create) ways to help the planet.

On top of this, recently the government     9     (pass) a law that clearly states the rules for advertisement signs and enforces (执行)     10     fine of $1,480 if lights are not turned off during the night.

9 . 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。

On September 26, 2022, NASA     1     (successful) completed its Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission by intentionally crashing     2     unmanned spacecraft into the asteroid (小行星) Dimorphos. The goal was to change its orbit. With the success, NASA proved the concept     3     this technique could keep a potentially dangerous asteroid     4     crashing into Earth in the future.

NASA noted that Dimorphos is not a     5     (threatening) to Earth, but because it passes relatively close to Earth, it     6     (choose) as the target for the test mission.

“If you were going to do this for planetary defence, you would do it 5, 10, 15, or 20 years in advance for this technique     7     (work).” said NASA program executive Andrea Riley. “This is why we test. We want to do it now rather than when there’s an actual need.”

Asteroids can be a significant danger to planet Earth. For example, around 66 million years ago, an asteroid around 6 to 9 miles across struck the Earth,     8     (cause) one of the largest extinction events in Earth’s history. Therefore, DART’s success     9     (be) an important step forward in protecting the planet from potential damage from an asteroid. This shows humans are no longer     10     (power) to prevent this type of natural disaster.

10 . Green architecture is designed in an environmentally-friendly way. Many people think interest in green architecture has only begun in recent years.     1    Our ancient ancestors were intelligent. They also knew the fact that green architecture is more able to fit in with nature and more practical.

    2     These include heating and cooling, water usage, environmental quality and energy usage. Architects can deal with all of these in various ways, all of which are designed to increase efficiency without affecting the function of the building.

To make it, much of green architecture focuses on building intelligently. For example, plumbing systems (管道系统) may be designed to use less water while still functioning normally.     3    

Many architects build environmentally to show people that it’s possible. And they want to show the fact that being environmentally-friendly does not have to make a building bad-looking.     4    A courtyard with plants, for example, can be nicer to view.

The green design can be kept in mind when we build various future buildings, ranging from a private home to a tall office building. Green designs can also be applied to remodeling (改造) and repairing existing buildings.     5     Many governments are thus encouraging remodeling and repairing instead of building new ones.

A．The goal is to make a building prettier.

B．Not many buildings have great green designs.

C．A green building’s design need solve many problems.

D．In fact, humans have tried green architecture for thousands of years.

E．After all, pulling down a building can quite damage the environment.

F．Actually, many of the green designs can make a building more beautiful.

G．And smart lighting would turn off when people are not around to save energy.