1 . When you encounter animals, do you wonder what they’re thinking? Seeing a newborn lamb or a cute puppy might arouse happy emotions in us, but what are they thinking? Does the look on their face and how they behave indicate how they’re feeling — or are they feeling nothing at all?
Humans have a complex range of feelings, but it’s hard to tell what’s going on inside the heads of animals. Some of us own dogs, because they are good companions, are loyal and seem to connect with us. We might even think they love us. Professor Kim Bard, an expert in comparative developmental psychology from the University of Portsmouth, told the BBC: “We have a few studies now that actually show scientifically that some dogs will respond when their owner — but not a stranger — pretends to cry.” The empathetic ability of cats, however, is harder to work out.
Other non-domesticated (非驯养的) animals might have feelings too. Giraffes and whales, for example, are known to experience sadness when someone in their group dies. It’s believed that even tiny creatures like insects might have emotions as well. Research is beginning to show they experience a wide range of feelings. Kim says: “They can be optimistic, pessimistic, or frightened, and respond to pain just like any mammal would.”
Dr Barbara J King, Emerita Professor of Anthropology at the College of William and Mary, told the BBC: “If we understand the profound depths of emotions animals can feel, this should make us question the existence of zoos and slaughterhouses (屠宰场) around the world, and rethink those systems. It does seem all creatures feel emotion, but what is not clear is whether they feel the same way as us.”
1. What’s the purpose of raising questions in the first paragraph?| A．To attract. | B．To inspire. | C．To entertain. | D．To persuade. |
| A．The ability to respond to others’ questions. |
| B．The ability to stay calm when facing danger. |
| C．The ability to share work with their owners. |
| D．The ability to understand others’ feelings. |
| A．It may reduce the times of people visiting zoos. |
| B．It may lead people to reconsider animals’ well-being. |
| C．It may change the food chain of the whole world. |
| D．It may cause zoos and slaughterhouses to disappear. |
| A．Certain. | B．Critical. | C．Careful. | D．Regretful. |
2 . Discover how you can help endangered species! Volunteer to help conserve endangered species around the world with GoEco.
Sea turtles, Sri Lanka
The species is threatened by human hunters. The Sri Lankan government has approved the creation of hatcheries (孵化场) in order to protect this species. Volunteers on this program spend 60% of their time working in the hatchery and the other 40% is spent on activities such as beach cleanups and creating awareness within the local community.
Program Fees: $1,280 for 2 weeks and $1,680 per month for volunteers.
Wildlife Rescue, Western Australia
Adult kangaroos and wallabies are hunted for food, leaving thousands of their babies without parents. Many are killed or injured in road accidents. At the wildlife rescue center in Perth, Western Australia, volunteers live and help in the bushland caring for sick, injured, and displaced animals.
Program Fee: $2,095 for four weeks. Volunteers stay on-site in a small room. Due to very limited space, applications must be sent at least 9-12 months in advance.
Endangered Species Reserve, South Africa
The project will give you an incredible wildlife experience while learning about conservation efforts. For the rest of the time between monitoring sessions, volunteers are required to enter all the data that they have collected into our databases. At times, volunteers need to operate on night shifts. We also give lectures and presentations over the lunch period.
Program Fee: $1,750 for 2 weeks
Big Cat Refuge, South Africa
As a volunteer on this project, you will be involved in a wide variety of activities. Volunteer’s work ranges from enrichment activities, such as toy-making and farm work, to educating the visitors. Volunteers will also directly care for the cats by preparing food or feeding them as well as maintaining their living space.
Program Fee: $1,450 for 2 weeks
1. What is the monthly project fee for volunteers in Sri Lanka?| A．$1,280. | B．$1,680. | C．$2,560. | D．$2,960. |
| A．Having previous experience. |
| B．Working night shifts sometimes. |
| C．Applying for the project in advance. |
| D．Having a good knowledge of wildlife. |
| A．Study the habits of big cats. |
| B．Help to sell some toys about cats. |
| C．Guide visitors to the habitat of the cats. |
| D．Do daily routines in the cats’ living space. |
3 . Plastic straws (吸管) have been a major problem in global discussions of environmental damage. Maybe because of their small size, the production cost of straws is low. In many countries, straws are offered freely after buying soft drinks. Therefore, plastic straws are one of the most used plastics and pollutants in the world.
The plastic straw is light and small. Due to their small size, plastic straws are often eaten by sea animals. Environmentalists have shown that the death of many sea animals is caused by eating plastic straws. The other damaging characteristic of plastic straws is that they are made of materials which cannot degrade. That means the materials cannot be changed into small harmless (无害的) ones.
The most effective way of dealing with the environmental pollution caused by plastic straws is the reuse or banning (禁止) the use of plastic straws. Being plastics, the straws can be made new items. Many organizations around the world change used straws into new products. In Africa, local communities collect used plastic straws and use them to make mats and bags. Another way of dealing with environmental pollution caused by plastic straws is placing a ban on their production and use. Experts advise governments to ban using plastic straws to save the environment. A few countries in the world such as Rwanda, Macedonia, China, Kenya have already banned the use of plastic bags and are expected to include plastic straws and bottles. But it will be a long way to do this effectively.
There are few environmentally friendly and biodegradable productions to take the place of plastic straws. These productions include paper straws, bamboo straws. However, such straws are usually expensive as their production cost is high. It’s still a question whether they can entirely take the place of plastic straws.
1. Why can people be free to use plastic straws?| A．They are very cheap. | B．They are light and small. |
| C．They are dangerous. | D．They are easy to use. |
| A．Cut up. | B．Because of. | C．Go on. | D．Break out. |
| A．It’s not difficult to ban using plastic straws. |
| B．Many countries have stopped using plastic straws. |
| C．Experts advise people to stop producing plastic straws. |
| D．Some Africans change plastic straws into new products. |
| A．It is a must to use them. |
| B．It’s not easy to reuse them. |
| C．There are still some problems to be solved. |
| D．There are some other kinds of cheaper straws. |
“She needs me.” Those were the exact words I spoke to my husband when I spotted Dottie, a little dog we found at a local shelter eight years ago.
Dottie leaned (倾斜) away when I tried to pet her and refused to let me hold her. While the other dogs jumped and barked, Dottie returned to the back of the cage, curled up in a ball, hoping us to leave her alone.
On the entire drive home, Dottie was in fear. So, upon arrival at our house, we got right to work. I held her as much as possible, touching her head and softly singing in her ear. We learned that she loved belly touch, so every time we passed by, we would offer a gentle touch. Eventually, we noticed her presenting her belly as we walked by her. I knew we were making real progress when I found her quietly sleeping on a chair one day, her head resting on one of my shoes. My heart melted (融化) as I realized she had brought it there because it contained my smell, and she wanted it nearby.
Ever so slowly, our little dog came to life. She began to play with toys, enjoy walks, and rest on our laps. There was no special treatment, no fancy food or toys. All we did was love her. And she grew well. She was so broken when we first met her that we had no idea what her true personality would be. But now we found a sweet, playful, loving soul.
One day, a few years after her adoption, I was busy doing housework around the house, doing laundry and climbing the stairs from the basement up to the main floor. When I finished, I sat down and enjoyed a well-deserved break. That’s when I realized I hadn’t seen Dottie for a while. I called to her and began searching. My heart raced and my pace quickened as I began checking under beds and behind sofa.
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。
Suddenly, I remembered the door to the basement.
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I held her in my arms tightly, telling her how sorry I was.
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5 . When you visit Kinderdijk, one of the most visited villages in the Netherlands, you step right into the middle of Dutch history.
Kinderdijk lies in the Alblasserwaard, where the Lek and Noord rivers meet together. Much of the village is near or even below sea level. Although there are canals and dykes (坝), the lowlands of the village are still at risk of flooding. Among the most deadly floods was Saint Elisabeth’s flood in 1421, which killed thousands after the dykes broke in several places. To deal with this kind of problem, the Kinderdijk windmills. (风车) were built around 1740 to move water from the lower areas to higher ground and into the canal.
Nineteen of the 20 Kinderdijk windmills remain and were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997 Of the 19 windmills，16 still have millers who live inside and control the huge sails in the wind. These windmills, continue to help manage the Netherlands ongoing fight to stay above water.
For tourists; boat tours are offered along the canals and walkways lead from the visitor center to the windmills. Two windmills serve as museums, filled with old millers’ items and photos. You can climb up inside to see how the windmills work. The windmills also are working, so be prepared to feel the whole building shake when the sails turn in the wind.
Each year, about 500,000 people visit the Kinderdijk windmills and the buildings have become a must-see on any trip to the Netherlands. “There are some windmills north of Amsterdam that were built for tourists, but we’re a historical site where tourists come, so it’s the other way around,” says Kinderdijk communications manager Peter Paul Klapwijk. “Tourism is a good way to support our site.”
1. What does the second paragraph mainly talk about?| A．The cost of Kinderdijk windmills. |
| B．How Kinderdijk windmills were built. |
| C．Why Kinderdijk windmills were built. |
| D．The application of Kinderdijk windmills. |
| A．Most of, them: have become museums. |
| B．Most of them are still in use as before. |
| C．All of them have millers who live and work inside. |
| D．Most of them lose its ability of transporting water. |
| A．Surprised. | B．Doubtful. | C．Worried. | D．Confident. |
| A．The History of Kinderdijk | B．A Great Invention |
| C．A Famous Historical Site | D．The Traditions of the Netherlands |
6 . Mawson was an Australian explorer and scientist who explored the Antarctic with a team of fellow adventurers in 1912. His travels in the frozen continent brought him worldwide
One of the men, a young British soldier named Belgrave Ninnis,
| A．praise | B．trust | C．worry | D．criticism |
| A．celebrities | B．explorers | C．athletes | D．astronomers |
| A．putting off | B．showing off | C．kicking off | D．letting off |
| A．Wonders | B．Bonuses | C．Fortunes | D．Disasters |
| A．took | B．fell | C．looked | D．wandered |
| A．adjusted | B．circulated | C．infected | D．confused |
| A．cures | B．disabilities | C．errors | D．illnesses |
| A．remaining | B．wild | C．fierce | D．hunting |
| A．Ultimately | B．Nevertheless | C．Temporarily | D．Meanwhile |
| A．Discouraged | B．Relieved | C．Determined | D．Frightened |
| A．combined | B．battled | C．contained | D．introduced |
| A．center | B．normal | C．base | D．campus |
| A．predict | B．discover | C．complain | D．explain |
| A．passengers | B．witnesses | C．rescuers | D．crew |
| A．achievements | B．references | C．services | D．subjects |
7 . In a world-record effort to help save a rare sea creature, Australian scientists have released hundreds of baby seahorses into the wild. The tiny seahorses are endangered, and the scientists hope the new seahorses will help their numbers grow.
Seahorses are small, thin fish with a long mouth. They’re called “seahorses” because they look a bit like horses. Even though they’re fish, seahorses aren’t great swimmers.
There are over 40 different kinds of seahorses. They mostly live in warm, shallow waters around the world. They are often found in coral reefs, in beds of seagrass, and areas where rivers empty into the sea.
Many kinds of seahorses are threatened, often by the actions of humans.
This is the fifth time the scientists have released seahorses into the area. and this is a new record,
| A．Seahorse babies are easy to carry. |
| B．Around 380 seahorses were released. |
| C．Sometimes they’re caught and sold as pets. |
| D．People should be prohibited from catching seahorses. |
| E．Seahorses form an important part of the ocean’s food chain. |
| F．They often use their tails to hold onto something in the water. |
| G．Seahorses are unusual because it’s the males who carry the babies. |
8 . In the late 1980s, NASA conducted a study to determine how well indoor plants reduce air pollution. But NASA’s study was conducted in sealed chambers simulating(模拟)future long-term space habitats. A 2022 analysis in the Journal of Exposure Science&Environmental Epidemiology showed that it would take 680 plants to clean the air in a 1. 500-square-foot room-highly unrealistic for most plant parents. If the French biotech startup Neoplants has its way, though, you might need only one.
Neoplants’ product, announced late last year, is the Neo P1, the first houseplant genetically engineered to improve indoor air. At first sight, this high-tech pothos(绿萝)is indistinguishable from the real thing. It’s attractive, fast-growing, and hard to kill. But unlike typical plants, it also takes in indoor air pollutants missed by traditional air purifiers.
For now, the pothos itself is responsible for only about 30% of the Neo P1’s air-cleaning capacity, but researchers expect that to change soon. The Neo Pl is the company’s first product. “Air-filtering(空气过滤)plants may get people to think about GMOs(Genetically Modified Organisms)in a new way,” says Brophy, a Stanford researcher. “Having something that you can touch and feel and that is nonthreatening is a great way to get people introduced to the concept of genetically modified organisms. ”
Pothos plants have become familiar companions in the indoor landscape of remote work just as the political debate about gas stoves has raised our awareness of once-unfamiliar domestic danger. According to the Environmental Protection Agency. Americans spend around 90% of their lives inside. where concentrations of some pollutants can be anywhere from two to five times higher than they are outdoors. “Usually we feel safe indoors.” says cofounder and CEO of Neoplants Lionel Mora. “But invisible things indoors can be very harmful.”
It’s clear that Mora is ultimately looking beyond indoor air cleaning and toward climate applications. “It’s easier to have an impact in the bedroom than to start with the atmosphere,” Mora says. “But I’ll be disappointed if there’s a plant on the moon and it’s not a Neoplant.”
1. How is the effect of some plants on indoor air according to the 2022 analysis?| A．Limited. | B．Significant. | C．Permanent. | D．Immeasurable. |
| A．It can kill other plants. | B．It looks like a common plant. |
| C．It’s created by an engineer. | D．It’s often missed by people. |
| A．They have been widely accepted. |
| B．They account for a third of indoor plants. |
| C．They should be introduced in a safer way. |
| D．They may cause concern among some people. |
| A．To go to the moon to study plants. | B．To make a profit with their products. |
| C．To make indoor air improvement easily. | D．To grow their plants on the moon one day. |
9 . Magnetic fields are promising to be a useful tool in the hunt for human settlements that have been lost to the sea off the coast of the UK. An upcoming project is set to use magnetometry (磁力测定) data to seek Doggerland, the flooded land that connected Britain to mainland Europe until the end of the Ice Age, but there’s hope that this technique could be used to find long-lost civilizations all over the world.
The study comes from the University of Bradford in the UK. Their plan is to closely look at magnetometry data gathered from a portion of the North Sea and attempt to identify any strange anomalies (异常) that could suggest the presence of archaeological structures.
The team is especially keen to use these techniques to look for traces of human activities beneath the North Sea since it’s thought to have been home to some of the largest prehistoric settlements in Europe. Before it was flooded over 8,000 years ago. Doggerland was a rich and diverse habitat that likely attracted prehistoric humans and others. Despite its potential that lays beneath the North Sea, we know relatively little about the culture that once was developed here.
“As the area we are studying used to be above sea level, there’s a small chance this analysis could even reveal evidence for hunter-gatherer activity. That would be the most important part.” Ben Urmston, PhD student at the University of Bradford, said in a statement. “We might also discover the presence of middens, which are rubbish dumps that consist of animal bones, shells and other biological material. that can tell us a lot about how people lived.”
Remarkably little of the world’s oceans have been explored, let alone for the purposes of archaeology. Nevertheless, advances in technology are continuing to show that the coastlines are hiding countless traces of ancient human activities, even evidence of long-lost civilizations.
Thanks to projects like the one at the University of Bradford, as well as many others, the future of marine archaeology is looking promising. Nevertheless, we have to be patient. Just don’t expect to stumble across the sunken city of Atlantis anytime soon.
1. Why is magnetometry data used in this project?| A．To trace the ice movement. | B．To measure Doggerland. |
| C．To find a lost ancient land. | D．To explore the history of Britain. |
| A．Its civilization is little known to us. | B．It was a place that was often flooded. |
| C．It was a deserted island with few people. | D．Its location has not yet been confirmed. |
| A．Uncaring. | B．Subjective. | C．Shocked. | D．Favourable. |
| A．Display. | B．Assess. | C．Restore. | D．Discover. |
Peru is a country on the Pacific coast of South America,
Peru
There are two especially interesting things for us
