1 . Four Beautiful National Parks in New Zealand

Fiordland National Park

With over three million acres, the Fiordland National Park is the largest in New Zealand. It is also one of the most popular tourist attractions, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors yearly to its dramatic landscape. When visiting, you will find beautiful fiords (峡湾), ancient rainforests, shining lakes, waterfalls, and snow-capped peaks.

Abel Tasman National Park

Located on the north end of the South Island is Abel Tasman National Purk, named after the first European explorer to find New Zealand. At nearly 60,000 acres, it is the smallest national park in the country, but it offers the perfect mix of relaxation and adventure. For instance, the park features sandy beaches, clear streams, forested hills, and mossy valleys. The best way to experience the area is by hiking, camping, kayaking, sailing and swimming.

Arthur’s Pass National Park

Also on New Zealand’s South Island is Arthur’s Pass National Park, featuring primarily mountainous terrain (地形). Arthur’s Pass includes the heart of the Southern Alps and consists of high, rough mountains, steep gorges and wide rivers. Because the area is not as developed as other parks and requires visitors to have a knowledge of route-finding and river-crossing, it is not typically an area for inexperienced recreationists.

Tongariro National Park

Tongariro was the 6th national park established in the world and the oldest in New Zealand. It’s been open to the public since 1887 and is the perfect destination for thrill-seekers and those who appreciate mother nature. The park contains three active volcanoes and features world-famous crossings for some of the best hiking and skiing in the world.

1. Which one of the following parks is the largest park in New Zealand?

A．Fiordland National Park.	B．Abel Tasman National Park.
C．Arthur’s Pass National Park.	D．Tongariro National Park.

2. What do the Abel Tasman National Park and Arthur’s Pass National Park have in common?

A．They are located on the South Island.

B．They are named after European explorers.

C．They are suitable for inexperienced recreationists.

D．They feature world-famous crossings and beaches.

3. Who will probably be attracted to Tongariro National Park?

A．Beginner hikers.

B．Thrill-seekers.

C．Swim lovers.

D．Bridge-builders.

2 . Meteorites (陨石) can offer clues about what the early solar system was like. But finding them is far from difficult. Now, some scientists are turning to drones (无人机) and machine learning to help spot freshly fallen meteorites much more efficiently. “A team of six people on a meteorite-hunting expedition can search about 200,000 square meters per day,” says Seamus Anderson, a planetary scientist in Australia.

Around 2016, Anderson began toying with the concept of using drones to take pictures of the g round to look for meteorites. That idea blossomed into a Ph.D. project. In 2022, he and his colleagues reported their first successful recovery of a meteorite spotted with a drone. They’ve since found four more meteorites at a different site. Drone-based searches are much faster than the standard search way. “You’re going from about 300 days of human effort down to about a dozen or so,” he says.

Anderson and his workmates have used drones to search for meteorites in remote parts of Western Australia and South Australia. The team is tipped off about a fall site by networks of ground-based cameras that track meteoroids flashing through the Earth’s atmosphere. The researchers have to do a series of fun but difficult work before the hunt. They pack a four-wheel drive vehicle with drone and computer equipment, battery charging stations, generators, fuel, food, camping equipment, tables, chairs and much more. The drive to the fall site can take more than a day, often on rough or nonexistent roads. Anderson says, “You hope you don’t pop a tire.”

After arriving, the team flies its primary drone at an altitude of about 20 meters. Its camera takes an image of the ground once every second, and the scientists download the data every 40 minutes or so when the drone lands to receive fresh batteries. A typical day of flying can net over 10,000 images, which are then divided digitally into 100 million or so smaller sections. Those “tiles”, each 2 meters on a side, are fed into a machine learning algorithm (算法) that has been trained to recognize meteorites based on images of real land rocks which are spray-painted black.

1. Why do the scientists study meteorites?

A．To spot the planetary course.	B．To promote machine learning.
C．To test the functions of drones.	D．To explore the past of solar system.

2. What does Anderson say about drone-based searches in paragraph 2?

A．Their barriers.	B．Their causes.
C．Their efficiency.	D．Their concept.

3. Which words can best describe the preparations of the drone search for meteorites?

A．Fun and light.	B．Smooth and flexible.
C．Difficult and unpleasant.	D．Complicated and tough.

4. How does the drone process images?

A．By dividing them in half.	B．By storing them for analysis.
C．By combining them into a picture.	D．By linking them with a digital printer.

3 . Recent research confirms what our farming ancestors have known for centuries about hedges (树篱). They conserve precious soil by acting as windbreaks and absorbing rainwater that would otherwise wash it from the fields. And hedges store carbon, putting them in the front line of our bi d to tackle the climate crisis.

However, hedges have had a tough time in the poor countryside, with farmers encouraged to tear them down in pursuit of maximum production and larger field s to accommodate ever-larger machinery. What’s more, some hedges have been ignored. If left to their own devices, they’ll eventually become a line of trees. Some hedges each year lose their structures and fail to fulfil the primary duty as a barrier. Around a half of the nation’s hedges have disappeared in the past century.

There are signs that “the tide is turning”. The search for net zero has aroused many organizations’ interest in the humble hedge’s role as a carbon sink. The Climate Change Committee is recommending a 40 percent increase in hedges: an additional 200,000 km. Such recommendations are starting to drive policy. Cash-pressed farmers will be encouraged to create new hedges and improve their management of existing ones under the new Environmental Land Management Schemes, which will replace many of the existing agricultural support payments in coming years. Meanwhile, initiatives such as Close the Gap, led by the Tree Council, is providing funding and support to plug the gaps in existing hedges with new planting. There’s even an app to help time-pressed farmers do a quick survey to spot where their hedges need some help.

This is a good time for hedges. Take some of the most pressing challenges facing the countryside, and indeed, the world as a whole — the climate crisis, soil erosion (侵蚀), insect attack and wider biodiversity loss — and hedges are part of the solution.

1. What does recent research show about hedges?

A．They are unique landscapes in the rain.

B．They act as dividing lines between fields.

C．They have long been helpful to agriculture.

D．They are frequently washed away from the fields.

2. What does paragraph 2 mainly tell us about hedges?

A．Their suffering.	B．Their production.
C．Their duties.	D．Their structures.

3. What is many organizations’ attitude towards saving hedges?

A．Puzzled.

B．Concerned.

C．Humble.

D．Indifferent.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Hedges: Ancient Resources

B．Hedges: Official Recommendations

C．Restoring Hedges: Bringing Benefits to the Environment

D．Researching Hedges: Originating from Farmers’ Request

5 . It’s difficult to hope sometimes but there are still a few instances telling us that something better awaits us whether we choose to hold on to it or not. Annie, a 19-year-oldblack Labrador, was given around a month to live when she was placed for adoption in June 2022. Annie’s former owner had given up hope and sent her to a shelter house in Texas because she wouldn’t eat or drink.

Once Siler, 31, discovered Annie’s photo, she knew she had to help. Instead of a month or two, Annie was adopted by Siler and her roommate, Lisa, for an entire year. Siler knew what it took to care for an elderly dog because she had recently lost her own dog, whom she had since college. Siler shared, “I felt mentally and emotionally prepared to take on a dog that wasn’t going to have long.” Siler described Annie as an easygoing dog. Her favorite pastimes included opening mail and sitting outside, watching people and cars pass by, earning her the nickname “nosy neighbour.”

“People kept telling us she was having so much fun and enjoying life and that kept her going, and I hope that was the case. Annie lived almost exactly a year after being adopted by Siler and Lisa. Annie had the life we pray every senior dog we rescue gets to experience. Annie didn’t just live out this past year, she flowered. Annie had an ill stomach. Surgical operation was her only option and that was never something we would put Annie through. Collectively, we made the hardest decision for us but kindest for Annie.” Siler kept in her diary.

“I can’t help but think that Annie would be so proud. She was one special dog whose story will live on through those who adopt seniors. She left a giant, giant hole in my heart…but times, where everyone who loved her can come together in her honor,will help start mending my broken heart.” Siler wrote in her post.

1. Why was Annie placed for adoption in June 2022?

A．Because she was too old for her owner to care for.

B．Because her owner had given up hope for her refusal to eat or drink.

C．Because Annie’s owner was moving and couldn’t take her along.

D．Because she had a medical condition that required extensive care.

2. What motivated Siler to adopt Annie?

A．Siler wanted a guard dog for her house.

B．Siler’s roommate insisted on adopting a dog.

C．Siler was an advocate for senior dog adoption.

D．Siler sought company after losing her previous dog.

3. What did people say about Annie’s life after adoption?

A．She experienced enormous joy.

B．She was miserable and lonely.

C．She was constantly sick and in pain.

D．She didn’t interact with people or other dogs.

4. What did Siler hope for in terms of Annie’s story?

A．Annie’s story would be forgotten easily.

B．Annie’s story would encourage seniors to hunt.

C．Annie’s story would inspire senior dogs adoption.

D．Annie’s story would only be remembered for its sadness.

6 . 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。

Three cows swept away by Hurricane Dorian have been found miles from home in a national park, a spokesman said. Dorian brought strong winds, damaging tornadoes (龙卷风) and heavy rain     1     North Carolina in September when it       2     (make) landfall on the Outer Banks in North Carolina.

During     3     storm, wild horses and cows     4     (carry) away by floodwaters from Cedar Island. Many horses died in the flood. The cows were missing until they were discovered around four miles away at Cape Lookout National Seashore park, according to B. G Horvat, the park’s spokesman.

The cows were not wild. Horvat said they had caretakers in Cedar Island     5     looked after them, and the park is trying to get in touch with     6     (they) owner. “They likely got swept away from the same body of water as those wild horses,” Horvat said “These cows were just really     7     (luck) because they went through the same thing and they could have       8     (easy) drowned (淹死). ”

One cow was found shortly after Dorian hit, while the other two were found about two weeks later by       9     (visitor). Horvat said the cows were eating in the wild on the Core Banks and they were able     10     (survive) from the sea grass or other vegetation. Head they might be drinking on the south side of the island, which has fresh water.

8 . 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。

For many years, my only companion was our dog, Sno. A small but mighty Bichon Frise, our dog may have looked ordinary, but he was smart, creative, and always ready for ice cream and rolling at my request. While I worked, he slept, waking to chase the red cat from next door, greet a delivery person, or sit in the sunshine.

We didn’t agree on everything, especially when to get up and when to go to bed. He sighed with boredom when a project was due and I didn’t have time to play. He didn’t understand weekends, deadlines, and visitors who left him. However, we both agreed on walking.

At least once a week, we took a long walk to the beach. For him, there were tall grasses and exciting smells. For me, there were other dog walkers and neighbors to catch up with. We returned tired, thirsty, and very happy.

Being a dog with huge ambition and short legs, Sno needed several breaks along the way. The one at the entrance to the beach was his favorite, possibly because he knew we were circling back home. There, on a windy summer day, he looked up at me just as I was looking down at him. We both grinned (咧嘴笑). This was the best walk ever.

When he was old and dying, our walks were shorter and closer to home. I’d take him for a walk and then go out for my own walk, wandering around the beach like we used to do. I always grinned when I got to the entrance to the beach, remembering that summer day when he was young and energetic.

In his final days, Sno still insisted on walking. It took twice as long to take even the shortest walk, but we enjoyed every step. Then came that Sunday when he leaned hard toward the beach walk. How could I refuse his last-walk wish?

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。

We took the walk.

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After he died, I went for the long walk.

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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。

Wetlands are the link between the land and the water. They are transition zones where the flow of water, the cycling of nutrients and the energy of the sun meet to produce     1     unique and special ecosystem     2     (characterize) by hydrology, soils and vegetation—making these areas very important features of a watershed. The water is often groundwater,     3     (spill) up from an aquifer or spring. A wetland’s water can also come from a nearby river or lake. Seawater can also create wetlands, especially in coastal areas that experience strong tides. Here is one in China.

The National Nature Reserve of Guangdong Nanpeng Islands in Guangdong Province was established in 2003. It     4     (cover) a total area of 35,679 hectares. It became the fifth national-level marine nature reserve in Guangdong, as well as the first one in the eastern region of Guangdong, in 2012. In 2015, it     5     (recognize) and included in the International Important Wetlands Directory.

The main focus of the reserve is to protect the unique underwater natural landscapes, the ecosystems of the nearby     6     (coast) waters, the rare and endangered marine animals, the various fish species and their habitats, as well as the marine biodiversity.

Researchers have discovered 1,308 marine species in the area, including 772     7     (economic) significant fish, shrimp, crab, mollusk, and algae species. The reserve is home     8     more than 21 identified rare and endangered wildlife species in water, among     9     nine species such as the Chinese white dolphin and the nautilus are classified as first-class protected animals at the national level, while     10     (variety) of other 27 species, such as the common bottlenose dolphin is classified as second-class protected animals.

10 . I was mostly based in Samburu National Reserve, recording details of the population and leading collar (颈圈) operations. We put trackers (跟踪仪) around wild elephants’necks, so we can learn about their activities.

In May 2009, in the middle of the wet season, Rommel appeared again. And it was histurn to be placed a collar. We sent three cars out to search for him. There’s a river running through the park where many elephants gather in the mornings. At 10:30 am, one of my partners clocked Rommel.

A tranquillizer (镇静剂) was carefully shot into his body so we could safely place a collaron him, but for a bull of Rommel’s size it could take longer. After that, he turned away, heading in an unexpected direction and seemed to be near danger by killing himself in thewater. It would be a bad accident. Only by pulling his trunk (象鼻) from the river, could weensure his survival. The problem was that the river was a little bit changeable. Immediately, I decided to act. I jumped in and lifted his heavy, twitching trunk from the water with the help of lifeguards. The team tried to fit him with a collar, but we discovered that we didn’t have one big enough.

We couldn’t risk keeping him there while we created a bigger collar. So I struggled on, holding his trunk high with all my strength. And medicine that took away the efforts of the tranquillizer was delivered.

As soon as his ears started to move, a sign of coming to life, I dropped his trunk and moved to safety. Within a couple of minutes, he was back to life. That was one of my proudest moments

1. What is the purpose of putting trackers around wild elephants’necks?

A．To record their sizes.	B．To know their activities.
C．To control and train them.	D．To save them from danger.

2. Why was it necessary to shoot tranquilizer into Rommel’s body?

A．To sent him to a zoo.	B．To treat his wounds.
C．To place a collar on him safely.	D．To check his health.

3. What did the author do to ensure Rommel’s survival?

A．He gave him certain medicine.	B．He lifted his trunk out of water.
C．He performed an operation on him.	D．He called other members for help.

4. What kind of feeling did the author have after Rommel’s coming to life?

A．Pride.

B．Surprise.

C．Anger.

D．Worry.