1 . Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.

Light the Cities of the Future

A previously unlit cycle path in the Netherlands has recently drawn our attention. It has been resurfaced with a material that consists of thousands of shining stones in order to create a well-lit route. The Van Gogh Path, so called after the artist who lived in the town of Nuenen in 1883, combines the traditional with the contemporary in a gesture that acknowledge ledges Van Gingh’ masterpiece The Starry Night, but also shows the way ahead for city lighting. The Van Gogh Path is not a single case; it is not difficult to foresee a time when natural materials could help light the cities of the future.

Why should we care about city lighting? What’s wrong with current electrical city lighting anyway? Well, the problem that it causes is two-fold. First, of course, electrical lighting in most cities comes from non-renewable resources. According to the International Energy Agency, almost 20% of global electricity is consumed for lighting, which is responsible for high levels of carbon emissions. But there’s also the belief that electrical light itself is a form of pollution by destroying our view of the night sky.

From the above reasons, then, it seems wise to investigate other approaches. The city of Glasgow is attempting to use intelligent street lighting to monitor how citizens interact with the urban landscape and minimize electrical consumption and thus emissions. This “Smart City approach” is seen by many as the way of the future, but some designers aren’t convinced. They are pioneering the altogether more original approach of using materials from the natural world in order to replace electrical light entirely. They believe that this new “technology” can one day completely replace microchips and digital systems as we find better ways of making use of the light-producing mechanisms (制) that already exist in the natural world.

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2 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。1.

A．They support human lives.

B．They cure human discases.

C．They estimate species.

D．They stop plant extinction.

2.

A．Polluting the environment.

B．Destroying wildlife habitat.

C．Organizing activities.

D．Introducing new species.

3.

A．To analyze the main causes of the disappearing of some wild animals.

B．To appeal to people to protect wildlife.

C．To emphasize the importance of the earth.

D．To describe different ways to stop pollution.

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

A. allowing   B. detectable   C. hazard     D. irresponsible E. linked    F. optimism   G. punishing   H. routes     I. sowed     J. unavoidable   K. widespread

Time for a clean-up

You are probably aware of the term “forever chemicals”, if not entirely clear on the specifics. What they are is a class of around 16, 000 artificial compounds called PFAS that break down very slowly, if at all in the environment and our bodies. They are extremely useful, but also a potential     1     to wildlife and human health. After more than 80 years of     2     and often unlimited use, PFAS pollution is more or less everywhere, from the soil on our farms to the rain that waters them. In all likelihood, you have a(n)     3     amount of these chemicals in your body.

A growing body of research has     4     exposure to some types of PFAS to harmful effects, such as kidney disease, immune dysfunction and certain types of cancer. Just a few parts per trillion of some forms accumulated over time is enough to be damaging. Moreover, exposure is more or less     5    . Skipping greaseproof (防油的) packaging or filtering tap water may limit acute exposure, but there are many other pollution     6    . In any case, for most of us, it is already too late.

How did we let it come to this? To some extent, society is reaping what it     7     by permitting so many novel chemicals to be released without a proper system to test their safety first. That has to change, and not just for PFAS. Time and again we find, too late, that industrial chemicals are harmful—as now seems the case with those in some climbing shoes—while     8     the firms that make them to carry on business as usual. There is nothing illegal in that. Nevertheless, the PFAS industry has been extremely     9    . There is good evidence that some producers have known for decades that the chemicals could cause harm, but actively confuse that knowledge. As the science of PFAS advances, there is     10     that they can be replaced, as well as rounded up (聚集) from the environment and destroyed.

4 . LONDON (Reuters) — Quiet place — Britain’s Queen Elizabeth is preparing to have her swans counted.

Buckingham Palace has announced that the annual Swan Upping, a tradition dating back to the 12th century which involves a census (审查) of the swan population on the River Thames, will be conducted by the Queen’s official Swan Marker from July 20 to 24.

“With the assistance of the Queen’s Swan Warden, Professor Christopher Perrins of the University of Oxford, the swans and young cygnets (小天鹅) are also assessed for any signs of injury or disease,” Buckingham Palace said in announcing the count.

The process involves the Swan Marker, David Barber, rowing up the Thames for five days with the Swan Warden in traditional skiffs while wearing special scarlet uniforms and counting, weighing and measuring swans and cygnets.

It may seem odd, but it is very important to the Queen. According to custom, Britain’s sovereign owns all unmarked, mute swans in open water, but the Queen now exercises the right only on stretches of the Thames and its nearby tributaries.

In medieval times, the Swan Marker would not only travel up the river counting the swans, but would catch as many as possible as they were sought after for banquets and feasts.

This year, the Swan Marker and the Swan Warden are particularly keen to discover how much damage is being caused to swans and cygnets by attacks from dogs and from discarded fishing tackle (渔具).

It is also an important year because Queen Elizabeth has decided to join her team of Swan Uppers for part of the census. She will follow them up the river and visit a local school project on the whole subject of swans, cygnets and the Thames.

“Education and conservation are essential to the role of Swan Upping and the involvement of school children is always a rewarding experience,” Buckingham Palace said.

1. In medieval times, ________.

A．swans were better protected than now

B．a lot of swans were killed by dogs

C．swans were a delicious dish on royal banquets

D．common people could catch the swans

2. We can infer from the passage that the process of counting the swans ________.

A．remains almost unchanged in the past years

B．involves a lot of royal members

C．sometimes lasts longer than before

D．is always guarded by special soldiers

3. Which of the following is the main idea of the passage?

A．Britain’s Queen is concerned about swans.

B．Britain’s Queen orders a count of swan.

C．An old tradition in Buckingham Palace.

D．Queen Elizabeth will count swans herself.

4. The underlined word “tributaries” can be best replaced by ________.

A．districts

B．banks

C．trees

D．branches

5 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. conclusive     B. indiscriminate     C. awe     D. favourable     E. uninhabitable     F. address G. advocating     H. agenda     I. attain     J. conventional     K. odds

The world has warmed more than one degree Celsius since the Industrial Revolution. The Paris climate agreement hoped to restrict warming to two degrees. The     1     of succeeding, according to a recent study based on current emissions trends, are one in 20. If by some miracle we are able to limit warming to two degrees, we will only have to negotiate the extinction of the world’s tropical reefs,     2     the sea-level rise of several meters and abandon the Persian Gulf. The climate scientist James Hansen has called two-degree warming “long-term disaster”, which is now the best-case scenario. Four-degree warming will mean “short-term disaster”: Europe in permanent drought; vast areas of China, India and Bangladesh claimed by desert; the American Southwest largely     3    .

In the decade that ran from 1979 to 1989, we had an excellent opportunity to solve the climate crisis. The world’s major powers came within several signatures of     4     a global framework to reduce carbon emissions — far closer than we’ve come since. During those years, the conditions for success could not have been more     5    . The obstacles we blame for our current inaction had yet to emerge. Almost nothing stood in our way — nothing except ourselves.

Nearly everything we understand now about global warming was understood in 1979. Human beings have altered Earth’s atmosphere through the     6     burning of fossil fuels. At the start of the 1980s, scientists within the federal government predicted that     7     evidence of warming would appear on the global temperature record by the end of the decade, at which point it would be too late to avoid disaster. A report prepared by the National Academy of Sciences advised that “the carbon-dioxide issue should appear on the international     8     in a context that will maximize cooperation and minimize political controversy and division.” If the world had adopted the proposal widely supported at the end of the ‘80s, warming could have been held to less than 1.5degrees.

But they failed, even though the world’s leading oceanographer Henry Stommel and the Harvard planetary physicist Richard Goody, whose mere presence could inspire     9    , tried to warn humanity of what was coming. They risked their careers in a painful campaign to solve the problem, first in scientific reports, later through     10     avenues of political persuasion and finally with a strategy of public shaming. Their efforts were passionate and they failed. Now it is our turn.

6 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. alternative       B. astonishing             C. computerized       D. contribution             E. developing F. rate             G. modified             H. perfect          I. reject          J. relevance          K. sufficient

Using animals to test drugs intended for humans is controversial, with critics arguing there are other ways to ensure new medicines are safe and effective. But the scientists who carry out the research say animal studies remain necessary. Statistics indicate that in the UK around three million mice are being used for research and tens of millions worldwide.

Despite the difference in appearances, the genetic similarities with humans are     1    . The mouse genome (基因组) shares over 95% of its genes with humans. The animal acts as a “model”, genetically     2     to develop a human disease. But the use of mice, like any animal, in research is criticized by some.

Animal Defenders International (ADI) is one of the groups that campaigns for an end to the use of animals in research. “We would argue that it is extremely outdated, and not very good science for humans,” says Fleur Dawes of ADI. Ms. Dawes believes the suffering that the animals go through does not legalize their     3     to science and medicine for humans.” There is a big problem with that because there are huge differences between the species. And even though there are similarities with humans and mice, they react very differently to each other when experimented on. So what works in one animal is not an indication that that is how things work in other animals.”

However, Dr. Wells from Mary Lyon Centre (MLC) says they are constantly trying to     4     the process to reduce the suffering of mice.” If it’s a procedure where you can anaesthetize (麻醉) the mice, then you do it to reduce their stress. And if there is a (n)     5     method that doesn’t involve mice, you are not legally and normally allowed to do the procedure.”

If we     6     animal research, are there alternatives? Dr. Wells says, “There is a massive field     7     on alternatives, and we are very supportive of that field and we always keep track of what is going on in that field, because maybe we can replace one of our models. “Those alternatives include chips on human organs to study their function, micro-dosing treatments in humans and     8     models.” Lots of people say that there is a computer now to model what is going to happen in diseases,” Dr. Wells adds, “But we still don’t know enough to program those computers with     9     knowledge to be able to model what’s happening in every disease.”

Fleur Dawes agrees one alternative is not enough. But she says, “By combining the different alternatives, you can actually get a much better picture that is of much better     10     to humans.”

7 . WHAT ARE RIP CURRENTS?

Rip currents are like the rivers of the sea, transporting water near the shore back out into the ocean depths. The presence of these currents can be hidden by the wild movements of the surrounding waves. This means that as well as carrying seaweed and pieces of materials quickly out to sea, they can rapidly sweep away even the strongest swimmers. Around 80 percent of all lifeguard rescues are caused by powerful rip currents pulling a swimmer into danger.

If you find yourself being pulled out to sea by an unsuspected rip current, you should remain calm, focus on staying afloat and, if you can, swim parallel to the shore. Your instincts might tell you to swim towards land, as this is where you’re aiming to get to, but the current will be too strong to swim against. Instead, aim to move across the current and into slower flowing water next to it. A rip current may only pull you just past the breaking waves, but in some cases they can take you hundreds of metres offshore. The strength of currents can be hard to predict, so it’s safest to stay on lifeguarded beaches and not to swim if you see any indication of a rip current.

1. Understanding rip currents can help ______.

A．prevent you from swimming into danger	B．transport water out into the ocean depths
C．clear away seaweed and pieces of materials	D．warn lifeguards against rescue in rip currents

2. The illustration probably explains ______.

A．difference between various currents	B．two types of zones off shore
C．an ideal route to surf in safety	D．how rip currents form

3. Which region is the path of a rip current?

A．1000 metres off the shore beyond “HEAD”.	B．The channel through the gap in a sandbar.
C．The location where a red flag is erected.	D．Over the narrow stretch of a sandbar.

8 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A．experience       B. associated        C．position        D．claim       E．accompanied F．conducted        G．duration        H．preserve        I．breeze        J．representative K．weighed

One of the British royal traditions is that the king or queen can     1     ownership of any unmarked mute swan in open water in Britain. For many years, this tradition was     2     with Queen Elizabeth II. Every summer, the swans on the River Thames would be counted for Her Majesty. Now, with Britain having King Charles III on the throne, this centuries-old tradition known as the Swan Upping will continue to be     3     over five days during the third week of every July.

Several years ago, when I was living in London, I went along to     4     the tradition for myself. It was a completely enjoyable experience. School kids and elderly watchers gathered ahead of the day’s launch in Marlow (马洛，一个英国城镇) to meet the Royal Swan Marker — Queen Elizabeth II’s     5     in her absence — David Barber, and other Swan Uppers, or catchers.

The Uppers themselves are a mix of old boys and younger men-all dressed in uniforms. They paddle their way upriver in a fleet of wooden boats, shiny with gold detailing. Flags flutter behind them in the     6    .

The small fleet is     7     by an armada (舰队) of watchers. A boatload of journalists is there for the     8    . Hug e passenger boats cruise alongside, trying to get a view of each catch.

Not long after, the traditional call goes out: “All up!” it’s the first catch of the day. The Uppers carefully     9     their boats around the birds, moving closer, before catching and tying them. The young swans are taken ashore and     10    , measured and recorded with rings attached to their legs. And the adult swans are checked against the records. Then the young birds are released with their family, unharmed.

9 . Mars is no stranger to life. Seven U. S. spacecraft have successfully landed there, and all of them took microbes to the planet’s surface(though the bugs probably did not survive for long). Yet the world’s space agencies continue to maintain strict spacecraft sterilization (消毒) procedures in the hope of minimizing the spread of Earth life beyond our planet. For decades this idea — known as planetary protection—is widespread. Now, some scientists say, these procedures are preventing the search for life beyond Earth by raising costs and preventing innovative missions-without meaningful benefits.

Of all missions to Mars to date, only the Vikings, the first trip to the Red Planet, were intended to test for life. Spacecraft that went later did not have that ability. But a future mission will, and the protectionist thinking goes, a spacecraft might not be able to distinguish between a life form native to Mars and one with origins on Earth. In July 2013 astrobiologists Dirk Schulze-Makuch and Alberto Fairen argued against this in Nature Geoscience.

“If Earth life can thrive on Mars, they almost certainly already do,” the authors write. “If they cannot, the transfer of Earth life to Mars should be of no concern, as it would simply not survive.”

With clear evidence of a water y history and some signs of water present, Mars could be where we find life in our solar system. And with the development of Curiosity’s precise landing system, we can finally reach the mysterious parts of the planet. But it’s these areas that require a craft sterilization process.

In the 1970s Vikings 1 and 2 revealed what seemed like a dead planet, so planetary-protection requirements were relaxed. Now, with more knowledge of Mars’ environment, missions set to visit areas with evidence of flowing water below the surface have to meet the strict-and more costly- Vikings standards.

Finally, there’s the philosophical problem of what responsibility, if any, we have to other planets and any life we leave there. The truth is we’re never going to be able to fully protect Mars if we intend to explore it. And spreading is simply what life does.

“If we want to survive for a long time, we have to expand beyond Earth,” Schulze-Makuch says. “There’s no other way.”

1. Strict spacecraft sterilization procedures are meant to ______.

A．decrease the costs of space exploration

B．help the search for life forms beyond Earth

C．contribute to innovative missions in the universe

D．prevent Earth life being transferred to other planets

2. Planetary-protection requirements were relaxed in the 1970s because ______.

A．there was no preclse landing system

B．Mars was considered to be a lifeless planet

C．the mysterious parts of Mars remained unknown

D．flowing water was found below the surface of Mars

3. Dirk Schulze-Makuch and Alberto Fairen are most likely to agree that ______

A．Mars is now on the edge of being destroyed

B．human beings are too ambitious to expand beyond Earth

C．there is no need to worry about bringing Earth life to Mars

D．we need to be responsible for keeping Mars what it is like now

4. Schulze-Makuch takes a(n)______attitude towards planetary protection.

A．optimistic

B．relaxed

C．debatable

D．negative

10 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. authorities   B. conflicts   C. increasingly   D. infected E. invisibly F. oddly G. outbreaks   H. present   I. subjected   J. suspected   K. unexpected

Deadly virus approaches tigers

India’s most important tiger conservation body is to investigate growing concern that Asia’s wild tigers are     1     to a deadly new disease.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority is to fun d a study of Canine Distemper Virus(CDV) in six of the most important areas for the species, which could confirm a problem that a few experts have     2    for a number of years.

There have been     3    of CDV in wild tigers in other areas. According to Dr Dale Miquelle of the Wildlife Conservation Society, quite a few tigers were either killed or seriously affected by a disease that was probably CDV in 2010. And the Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Reserve has also reported a(n)     4     decline in tiger numbers.

CDV may also exist in the tiger population in Sumatra, where animals have been reported to be behaving     5    and losing their fear of humans.

Dr John Lewis of the British charity Wildlife Vets International is helping the Sumatran    6    to fight the risk by training local vets in what he calls “the world’s first tiger- disease monitoring program”.

Lewis also believes that the way CDV changes tigers’ behavior could be a factor where tiger- human     7    are an issue. This could be true of the Sundarbans, a large area shared by India and Bangladesh where man-eating is spreading.

Perhaps we should not be surprised that tigers are     8    with CDV. In 2004, it killed 1,000 lions in the Serengeti in Tanzania, and as wildlife reserves are    9    surrounded by people with dogs, the problem is only likely to get worse.

But as Miquelle told BBC Wildlife, “Very few people were aware of the potential threat, let alone looking for it, even if it is     10    in the system. But at least now they are.”