1 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Where did Bruce see a red squirrel?

A．At his garden.

B．In a farm.

C．In the wild.

2. How many red squirrels were there in Britain in 2007?

A．About 3,500,000.

B．About 150,000.

C．About 25,000.

3. What mainly caused the decreases in the number of red squirrels?

A．Introduction of grey squirrels.

B．Some unknown disease.

C．Lack of food.

4. How did Bruce manage to take such wonderful photos?

A．By practicing a lot.

B．Through his tutor’s guidance.

C．With the help of his grandpa.

2 . 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。

Dion was having a running race. This race would stretch in six stages over seven days and cover almost 155 miles. Gobi, a little she-dog happened to join him. It was their third day.

The sky was clear, the weather was warm: the ground was firm beneath Gobi’s feet. From time to time, Dion would look over at her and smile. The warmth of that smile was even brighter than the sun beating down on them, but in a good way. It filled Gobi up.

As they progressed, a broad river popped into their sight, lying right in front. Dion had no idea how deep it was, but the race markers led right across, so he had to assume he’d be able to make it across as well.

Taking a deep breath, he took a careful step into the water. It was surprisingly cold considering how warm the day was, and he sank down up to his waist, but that was it. At least the riverbed seemed solid. He could make his way across; he just had to go slowly. One wrong step and he’d get completely wet. Plus, he could hurt himself since he couldn’t see where he was putting his feet. This was going to take a while.

Gobi watched as the man jumped into the water. She wagged her tail, but he didn’t look her way. He was clearly busy concentrating. She sat down just before the water and watched. Surely, he would turn around and notice that she wasn’t with him. But several minutes passed, and he got farther and farther away. Finally, Gobi couldn’t take it any longer. She began anxiously running up and down the riverbank. Was the man going to leave her?

At the sound of her bark, Dion stopped. He always made a point of facing forward, always forward, during a race. But this time he did glance back. Gobi was sitting at the river’s edge, barking fiercely. There was no way the little dog could cross that on her own. These days, he’d fed her, given her water, and named her. He had to admit that he liked having her with him. She lifted his spirits.

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。

Paragraph 1: Right now, listening to her barking as he left her behind nearly broke his heart.

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Paragraph 2: This became tougher for Dion to cross the broad river.

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3 . 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。

I was eight years old when my mother was told that she would never walk again without calipers (双脚规形夹) , and she wished to visit doctors in London.

The day before we boarded the ship, father committed (托付) his pet dog, Spider to his friend Sandy while we were overseas. We didn’t know how long my mother’s treatment would take or how long we would be away.

Six weeks later, an air-letter arrived from Sandy, saying that Spider had run away just two weeks after we had sailed and that despite many efforts, the dog was never found. I will always remember my father’s eyes watery as he read this news. Though my mother and I tried to comfort him, we knew in our hearts how useless that was.

We sailed back to Australia two years later. My father immediately began his own search for Spider. After many false calls, we had to accept the fact that the dog was gone.

One cold winter’s Saturday morning eight months after our return, my father had a call from Gin Gin, an old lady 375 kilometers away. On the phone she said she had been putting food out “for a very yellow old dog” in the night for weeks and “it was just glimpses of the similar dog in the shadows” in her disused tennis court.

That was enough for my father to drive five and a half hours to see this yellow dog. Sadly, Gin Gin told us the yellow dog hadn’t been around for a few days. My father had a strange look in his eyes.

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。

Then, he put two fingers to his lips and did his special whistle for Spider.

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It was him, my father’s long-lost friend, Spider.

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4 . For the history of life on Earth, organisms have relied on the light of the sun, moon, and stars to find their way and schedule their lives. While the beginning of electric lighting in the late 19th century may have benefited humans, it has caused problems in the natural world. Among the impacts of artificial light at night(ALAN), light pollution lures migrating birds to cities with shocking consequences, contributes to the alarming decline in insect populations, and convinces sea turtle babies to amble(缓行)away from the water instead of towards it.

Now, a new study from the University of Plymouth adds another disappointing finding about how ALAN is affecting the creatures with whom we share the planet: Light pollution from coastal cities can trick corals(珊瑚)into reproducing outside of the optimum times when they would normally reproduce.

Using a combination of light pollution data and spawning(产卵)observations, researchers were able to show for the first time that corals exposed to ALAN are spawning one to three days earlier and closer to the full moon compared to those on unlit corals. “That shift may reduce the survival and fertilization success of gametes(配子)and genetic connectivity between nearby lit and unlit coral systems,” they explain.

“Corals are among the most biodiverse, economically important, and threatened ecosystems on the planet,” write the authors of the study.

“Climate change has led to mass bleaching(褪色)events. Habitat destruction, fisheries, and pollution have reduced corals substantially since the 1950s,” they write, adding, “The complete loss of corals is anticipated over the next 100 years.”

If we want to reduce the harm ALAN is causing, we could perhaps look to delay the switching-on of night-time lighting in coastal regions to ensure the natural dark period between sunset and moonrise when coral reproduction remains undisturbed.

1. Why is the first paragraph written?

A．To present the topic of the text.	B．To advocate energy conservation.
C．To explain a natural phenomenon.	D．To provide background information.

2. What does the underlined word “optimum” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Possible.

B．Appropriate.

C．Flexible.

D．Sensitive.

3. What is the researchers’ major concern over corals?

A．Extinction.	B．Losing value.
C．Terrible diseases.	D．Exposure to moonlight.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Creatures Rely on Natural Lights to Schedule Their Life

B．Night-time Lighting Shortens Natural Dark Period

C．Coastal Lights Trick Corals into Early Spawning

D．Light Pollution Leads to Serious Consequences

5 . Think about what you like to wear on the weekend. There’s a good chance that you like to put on a pair of blue jeans（牛仔裤）. At any moment, about half of the world’s population is wearing jeans. But according to a new study, our love for jeans may be bad for earth. The cloth used to make jeans might be putting some sea animals in danger. Every time we wash our jeans, small bits of it will flow out of our washing machines and into the world’s rivers, lakes and sea.

You might wonder: isn’t the cloth made of something natural? How can it become a danger to nature? Well, when making jeans, the cloth is treated with many types of man-made chemicals. Scientists aren’t yet sure how the chemicals（化学品） in the cloth might harm animals.

In the study, the scientists also washed jeans to see how many bits of the cloth on average each pair would drop per wash. The answer was worrying: about 50,000. Not all of them make their way into the environment. Wastewater treatment plants hold back 83 to 99 percent of them. This may sound pretty good. However, one percent of 50,000 are still 500 per wash. Now think about the number of jeans around the world and the times each of them gets washed. As a result, a large amount of the cloth still gets into the environment.

Does this mean we shouldn’t wear jeans? Probably not. “We need to buy fewer clothes and only wash them when we truly need to do it,” says Sam Athey, one of the scientists. “You don’t need to wash your jeans after having worn them only a few times.”

1. What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 1 refer to?

A．The danger.

B．The cloth.

C．The earth.

D．The sea animal.

2. Why is the cloth used to make jeans a problem for the environment?

A．There is a large amount of wastewater.

B．There is more cloth thrown by people.

C．There is too much rubbish created by the cloth.

D．There are lots of chemicals which are harmful to animals.

3. The author suggests that ____________.

A．we should not wear jeans	B．we should not buy clothes
C．we should wash the clothes less often	D．we should wash the clothes every day

4. In which section of a magazine can we read the text?

A．History and Culture.	B．Sports and Health.
C．Science and Technology.	D．Environment and Life.

6 . If you live on this planet, there’s a decent chance you’ve seen the classic Star TrekEpisode, in which captain Kirk and several members find themselves in what appears to be another universe.

These days, it seems the idea of the multiverse—many worlds—is having its Hollywood moment. Its appeal as a storytelling device is obvious—characters explore a multi-world with varying degrees of similarity to our own, as well as different versions of themselves. Hence, it has been fully established in mainstream pop culture.

While Hollywood can’t seem to get enough of the multiverse, it remains deeply controversial (有争议的) among scientists. Advocates on the two sides show no mercy toward each other in their books, on their blogs. But physicists didn’t pull the idea out of thin air—rather, several distinct lines of reasoning seem to point to the multiverse’s existence. However, critics warn that making the multiverse legal could make it harder for the public to distinguish speculative (推测性的) theories from established fact, making it more difficult to keep pseudo-science (伪科学) at bay. Giving credit to such speculation risks “turning fundamental physics into pseudo-science”.

The multiverse controversy is rooted in the idea of test ability. If we can’t interact with these other universes, or detect them in any way, some experts insist that reduces them to mere philosophical speculation. But Carroll, an advocate for “many worlds”, argues that mathematics is the language describing our physical theories. Since Schrdinger’s equation (方程), on which Quanturr (量子) mechanic rests, predicts the existence of many worlds, so be it.

Could a more expansive view of the universe itself be the next breakthrough? As Siegfried puts it: “Every time in the past that we’ve thought, ‘We’ve got it; this is what the whole universe is’—the people who’ve said, ‘Maybe there’s more than one of those’ have always turned out to be right.”

1. Why is Hollywood so occupied with the multiverse?

A．It makes for engaging plots.

B．It is a much-talked-about topic.

C．It is helpful to popularize science.

D．It dominates the mainstream pop culture.

2. What do the underlined words in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Out of date.

B．Out of place.

C．Out of nowhere.

D．Out of question.

3. According to the opponents, the basic standard of fundamental physics is that ______.

A．it can be detected somehow

B．it can be reasoned logically

C．it can be interpreted philosophically

D．it can be predicted by mathematics equation

4. What might be the author’s attitude toward the multiverse?

A．Doubtful.

B．Dismissive.

C．Unclear.

D．Approving.

7 . Dogs bark at each other for a variety of reasons, according to Trevor Smith, a dog trainer. “But mainly,” he says, “dogs use barking as their primary communication tool to express their needs.” It may be especially difficult when they bark at their fellow four-legged friends-which begs the question:     1    

They Are Feeling Anxious

Your dog may be anxious by nature, and being around other dogs may heighten his sensitivity. And he may respond with his primary communication tool: barking.     2     But with time and patience, most dog-barking issues can be managed.

    3    

A dog may bark at other dogs to try to engage in play. He’s essentially calling the other dog, trying to get it to join in the fun. If you’re at the dog park and know your dog generally plays well with others, now is the time to set him free so he can engage in some positive playtime.

They Are Being Angry

A dog that barks at other dogs may or may not ever get to the point where he can play with other dogs.     4     Others just aren’t friendly with other dogs.

If your dog’s facial expression, tail position and barking show he’s feeling playful, the solution to stopping him from barking may be to let him play or socialize with other pups in an environment where he feels safe.     5     “Through consistently positive information, your furry friend will learn which behaviors are rewarded, avoid those that receive no rewards and become comfortable in situations where they encounter the disrupting stimuli.”

A．They Are Being Playful.

B．They Are Feeling Optimistic.

C．how can we satisfy their demands?

D．why exactly do dogs bark at other dogs?

E．For some pups, that action is based on fear.

F．Dealing with a dog barking persistently can be frustrating.

G．In contrast, Smith says that if your dog barks out of extreme fear, take them away.

8 . Vast lands of America are dominated by corn, nearly 100macres of it, stretching from Ohio to the Dakotas. What once was forest today produces the corn that feeds people, cattle and, when made into ethanol (乙醇), cars.

Now, the nation’s airlines want to power their planes with corn, too. United Airlines signed a deal with a Nebraska ethanol company to buy enough sustainable fuel, to power 50,000 flights a year. The government could decide on its tax incentives (税收激励) for the industry as soon as December. “Mark my words, the next 20 years, corn farmers are going to provide 95% of all the sustainable airline fuel,” President Biden said in July.

The airlines’ ambitious goal would likely require nearly doubling ethanol production, which airlines say, with great expectation, would decrease their greenhouse gas emissions. If they succeed, it could transform America’s Corn Belt, stimulating farmers and ethanol producers, but potentially further damaging one of the nation’s most important resources: groundwater.

Corn requires a lot of water to grow and it can take hundreds of gallons to produce a single gallon of ethanol. But as airlines take the idea of ethanol, the vital groundwater faces serious risks. “We’re on track to massively increase water usage without any real sense of how sensitive our groundwater is,” said Jeffrey Broberg, who is concerned about groundwater in Minnesota, a major corn state.

The Department of Energy said in a statement that “water use is a critical part of the conversation surrounding bio-energy sustainability”. It pointed to a 2022 department study that concluded that the United States could significantly reduce pressure on groundwater by shifting fuel production away from water-intensive crops like corn, instead growing more crops that don’t require irrigation (灌溉), like various types of straw, grasses and trees. Hopefully, a better approach will be soon studied and adopted.

1. What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?

A．Farmers will increase 95% of their ethanol production.

B．The sustainable fuel will not be popular in the future.

C．Corn will be an influential source in the fuel industry.

D．The government stops the new fuel for the groundwater.

2. What does the underlined word “stimulating” mean in paragraph 3?

A．Preventing.

B．Motivating.

C．Destroying.

D．Impressing.

3. What is the potential risk of the increased use of ethanol in fuel?

A．The shortage of corn production.

B．The increase in global warming.

C．A rise in clean-energy tax credits.

D．Higher stress on the groundwater.

4. What did the 2022 study suggest according to the last paragraph?

A．Expand the corn planting area.

B．Use some alternative materials.

C．Cut down the daily water usage.

D．Turn to the government for help.

9 . In the rich countries of the West, the electric vehicle revolution is well underway. Climate-conscious consumers drive Teslas or Polestars for reasons of morality and fashion. Poorer countries are also experiencing a wave of electrified trend. In Bangladesh, electric three-wheeler taxis, known as tuk-tuks, are rapidly replacing gas-powered ones on the streets. Such electric vehicles are climate friendly, cost effective, and help reduce air pollution.

Yet a glance under the hood (引擎盖) of these vehicles reveals a poisonous secret: each tuk-tuk runs on five massive lead-acid batteries, containing almost 300 pounds of lead in total. Every year and a half or so, when those batteries need to be replaced and recycled, about 60 pounds of lead leak into the environment. Battery recycling, often at small-scale unregulated factories, is a highly profitable but deadly business.

Lead is dangerous, and any exposure to it is harmful to human health. Lead that has entered the environment hurts people on an extraordinary scale. The numerous ways lead enters air, water, soil, and homes across the developing world — and the enormous damage it does to human health, wealth, and welfare — causes one of the biggest environmental crises in the world yet receives little attention.

The World Bank estimates that lead kills 5. 5 million people per year, which would make it a bigger global killer than AIDS, malaria, diabetes, and road traffic deaths combined. On top of the shocking deaths, the social burden of lead poisoning is extraordinary, as is its contribution to global inequality — our research on the cognitive effects of lead poisoning suggests that it may explain about one-fifth of the educational achievement gap between rich and poor countries.

But unlike many challenges faced by developing countries, lead poisoning is a problem that is fixable with some attention and a relatively modest financial investment. Better monitoring, research, and rules can help protect children all over the world from the dreadful effects of lead poisoning and reduce the massive global costs it brings.

1. How does the author describe the lead problem in paragraph 2?

A．By making a comparison.	B．By analyzing hidden causes.
C．By listing convincing numbers.	D．By explaining its working principle.

2. What can we learn from the text?

A．Lead enters rich countries in various ways.

B．Lead poisoning may make poor societies poorer.

C．Exposure to lead doesn’t necessarily harm someone.

D．Lead leaking has caused great panic in both countries.

3. What can be done to solve lead poisoning in developing countries?

A．Fixing these used batteries.	B．Putting certain effort and money.
C．Prohibiting the illegal use of lead.	D．Reducing the cost of recycling lead.

4. Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A．The Impacts of Lead Poisoning on Human Health

B．The Outcomes of Using Electric Vehicles

C．The Ways to Solve Lead Problem

D．The Global Lead Poisoning Crisis

10 . Flash droughts develop fast, and when they hit at the wrong time, they can ruin a region’s agriculture. They’re also becoming increasingly common as the planet warms. In a study published in the journal Communications Earth& Environment, we found that the risk of flash droughts, which can develop in just a few weeks, is on the rise in every major agricultural region around the world in the coming decades.

In North America and Europe, cropland that had a 32% annual chance of a flash drought a few years ago could have a greater chance of a flash drought by the final decades of this century. That result would put food production, energy, and water supplies under increasing pressure. The cost of change will also rise. A flash drought in the Dakotas and Montana 2017 caused $2.6 billion in agricultural damage in America alone.

All droughts begin when rainfall stops. What’s interesting about flash droughts is how fast they strengthen themselves, with some help from the warming climate. When the weather is hot and dry, soil loses moisture rapidly. Dry air extracts moisture from the land, and rising temperatures can increase this evaporative (蒸发的) demand. The lack of rain during a flash drought can further contribute to the feedback processes. Under these conditions, crops and vegetation begin to die much more quickly than they do during typical long-term droughts.

In our study, we used climate models and data from the past 170 years to assess the drought risks ahead under three conditions for how quickly the world takes action to slow the pace of global warming. If greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, power plants, and other human sources continue at a high rate, we found that cropland in much of North America and Europe would have a 53% annual chance of flash droughts, by the final decades of this century. Globally, the largest increases in flash droughts would be in Europe and the Amazon. Slowing emissions can reduce the risk significantly, but we found flash droughts would still increase by about 6% worldwide under low emission conditions.

1. What is the feature of flash droughts?

A．Seldom happen and greatly beneficial.	B．Frequently happen and low risky.
C．Suddenly happen and highly destructive.	D．Regularly happen and slightly harmful.

2. Which of the following statements may the author agree with?

A．Crops and vegetation die more quickly during long term droughts.

B．Slowing emissions can completely solve the problem of flash droughts.

C．In Europe cropland will suffer from more flash droughts by the end of this century.

D．Flash droughts won’t have any effect on food production, energy, and water supplies.

3. What may be a factor that strengthens flash droughts?

A．Adequate rainfall.	B．The warming climate.
C．The cold and wet weather.	D．Long-term droughts.

4. How can humans help reduce flash droughts?

A．By studying climate models.	B．By speeding up global warming.
C．By changing cropland into forests.	D．By decreasing greenhouse gas emissions.