1 . A key part of protecting endangered species is figuring out where they’re living. Using environmental DNA, or eDNA, to track species isn’t new. For a few years now, researchers have been using DNA in water.

Two teams of scientists — one in Denmark led by Dr Kristine Bohmann and one in the UK led by Dr Elizabeth Clare — came up with the same question at about the same time: Could they identify the animals in an area from DNA that was simply floating in the air? DNA in the air is usually so small that it would take a microscope to see it. “I thought the chances of collecting animal DNA from air would be slim though much time had been spent on it, but we moved on,” said Bohmann who was trying to think of a crazy research idea for a Danish foundation that funds far-out science.

One team collected samples from different locations at Denmark’s Copenhagen Zoo, and the other at Hamerton Zoo Park in the UK. Clearly, they both chose the zoos. “We realized we have the Copenhagen Zoo,” Bohmann recalls. In fact, both the zoos in the UK and Denmark were almost like the zoos that were custom-built for the experiments: The animals in the zoos were non-native, so they really stuck out in DNA analyses. “If we detect a flamingo (火烈鸟), we’re sure it’s not coming from anywhere else but the zoo,” Bohmann says.

In the laboratory, by comparing their samples with examples of DNA from different animals, the scientists succeeded in identifying many different animals at the zoos.

Neither team knew that the other team was working on a similar experiment. The two were nearing submission to a scientific journal when they discovered about the other experiment. Rather than compete to rush out a publication first, they got in touch and decided to publish their findings as a pair. “We both thought the papers are stronger together,” says Clare.

“The next step is to figure out how to take this method into nature to track animals that are hard to spot, including endangered animals,” says Bohmann.

1. What did Bohmann initially think of the experiment?

A．It could be a failure.

B．It wouldn’t take long.

C．It wasn’t original.

D．It would cost much.

2. Why did the scientists look for animal DNA in the zoos?

A．They raised many rare animals there.	B．The zoos were specially built for them.
C．They could collect enough animal DNA.	D．They could recognize animals confidently.

3. How was the two teams’ relationship when they learned of each other’s work?

A．Competitive.

B．Inseparable.

C．Cooperative.

D．Casual.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．Research Teams Test DNA in Nature	B．DNA in the Air Helps identify Animals
C．Different Zoos Conduct DNA Studies	D．eDNA Protects Endangered Animals

2 . Born into a family of motorcyclists, Bridget McCutchen was able to witness firsthand the ______ and excitement that riding a motorbike could bring from a very early age. But the idea of riding around the world hadn't ever ______ her until her older brother pointed out that she was still young enough to beat the world record for the youngest person to circle the ______ on a motorcycle.

McCutchen, whose longest road trip had been from Wisconsin to Washington, says she ______ the idea at first. But it kept coming back into her ______.

After ______ as much money as she could, McCutchen ______ in August. She has been recording her ______ online, stressing that there's a huge difference in ______ the world between traveling by car and on a ______ .

However, traveling by motorcycle on ______ roads comes with its dangers. McCutchen has ______ from the motorcycle on a few occasions and nearly crashed into trucks around blind corners.

Of course, if she is successful in breaking this particular record, the likelihood is that someone even ______ will come along and set a new record one day. However, McCutchen isn't ______ about this at all. In fact, she says she'll ______ help anyone who's keen to do so, even if it means that they beat her to it.

1.

A．mystery

B．pleasure

C．variety

D．intelligence

2.

A．belonged to

B．turned to

C．occurred to

D．related to

3.

A．country

B．backyard

C．school

D．globe

4.

A．dismissed

B．forgot

C．liked

D．remembered

5.

A．house

B．face

C．office

D．mind

6.

A．spending

B．saving

C．losing

D．investing

7.

A．checked in

B．broke down

C．set off

D．ran out

8.

A．dreams

B．mistakes

C．conversations

D．travels

9.

A．understanding

B．changing

C．seeing

D．ruling

10.

A．bicycle

B．plane

C．train

D．motorbike

11.

A．unfamiliar

B．quiet

C．main

D．safe

12.

A．escaped

B．fallen

C．started

D．died

13.

A．slimmer

B．happier

C．younger

D．richer

14.

A．worried

B．curious

C．careful

D．hopeful

15.

A．barely

B．gladly

C．creatively

D．suddenly

3 . Sara Dykman is on a 10,000-mile bike trip, following the monarch butterfly from Mexico through the United States and Canada and back again. The purpose of her journey is not just to mark the butterfly’s migrating (迁徙) road, but to warn about the threat it faces — and what we can do to help it.

When I reached Dykman by phone, she was biking through Iowa cornfields. She said she feels more upset than usual, because of what she is seeing — or not seeing — on her travels: Fewer butterflies and milkweed. “In the last two decades, the butterfly population has declined by about 90 percent as a result of the loss of milkweed, a native plant that the butterflies need as part of their life cycle,” she said.

Butterflies go through a four-stage life cycle. In February and March, the adult monarch butterflies come out of winter sleep to look for a mate. Then they migrate north and east to lay their eggs on milkweed plants. It takes about four days for the eggs to hatch. Then the baby caterpillars (毛毛虫) spend much of their time eating milkweed in order to grow. About two weeks later, the fully grown caterpillars will attach themselves to plant branches or leaves to change into butterflies.

But Dykman is not in total despair. A solution, she says, exists within the reach of everyone who owns a home; simply planting some milkweed in the yards to help the butterflies on their journey.

Dykman lives a life as simple and rootless as the butterflies she loves. She doesn’t own a house or car or eat out at restaurants. She carries only what she needs; a sleeping bag and clothing. People help along the way by providing a place to stay and a meal.

“I have failed at everything normal, but I’m pretty good at doing the less normal things,” she admits in her new book Cycling With Butterflies.

“But this trip is about solutions, and it’s about helping people see the consequences of their actions,” she said on the phone.

1. What is the main purpose of Sara Dykman’s bike trip?

A．To live-stream the migrating butterflies.	B．To ask people to grow more native plants.
C．To warn about the environmental problems.	D．To encourage people to protect the butterflies.

2. What can be learned from paragraph 3?

A．Baby caterpillars are very harmful to various crops.

B．Milkweed plays a vital role in a butterfly’s life cycle.

C．Non-native plants are growing too fast in Iowa cornfields.

D．Adult butterflies come out of winter sleep later than they did.

3. What can we learn about Sara Dykman?

A．She is a determined conservationist.	B．She is a good bread-earner.
C．She is a competent employee.	D．She is a comfort seeker.

4. What is the text?

A．A diary entry.

B．A book review.

C．An interview.

D．A news report.

4 . What concerns the man about the oil company?

A．It causes water pollution.

B．It makes locals lose their jobs.

C．It results in a fight on social media.

5 . The animal kingdom is dotted with species that give birth to spotted young, from deer to birds and fish. Even species that we don’t typically associate with spots, such as lions, wear the pattern as babies, only to lose it later in life.

But what purpose do these spots serve, and why do only some species seem to have them? Kiyoko Gotanda, a biologist at Brock University, said it is likely so common because spots are useful in keeping babies hidden from their enemies.

Spotted young tend to be more common in species that live in habitats with some three-dimensional structures, Gotanda noted, and less common in environments that are uniform or featureless. Indeed, baby seals born on pack ice are pure white, and develop spots only when they leave the ice for rocky beaches. But in habitats with some cover, spots function as the sunlight passing through leaves or tall grass, making an animal hard to be discovered in its background.

“It is not as overt a pattern as something like a stick insect that becomes something else entirely, which can be clearly identified. But spots do create these three-dimensional effects that help some species hide better,” said Gotanda.

In other rarer cases, spots actually help babies stand out. Young garibaldi — orange marine fish found along the coast of California and Mexico — have bright-blue spots that advertise their lowly status to highly territorial (有地盘意识的) males. As the fish grow and start to engage in the social order, their spots fade.

In fact, many species grow out of their spots, and the reasons aren’t entirely understood. According to Gotanda, patterning is typically considered more energetically costly to produce than a single, solid color. But spots don’t take a lot of energy to grow and maintain at least in the case of white spots. There must be other reasons to explain their loss, he said.

1. Where are spotted baby animals more likely to appear according to Paragraph 3?

A．In the desert.

B．On the ice.

C．In the forest.

D．In the lake

2. What does the underlined word “overt” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Obvious.

B．Strange.

C．Hidden.

D．Complex.

3. Which statement might Gotanda agree with?

A．Animals with spots on the body are more energetic.

B．Spotted animals often exist in uniform surroundings.

C．The growth of animal spots will consume lots of energy.

D．There are more to explore about the loss of animal spots.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．How Are Spots Protecting Baby Animals?

B．Why Do So Many Baby Animals Have Spots?

C．Where Can You Find Baby Animals with Spots?

D．What Causes the Loss of Spots on Baby Animals?

6 . Nature has the power to alter an element’s identity with time and space. This is evident by the transformative effect Britain’s deep coal mines have been showing after decades of being one of the biggest reasons for pollution. Now, they’re being employed to supply green energy to the town of Gateshead. The town is the first place to experience something like this in the country, but the success of the phenomenon has encouraged the authorities to apply it to other towns.

In 2021, coal was just producing 2% of electricity in the UK. Most of the electricity in the country is being supplied through oil and gas. This has resulted in massive abandoned coal mines all across the country. As years went by, these mines were flooded with water, making it a source of geothermal（地热的） energy, which is used to generate heat and electricity. Gateshead hosts such a mine in its town, whose council, therefore, launched a mine water project in March 2023.

The authorities put in a large central heat pump in the mine. Mine water can often sit with a temperature of 45℃. The water is then pumped using appliances to home heat pumps. The process increases the temperature further. The water then goes ahead and warms up the interior space and home water supply. After the heat from the water has been used, it’s sent back to the mine where it again goes through the same process. The project has been successful in supplying low-carbon heating to 350 high-rise buildings, a college and several office buildings.

“Recovering heat from mine water below the ground within abandoned coal mines provides an exciting opportunity to generate a low-carbon secure supply of heat, benefitting people living or working in buildings on the coalfields,” said Gareth Farr, head of heat and by-product innovation at the Coal Authority.

The water resources through the mines are estimated to be two billion cubic meters or half the amount of water in Loch Ness. Farr added, “With many millions of people living upon abandoned coalfields in Great Britain, the potential for mine water heat could be significant.”

1. What does the town of Gateshead feature?

A．It’s been one of the most heavily polluted areas.	B．It has the most deep coal mines nationally.
C．It mainly relies on geothermal energy.	D．It is the first one to reuse abandoned coal mines.

2. Why were many coal mines abandoned in the UK?

A．They were quite remote.	B．Prices of coal declined a lot.
C．There weren’t enough miners.	D．The UK prioritizes cleaner energy.

3. What is implied in the last paragraph?

A．The number of abandoned coal mines is stably increasing.

B．The future of sourcing energy from coal mines is promising.

C．The dependence on water resources in the UK is decreasing.

D．The technique to take advantage of mine water is impressive.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．An innovative way to obtain green energy.	B．A method of living in harmony with nature.
C．A national project for abandoned facilities.	D．A discussion on the future of coal mines.

9 . On November 8th, a tornado, the most powerful in the past 70 years, hit Jersey, causing great damages to the area and leaving the residents in great panic.

“Suddenly, the windows of the waiting room exploded in and dragged everything inside. My cars have been completely destroyed by branches and fences, and my garden is completely gone. There’s no furniture, no fence; everything has been thrown everywhere. At first there was lightning but then a strange noise and strange darkness came over the whole house. It was like being in a scary scene in the movie The Wizard of Oz,” Ashleigh Quail-Charleston, a Jersey resident, told the Bailiwick Express after the tornado that struck overnight on November 1—2 during Storm Ciaran.

The consequence looked like a bomb had gone off: cars hit, roofs with holes, windows broken. “A huge tree leans drunkenly against a block of flats. Piles of branches are piled optionally and pavements are covered with pieces,” said Chris Stone at BBC Radio Jersey. The tornado was powerful and exceptionally rare, caused by a severe thunderstorm that had sent out intense lightning and huge hailstones described as “ice bombs”. The Tornado and Storm Research Organization (Torro) and Jersey Met Office revealed the tornado left a trail of damages 8 km long across the island, and rated its intensity as T6 on an international scale of tornado power.

According to Torro records, this was the most powerful tornado to strike anywhere in the British Isles or Channel Islands since December 7th, 1954 when a tornado struck west London, leaving tremendous devastation, with Gunnersbury railway station torn apart, roofs torn off houses and one car even thrown through the air.

Tornados during Storm Ciaran also hit Sompting in West Sussex and Loders in Dorset. One resident in Loders, Sophie van Hensbergen, described the moment, saying, “The tornado struck with a very, very powerful whistling sound and the windows looked as though we were in a car wash.”

1. Why is The Wizard of Oz mentioned in paragraph 2?

A．To summarize the consequence.	B．To introduce the topic.
C．To enrich the readers’ knowledge.	D．To help describe the tornado.

2. What does paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．How tornado was rated.

B．What caused the tornado.

C．How severe the tornado was.

D．What should be done to prevent the tornado.

3. What does the underlined word “devastation” mean in paragraph 4?

A．Marks.

B．Damages.

C．Memory.

D．Impression.

4. What is this text?

A．A news item.	B．A science report.
C．A movie reviewer.	D．A weather forcast.

10 . I was resting when Jenny called. “There’s a thing that ________ you,” she said. “My cat found a mouse and I don’t know how you feel about cats with mice, although I have the ________ that you are afraid of bugs.”

“Bugs are afraid of me.” I said. Having been bitten by a spider, I decided my new ________ was simple: get them before they get you. “I will get it.”

The mouse was under the ________ when I arrived. After putting a broom handle beneath to force surrender, which ________, I walked beside the fridge, armed with a box.

It was a good plan, but it didn’t ________ according to plan. The box created a no-escape trap, the mouse ventured out and I slammed the box down. ________, the only thing inside the box was its tail, and the mouse was struggling to escape.

Meanwhile, sensing Jenny was going ________ on the mouse, I said, “Don’t you dare name it! It’s not your pet.” The mouse then crawled up on the broom handle, and we were now eyeball to eyeball.

I ________ for something else to get the mouse. She rushed over, and then a spatula (抹刀) descended over my shoulder.

“What? This is a MOUSE not a MOUSSE (奶油)!” Another container was handed. Despite my two-box move, the mouse ________ and shot back under the fridge.

I told Jenny to leave the kitchen light on, hoping the mouse would stay under the fridge and not ________ her bedroom at night.

After my departure, she found the mouse ________ in the sunlight, with the cat alongside, soaking up the rays as well. They seemed a(n) ________ couple. Learning from my ________, she got a box with a lid, and the mouse jumped in the box and helped her ________ the lid.

1.

A．connects

B．involves

C．contacts

D．reminds

2.

A．imagination

B．expectation

C．vision

D．impression

3.

A．practice

B．philosophy

C．note

D．moral

4.

A．fridge

B．bed

C．table

D．box

5.

A．succeeded

B．helped

C．failed

D．spoiled

6.

A．go

B．appear

C．pass

D．carry

7.

A．Unfortunately

B．Luckily

C．Thankfully

D．Helplessly

8.

A．regretful

B．sorrowful

C．tough

D．soft

9.

A．claimed

B．applied

C．shouted

D．cared

10.

A．survived

B．escaped

C．rolled

D．tripped

11.

A．wander around

B．stare at

C．clean up

D．flee from

12.

A．saddened

B．bathed

C．floating

D．crying

13.

A．distant

B．loyal

C．cute

D．abandoned

14.

A．warnings

B．observations

C．instructions

D．mistakes

15.

A．open

B．break

C．close

D．empty