1 . Getting rid of(丢弃) old tyres(轮胎) has long been a problem. Every year many tyres are thrown. Some of the ways might be better than getting rid of them, but they are not especially green.

Energy recovery(回收利用) is one common way. This includes burning tyres to produce electricity, or as a way to provide heat for other industrial processes. But that produces planet-warming pollution. Tyres can be whole or broken in construction projects, such as repairing roads. There are, however, worries about chemicals from the tyres coming out and polluting the ground.

So some companies have begun exploring another pleasing idea. Since tyres are mostly made from hydrocarbons(碳氢化合物), it should be possible in principle to turn old tyres into environmentally friendly materials which can be used to run some cars they came from. One of the most thoughtful companies is based in Oslo, Norway. Later this year the company will start building a huge tyre-reused factory in Sunderland in northeastern England. In a couple of years, when the factory is fully operational, it will be able to turn 8 million old tyres into new products.

The process works by dividing a tyre into its three main parts. One is steel, which is used to support the structure of a tyre and which can be easily reused. The second is powder used to improve the continuous use of the tyre. The third is rubber. Some of that will be natural rubber from the rubber trees. The carbon black can be reused to make new tyres. That is of interest to tyre makers because it helps efforts to become carbon neutral(碳中和).

1. What is the disadvantage of energy recovery of tyres mentioned in the text?

A．It is unpractical.	B．It produces pollution.
C．It costs a lot.	D．It produces less electricity.

2. How is paragraph 3 organized?

A．By giving an example.	B．By making questions.
C．By following time order.	D．By comparing differences.

3. Which of the following best describes the huge tyre-reused factory?

A．Costly.

B．Useful.

C．Dangerous.

D．Short-lived.

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

A．Tyres can be divided into three parts

B．A company built a tyre-reused factory

C．Energy recovery can deal with old tyres

D．Old tyres can become environmentally friendly materials

2 . Wildlife biologist Purnima Devi Barman remembers the first time she ever saw the nest of a greater adjutant stork (秃鹳) in a tree near her grandmother’s home. Her grandmother would tell her stories about birds and animals under the tree. The love for the natural world developed in those years led Barman to devote her life to saving the endangered greater adjutant stork.

Known as the Hargila in Assam, the greater adjutant stork is the second-rarest stork in the world. Unlike pandas or lions, whose attractive appearances help gain widespread support for their protection, these tall, bald, clumsy birds meet with bias in conservation campaigns.

“Hargilas also bear a reputation of bringing bad luck,” says Barman. “What was the point of writing my paper on them if there was no way of actually saving these birds? I had to start with changing the misconception.”

Not one to shy away from a challenge, Barman put her PhD on hold and set to work. “I started engaging with the women in the village. In our experience, educating and securing the participation of women ensures that the learning passes on to the next generation,” Barman says.

Today, around 400 women have been trained to work on conserving this rare bird. The group’s activities include awareness-building in schools and plantation drives in which 45,000 trees were planted to support the stork’s future populations.

A key component allowing Barman to successfully integrate conservation efforts into the village cultural life was her idea of building related livelihoods. Weaving (纺织) is a long-standing craft in Assam, so Barman created a self-help group employing women to weave stork patterns on textiles. This innovative idea was highlighted at the UN Champion of the Earth Awards she won in 2022.

Currently the number of greater adjutant nests in Assam’s Kamrup district has grown from 28 in 2010 to more than 250. The once unlucky stork is now a symbol of community pride, its pictures appearing on bags, blankets and celebration decorations.

1. What motivated Barman to save the greater adjutant stork?

A．Her interest in observing nests.	B．Her passion for doing research.
C．Her love for nature from childhood.	D．Her grandmother’s encouragement.

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

A．Prejudice.

B．Support.

C．Danger.

D．Success.

3. What was a major challenge Barman faced in conserving the greater adjutant stork?

A．The stork is common in appearance.	B．The stork was believed to be unlucky.
C．She had not finished her paper for PhD.	D．She lacked experience in wildlife conservation.

4. How did Barman make conservation efforts part of the village cultural life?

A．By creating related jobs.	B．By teaching women to weave.
C．By planting trees in the village.	D．By advertising local products.

3 . 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。

It is not every day that scientists explore a beautifully protected ancient forest deep inside a sinkhole (落水洞).

Such a     1     (discover) was made in a wonderful karst mountain range in Guangxi when a team of explorers     2     (enter) the 192-metre-deep sinkhole on May 6 and found a forest that had towering trees.

The sinkhole also had other plants     3     were “shoulder-height”, said Chen Lixin, the leader of the research team, in an interview. Chen added that he would not be     4     (surprise) if undiscovered plants and animals lived in the sinkhole.

Apart from being deep, the sinkhole is 306 metres long     5     150 metres wide, meaning it can     6     (see) as a large sinkhole.

The scientists said the forest was an ancient woodland and it had probably never been disturbed (打扰) by human activity. These types     7     woodlands can be extremely important because they form an ecosystem (生态系统) without human influence.

China is home to the world’s deepest sinkhole, Xiaozhai Tiankeng, which is 662 metres deep and was     8     (main) caused by a great underground river that still runs below the natural wonder.

In the Bahamas, Dean’s Blue Hole is another sinkhole famous for     9     (it) natural environment, making it one of the world’s top tourist     10     (destination).

4 . The levees (防洪堤) that protect New Orleans held up against Hurricane Ida’s fury (猛烈), passing their first big test since Hurricane Katrina that struck 16 years ago. The government spent billions of dollars to upgrade the city’s levee system which had failed before Katrina. But the effort couldn’t spare some neighboring communities from Ida’s terrible storm surge (风暴潮).

Many people living in LaPlace, located 25 miles west of New Orleans, had to be rescued from rising floodwaters. Marcie Jacob Hebert ran away before Ida. But she has no doubt that the storm flooded her LaPlace home. Her house didn’t flood during Katrina. But it took on nearly two feet of water during Hurricane Isaac in 2012. “We didn’t have these problems until everybody else’s levees worked,” said Hebert, 46. “It may not be the only cause, but I sure do think it makes a difference.”

Gov. John Bel Edwards said a recent survey of levees across Louisiana showed they did exactly what they were for and held the water out. “We don’t believe there is a single levee anywhere now that actually broke or failed. There were only a few smaller levees in New Orleans that failed,” Edwards said.

After Katrina, the government spent $14.5 billion on projects designed to improve protection from storm surge and flooding in New Orleans and nearby areas. The system is a 130-mile ring built to hold out storm surge of about 30 feet. In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina produced a storm surge that flooded about four-fifths of the city, causing over 1,800 deaths.

Work recently began on a levee project to protect LaPlace and other communities outside New Orleans’ levee system. That project will be completed in 2024.

“I’m glad they’re building us a levee, but I worry about what happens to the next group further to the west,” Hebert said. “The water has got to go somewhere no matter how many levee systems are built. We can’t just keep moving it from person to person, place to place.”

1. What is the reason for the flooding in LaPlace according to Hebert?

A．Heavy rainfall.

B．Weather change.

C．Levees breaking.

D．Nearby levees.

2. What does Edwards think of the flood protection system in New Orleans?

A．It costs too much.	B．It may cause danger.
C．It is generally satisfying.	D．It badly needs improvements.

3. What does the author want to do in paragraph 4?

A．Provide some helpful suggestions.	B．Offer some background information.
C．Introduce a new topic for discussion.	D．Discuss the causes of the problem.

4. Which of the following would Hebert most probably agree with?

A．Levees cannot completely solve the problem.

B．Some locals had better move away from LaPlace.

C．The levee project in LaPlace won’t be finished on time.

D．It is a mistake to build a levee system for locals in LaPlace.

5 . The distinctive smell of wet dogs was a reminder of the Christmas vacation when I was twelve. My cousins from Ohio were _________. We had gotten many gifts and were also blessed with fresh _________. The four of us spent as much time as possible sliding down the short white hill to the shallow _________. Naturally, we tested the ice on it the first day, and we knew we could slide across it and _________ our ride.

On the third day of our festivities, we were so _________ to play that we did not check the ice. A few degrees of _________ added a small layer of water to our slide, increasing our speed and _________. Seconds after, my brother Peter slid into the pond, he was _________ in the icy water. Peter was only eight and not a good swimmer, _________ dressed in a winter coat and boots.

We all __________. I jumped down the slope to reach him, but our __________ was faster to jump into the water, grab Peter by his waving hand, and pull him to shore. We managed to __________ Peter with our coats and get him back to the house in record time. Drinking hot juice by the fire, we patted and hugged the __________ dog. The dog took all day to __________. His wet-dog smell kept longer and returned often, __________ us of his heroics and our own Christmas miracle.

1.

A．working

B．travelling

C．visiting

D．coming

2.

A．air

B．snow

C．water

D．sun

3.

A．pond

B．sea

C．beach

D．well

4.

A．change

B．ruin

C．attempt

D．lengthen

5.

A．gifted

B．nervous

C．frustrated

D．eager

6.

A．warmth

B．freeze

C．temperature

D．freedom

7.

A．excitement

B．fear

C．courage

D．anxiety

8.

A．surfing

B．struggling

C．performing

D．swimming

9.

A．normally

B．actually

C．especially

D．generally

10.

A．laughed

B．screamed

C．watched

D．escaped

11.

A．guard

B．friend

C．dog

D．cousin

12.

A．cover

B．hide

C．bury

D．equip

13.

A．curious

B．clean

C．wet

D．lost

14.

A．break away

B．dry out

C．calm down

D．get up

15.

A．informing

B．warning

C．convincing

D．reminding

7 . For some ant queens, the secret to long life might be a self-produced insulin (胰岛素) blocker. Ant queens are famously long-lived even though they shouldn’t be. Generally, animals that put lots of energy into reproduction sacrifice some time off their life. But ant queens produce millions of eggs and live an extraordinarily long time compared with worker ants that don’t reproduce.

Now, researchers have shown how one ant species pulls off this anti-aging great work. When queens of the species, Harpegnathos saltator (跳跃蚁), are prepared to reproduce, a part of what is called the insulin signaling pathway gets blocked, slowing aging. In a rare behavior for ants, when a queen H. saltator dies, some female workers begin competing in fights for the chance to replace her. These hopeful royals start laying eggs and then change into queen-like forms called gamergates (雌工虫). When a worker changes to a gamergate, her life length becomes five times as long as it was. But if she doesn’t end up becoming a queen and goes back to a worker, her lifetime shortens again.

The researchers researched this behavior in these ants. It turns out that H. saltator gamergates extend their lifetime by taking advantage of a split in the insulin signaling pathway, the chain of chemical reactions that drive insulin’s effects on the body. One branch of this pathway is involved with reproduction, while the other is linked to aging.

Examining patterns of gene activity, expert Yan and his colleagues found that gamergates have more active insulin genes than regular worker ants and, as a result, have increased metabolic (新陈代谢的) activity and physical development. But the secret sauce protecting the ants from the insulin’s aging effects appears to be what is called Imp-L2, which blocks the branch of the insulin pathway linked to aging. The branch involved in reproduction, however, remains active.

These results represent a leap forward in our understanding of extreme social insect lifetime, while also showing an anti-aging evolutionary adaptation that hasn’t been seen in the wild before.

1. How does the author begin the text?

A．By listing data.	B．By quoting a saying.
C．By asking a question.	D．By describing a phenomenon.

2. What can we learn about gamergates from paragraph 2?

A．They live longer than before.

B．They rarely fight with each other.

C．They are resistant to become queens.

D．They are five times shorter than worker ants.

3. What do we know about Imp-L2?

A．It may prevent ants from aging.

B．It may reduce ants’ metabolic activity.

C．It may regulate ants’ physical development.

D．It may protect ants’ reproductive capability.

4. What does the author think of the research results?

A．Complicated.

B．Controversial.

C．Instructive.

D．Invalid.

9 . Scientists say they have found detailed evidence of ancient rivers on Mars. The discovery supported existing evidence that Mars once had water. The researchers said their findings suggested rivers may have flowed on the surface of Mars for hundreds of thousands of years.

These images were captured by a camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The camera is able to take detailed pictures of the surface while orbiting the planet from about 400 kilometers away. A team of scientists studied the images, which showed a valley network on Mars.

The team was led by Francesco Salese, a geologist at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. Salese said the scientists studied sedimentary (沉淀物) rocks from a 200 meters high rocky cliff. Sedimentary rocks form when sedimented (使沉积) and transported by water or wind.

“These are sedimentary rocks and were formed by rivers that were likely active for over 100,000 years,” Salese said, adding even without the ability to examine the cliff area on Mars, the pictures show strong similarities to sedimentary rocks found on the earth.

William McMahon is another geologist who was part of the investigation team. He said sedimentary rocks have long been studied on the earth to learn what conditions were like on our planet millions or even billions of years ago. Another leader of the team was Joel Davis, a researcher with Britain’s Natural History Museum. He said scientists had never before been able to examine such a rock formation with such great detail. They created 3D images of the area to get a more detailed understanding of it, which suggested some ancient Martian rivers were several meters deep.

1. What is the text mainly about?

A．Scientists are able to study rock formation on Mars.

B．Scientists found evidence that there was water on Mars.

C．Mars sedimentary has many similarities to that on the earth.

D．A camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter took pictures of the planet.

2. How did researchers make the findings?

A．By comparing data.

B．By analyzing images.

C．By studying rivers on the earth.

D．By observing Mars through a telescope.

3. What was Joel Davis’ attitude towards the discovery?

A．Excited.

B．Unsatisfied.

C．Unexpected.

D．Disappointed.

4. Where is the text most likely from?

A．A novel.

B．A notebook.

C．A travel guide.

D．A newspaper.

10 . By the time most of the world discovered the kipunji monkey, it was already seriously endangered. These rare animals live in Tanzania and is not closely related to any other known monkeys. Thanks to smart protection efforts, their population is accumulating.

Kipunji monkeys live in groups and spend most of their time in trees. Local hunters knew about them, but researchers first identified the species in the early 2000s. A 2007survey found 1, 117 of the animals alive. Experts from organizations such as the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) stepped in to try to save the species.

One method of protecting kipunji monkeys was to reduce conflict between the monkeys and humans. Kipunji often come out of the forest to steal bananas, and carrots from farms, leading farmers to set traps that can kill the monkeys. So WCS workers put unpleasant things such as chili oil (辣椒油) on the leaves of the crops to keep the monkeys away. Farmers have also started growing crops like potatoes, which the monkeys are less interested in eating.

To discourage people from cutting down trees in the kipunji’s habitats (栖息地), the WCS has established other sources of wood. Kipunji habitats have been turned into protected parks and reserves.

So far, their efforts have been successful. A 2022 study found that the area in which the monkeys live has increased in size by nearly 20%, and their population has risen to 1, 966 animals. If the efforts continue, the population of kipunji monkey could double in 25 years. “It’s not perfect,” former WCS director Tim Davenport said. “But it’s in a considerably better place than it used to be.”

1. What does the underlined word “accumulating” in paragraph 1 mean?

A．Unchanging.

B．Declining.

C．Increasing.

D．Disappearing.

2. What did the local farmers do to keep the monkeys away?

A．Put chili oil on the crops.	B．Grow crops they like less.
C．Turn their habitats into parks.	D．Hunt down and kill them.

3. Why have other sources of wood been established?

A．To protect the kipunji’s habitats.	B．To make profit from the wood.
C．To educate the local villagers.	D．To develop the local economy.

4. Which statement will Tim Davenport probably agree with?

A．Kipunji monkeys’ current living condition is perfect.

B．The number of kipunji monkey will double in 25 years.

C．The WCS hasn’t done enough in protecting the monkey.

D．Continuous efforts should be made to protect the kipunji.