1 . In the global effort to protect biodiversity, Mexico has been at the forefront. In particular, for more than 30 years. Mexico’s National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO) has promoted research, compiled information on the biodiversity of Mexico and elsewhere, and connected academia, government, and society to guide decision-making. Unfortunately, last month, the Mexican government announced its intention to reduce CONABIO from a multi-ministry federal government agency to a branch within the environment ministry. This will rid CONABIO of its independent voice, credibility, and influence on national and international policy.

CONABIO was created in 1992, which aimed to promote international cooperation on environmental issues of the 21st century. Since then, CONAB1O has digitized tens of millions of records in national and foreign collections and has processed satellite data on vegetation cover and wildfires. It is not only a data base but a model for best practices in biodiversity management. All information is publicly available online, and contributors decide when the information they provide will be made public. In the past 5 years, CONABIO had an average of 1000 users per week, and it was consulted at least once per day by health, agriculture, environment, foreign affairs, and government agencies from Mexico and other countries. CONABIO has become a world-sought reference on how to effectively compile useful information and make specific policy for the benefit of the population and biodiversity.

The proposed change for CONABIO will likely eliminate the support it provides for the sustainable management, use, and conservation of biodiversity for Mexico and the world. Given that Mexico is home to 10% to 12%of the world’s species, there is much at risk. CONABIO is already very cost-efficient, and its capacity to influence political decisions depends directly on its multi-ministerial character. Burying the agency is a path to put it to an end.

Should this move become effective, it would be the end of the many essential benefits that CONABIO provides to address the environmental crises that threaten the future of all life on Earth. It is time for Mexico’s scientists, Mexico’s population, and the world to speak out against destroying this valuable institution.

1. What may happen to CONABIO according to paragraph 1?

A．It may be charged.	B．It may be dismissed.
C．It may be investigated.	D．It may be downgraded.

2. What does paragraph 2 mainly talk about concerning CONABIO?

A．Its original purpose.	B．Its bright prospect.
C．Its great contributions.	D．Its awkward situation.

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

A．Remove.

B．Improve.

C．Obtain,

D．Ignore.

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

A．Promote Mexico’s Biodiversity	B．Stand Up for CONABIO
C．Stick to Sustainable Biodiversity	D．Improve the Fame of CONABIO

2 . 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。

Now, you can travel back 3,000 years to see what life was like in a capital city of the Shang Dynasty at the new building of the Yinxu Museum in Anyang, Henan province.     1     (feature) incredible artifacts, the new museum is open to the public. With     2     exhibition space of 22,000 square meters, the expanded museum is the first national major archaeological museum     3     (present) the comprehensive Shang civilization.

Nearly 4,000 items or sets of cultural relics are on display in the museum, about three-fourths of which have never been publicly exhibited before. The Yinxu Ruins, listed     4     a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006, are of earthshaking     5     (significant). For example, the oracle bone inscriptions (甲骨文)     6     (discover) at the site helped to extend recorded Chinese history to nearly 1,000 years earlier than     7     (previous) believed.

    8     catches your eyes most in the museum is Ya Zhang Niu Zun, a life-like buffalo-shaped exhibit piece. Also on display     9     (be) the oracle bones called “The Prince’s Diary”, which record the life of a prince in the Shang Dynasty. “Through this diary, we can see his life is relatable to today’s teenagers. Some cultural elements rooted in daily life have remained unchanged. This cultural continuity is inherited (继承), and the     10     (spirit) core of a nation remains constant,” said archaeological researcher Yu Chenglong.

3 . At age four, I found a garden behind the kitchen. My eyes became glued to the patterns of roses across my childhood landscape. I saw them and felt a sense of joy and adventure.     1    

When spring arrived, I ran so fast through the house, speeding ahead of my mother’s voice. I dashed out of the front door and threw myself on a fresh carpet of grass. Excited, I bounced to my feet and had three more cartwheels before landing by her side.     2     And I sat beside her, playing with mud pies in the flower bed. Work done, she rewarded me with an ice-cold glass of bittersweet lemonade.

    3     She fed love to a generation of people with purple peas and greens. She encouraged me to go anywhere in the world that would make me happy. Since then. I have planted her gardens through art installations (装置) throughout the world, in countries of the people that I meet. Now they are lining parks and courtyards, painted on walls and even in bare lots off the street.

Gardening has taught me that planting and growing a garden is the same process as creating our lives. It begins in the spring, when you break up the soil and start anew.     4     The gardener must then make sure that the proper nutrients are correctly mixed in the soil. Then it’s important to aerate the topsoil and leave it loosely packed on the surface. When our gardens are balanced with care, we can harvest the beauty of living a life of grace.     5     So cultivate (培育) your garden for giving and plant those seeds for the future. The garden is the world living deep inside of you.

A．My life was completely transformed.

B．Mother dear was in the garden busy breaking up the soil.

C．My mother cooked with the colors and textures of her garden.

D．The workman was busy when the garden caught my attention.

E．Then it’s time to clear out the dead leaves and roots of the winter.

F．My passion and connection to garden started at that exact moment.

G．Gardens are a mirror that cast their own reflection into our real lives.

4 . Human voices cause considerably more fear in wild animals than the sound of lions, a study in South Africa has found.

The Kruger National Park is a popular safari (观兽旅行) destination and is known for its diverse wildlife. Scientists played recordings of people talking normally through speakers hidden at water holes in the Kruger National Park. About 95% of animals were extremely frightened and quickly ran away. Surprisingly, recordings of growling lions brought about significantly less alarm. Some elephants, in response to the big catcalls, even attempted to face the source of the sound.

The human speech they chose to play included local languages commonly spoken in the country. The study’s findings suggest that the animals, which include antelopes, elephants, giraffes, leopards and wild pigs, have learnt that contact with humans is extremely dangerous, due to hunting, gun use and the use of dogs to catch them.

Over the years, the encroachment (入侵) of human settlements into wildlife habitats and hunting have led to a deep-seated fear of humans among wildlife. The fear goes beyond the Kruger National Park, showing a global pattern where wildlife tends to fear humans more than any other enemies, according to the study. This fear of humans is a challenge for areas that rely on wildlife tourism, as the human visitors they want to attract are scaring off the animals they have come to see.

The study opens up the potential to protect weak species in these ecosystems. Human sounds, when used appropriately, could help protect wildlife against illegal hunting. This research also highlights the great importance of respectful and responsible wildlife tourism. One thing is clear: the need for a balanced approach to wildlife conservation and tourism has never been greater. As we step into their world, we must remember that we are visitors and that they are rightful inhabitants.

1. How was the study conducted in paragraph 2?

A．By making comparison.	B．By raising questions.
C．By studying the recordings.	D．By presenting previous researches.

2. Why are the animals alarmed about human voice?

A．The voice of human is scary.	B．Human presence threatens them.
C．Human beings are stronger than them.	D．They are sensitive to the sounds in nature.

3. What will the animal’s fear of humans lead to according to paragraph 4?

A．Human visitors will be safer.	B．Animal species will be reduced.
C．Wildlife tourism will suffer loss.	D．Wild animals will be more dangerous.

4. What is the significance of the study?

A．Illegal hunting can be prevented.	B．Wildlife habitats will get enlarged.
C．A new way to protect wildlife is inspired.	D．The balance between human and nature is strengthened.

5 . 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。

Located at the western part of Hangzhou, just under 5km away from the West Lake, Xixi National Wetland Park distinguishes itself as     1     exceptional urban place. This park is a pioneering example of how urban life combines agriculture with culture, making it a     2    (true) unique destination. Along with Xihu and Xiling famous, respectively,     3     their natural scenery and cultural heritage, Xixi National Wetland Park is one of the celebrated “Three Xi’s of Hangzhou”.

Covering a vast area of 11.5sq.km., the park consists of three causeways (堤道)     4     features ten famous sights. Nearly 70% of the park    5    (occupy) by river ports, ponds and small lakes, which explains a wetland environment. These waterways cross the park,     6    (divide) it into distinct sections: the east, the west, and the central part.

Recently the government     7    (establish) ecological protection zones as well as an sightseeing zone. Additionally, visitors can explore the Wetland Science Exhibition Hall, conveniently     8    (locate) at the park’s main entrance.

There is no right way     9    (see) the Xixi wetlands. It is an area of unmatched peace and quiet — filled with history and natural beauty. The only true thing that can be said of the Xixi wetlands is     10     if you haven’t seen them, you haven’t really seen Hangzhou.

6 . The 97-year-old botanist, Margaret Bradshaw, is the chief caretaker of Teesdale’s rarest flowers. “Everything about Teesdale is unique,” says Bradshaw with pride — and the authority of someone who has just written a 288-page book on the subject. Bradshaw has been recording rare plants here since the early 1950s and has witnessed great decreases.Her data was the first to prove that — and the need to do something about it.

The main reason for the decrease of these plants is an unusual one. The number of sheep in Teesdale had been reduced by half by 2000, as the uplands were generally believed there were too many sheep. Bradshaw says while sheep are hunted in some upland areas, reducing herding in Teesdale has been destructive. Longer grass overshadows the delicate (娇嫩) flowers, taking away the light they need to grow. As a result of her findings and her work with farmers who herd the land — as well as Natural England, which manages it — sheep numbers are increasing and the timing of herding is being carefully managed. This has led to the partial recovery of some plants.

At 93, she set up Teesdale Special Flora Research and Conservation Trust to record rare plants. A keen horse rider, at 95, she did a 55-mile horse journey across Teesdale, raising almost $ 10,000 for the Trust. When asked about the secret to longevity, “Just keep going,” she says.

“Keep at it.Don’t sit down and just watch TV.”

“I recognise I’m getting older and I’ve been trying to get more people to take over and do the records. They don’t believe I won’t be here forever,” Bradshaw says. Despite Bradshaw’s guardianship of this land, and the love and energy she has put into saving it, the future here is unknown. The last words of her book speak to this endless loss. “This is our heritage, this unique plant species, mine and yours,” she writes. “In spite of trying, I have failed to prevent its decrease, now it is up to you.”

1. What is Margaret Bradshaw’s main work with the rare plants?

A．Writing a book.	B．Preventing their decrease.
C．Collecting their data.	D．Directing farmers to grow plants.

2. What contributed to the reduction of rare plants in Teesdale?

A．Not enough sheep.	B．Lack of fund.
C．Poor management.	D．Too many sheep.

3. What can we learn from Bradshaw’s words in the last paragraph?

A．Unity brings strength.	B．Many hands make light work.
C．Youthful at heart, regardless of age.	D．Advance what the forerunners began.

4. Which might be a suitable title for the text?

A．Teesdale:Home to Rare Plants	B．Battling for Teesdale’s Wildflowers
C．Bradshaw:A97-Year-Old Gardener	D．Exploring Teesdale’s Unique Plants

7 . 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。

Scientists in Florida have     1     (successful) grown plants in moon soil collected during NASA’s Apollo missions (任务) in the 1960s and 1970s.

    2     NASA-supported study at the University of Florida used soil collected by astronauts    3     (grow) Thale Cress 2 (拟南芥). To compare results, plants were also grown in Earth soil    4     was made to be similar to moon soil. The researchers     5     (add) water and then seeds to the soil, as well as daily nutrients (营养物). After just two days, their growth started.

According to Professor Anna-Lisa Paul, all the plants looked the same     6     the sixth day. After the sixth day,     7    , it was clear that the plants growing in moon soil were not as healthy as those growing in Earth soil.

DNA testing showed that those Thale Cress 2     8     (plant) in the moon soil were under stress. It was also found that the plants grew in different ways in soil from different parts of the moon. The soil collected during the Apollo 11 mission had been on the moon’s surface several billion years     9     (long) than the other soil, and the plants grown in it were the weakest.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson believes this research will help future space missions and that resources on the moon and Mars     10     (need) to develop food for astronauts living and working in space.

8 . One of the ocean’s noisiest creatures is smaller than you’d expect — snapping shrimp (鼓虾). They create a widespread background noise in the underwater environment, which helps them communicate, protect their homes and hunt for food. When enough shrimp snap (发出噼啪声) at once, the noise can be deafening.

Aran Mooney, a biologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, suggested that with increased ocean temperatures, snapping shrimp will snap more often and louder than before. This could raise the background noise of the global ocean. “They make a sound by closing a claw so fast. This makes a bubble (泡泡) and when that bubble bursts, it makes that snapping sound,” said Mooney.

Mooney discovered a strong relationship between warmer waters and more frequent snapping shrimp sounds after experimenting with the shrimp in tanks in the lab and by listening to the shrimp in the ocean at various water temperatures. “As the temperature rises, the snap rate increases,” he said. This makes sense because shrimp are essentially cold-blooded animals, meaning their body temperature and activity levels are largely controlled by their living environment. “We can actually show in the field that not only do snap rates increase, but the sound levels increase as well.”

How the louder snapping shrimp would affect or benefit the surroundings remained to be seen. “We know that fish use sound to communicate,” Mooney said. “If the environment gets noisy, it has the possibility to influence that communication. That’s something we have to follow up on.” There is also the possibility that the change of snapping shrimp affects machines humans use to discover mines, which could lead to unpleasant results.

1. What can we know about the snapping shrimp’s sound?

A．It aims to protect the shrimp.	B．It is important to the ecosystem.
C．It has different uses for the shrimp.	D．It is hard to be discovered by other creatures.

2. How does Mooney do the experiment?

A．By observing snapping shrimp in the field.	B．By recording the snap rates in the lab.
C．By analyzing the way shrimp make noise.	D．By comparing shrimp’s sound in different places.

3. What might Mooney research next?

A．Other uses of shrimp’s sound.	B．Influences of the noise on other creatures.
C．Means of communication among fish.	D．Methods of stopping shrimp’s snapping.

4. Which of the following could be the best title for the text?

A．Underwater World Is No Longer Quiet	B．Small Animals Make a Big Difference
C．Warming Oceans Are Getting Louder	D．Snapping Shrimp’s Noise Speaks Much

9 . Native to forests of Central and South America, glass frogs in the Centrolenidae family get their name from their skin and muscles that help them be perfectly fit to live in their jungle environment. Turn the frogs over, where the effect is the most impressive, and you’ll make out their hearts, livers, and other organs through their hyaline bellies (肚子).

And in a study published in the journal Science, researchers have discovered an amazing mechanism (机制) the animals use to become so clear.

When glass frogs go to sleep, they take in 89 percent of their brightly colored red blood cells into sacs (液囊) in their livers, which reflect incoming light and make the frogs appear nearly unseen. With their red blood cells out of view, the frogs become twice to three times more clear — a trick scientists believe helps the animals avoid being killed and eaten by their natural enemies.

“The trick is really hard to do, because their tissues are full of things that take in and spread light. And transparency (透明) is normal for many creatures in water, but hard on land,” says study co-author Jesse Delia. “Red blood cells also take in a lot of light, and we found that the frogs can actually hide themselves by packing them into the liver.”

Not only are the findings interesting, but the researchers attach great importance to them. That’s because many red blood cells in one place usually form a clot (血块), which can block and lead to a potentially life-threatening condition. But the frogs can seemingly clot and expand their red blood cells at will — without any negative effects. This may mean the animals already have what medical researchers have been seeking for decades: a biological mechanism which prevents too much bleeding while also preventing too much clotting.

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

A．See-through.	B．Powerful.
C．Narrow.	D．Good-looking.

2. What is the new discovery about glass frogs?

A．The frogs fit in their environment better.

B．Sacs filled with red blood cells make the frogs clear.

C．Red blood cells in the frogs’ liver reflect light.

D．The frogs are able to take in a lot of bright colors.

3. What does Jesse Delia think of glass frogs’ trick?

A．Interesting.	B．Unusual.
C．Shocking.	D．Annoying.

4. Why do the researchers consider the findings important?

A．They help cure serious diseases.	B．They are a blessing for wild animals.
C．They can lead to advances in medicine.	D．They will prevent all clotting and bleeding.

10 . 阅读短文内容，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

The Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er gained the World Heritage Site status at the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee,     1     (become) the first World Heritage Site related to tea.

The     2     (new) named heritage site, located in Lancang Lahu autonomous county in Pu’er, Yunnan province,     3     (comprise) five large-scale, well-preserved old tea forests, three protective barrier forests     4     nine ancient villages in the old tea forests.

The committee said the cultural landscape is an outstanding example of a sustainable land-use system     5     (base) on the combination of horizontal and vertical land-use patterns. “This land-use system permits the use of natural resources in the typically     6     (mountain) environment of Jingmai Mountain and represents an exceptional example of a human interaction by Blang and Dai     7     (people) with a challenging environment.”

Chen Yaohua, director of Peking University’s World Heritage Research Center, said the tea growing technique on the Jingmai Mountain is quite unique, particularly these years     8     large-scale terraced (阶梯状的) tea plantations play a dominant role in the world. It represents the ecological ethics (伦理) and     9     (wise) that can inspire sustainable development in the world today.

The local government of Pu’er and the Yunnan provincial authorities have released three laws and seven regulations focusing     10     the protection of the cultural landscape resources.