1 . In April last year, I saw a post on the PNP (Pilots N Paws) website from a family in Topeka. They had to move to Virginia but they were on a very tight ________. They could not afford to pay for ________ for their dog, Tiffy, and ________ wanted to take her with them.

It just ________ that I was planning another PNP flight with another pilot, Karen, who ________ to take Tiffy from Kansas City to Virginia. What I was to do was fly to Topeka to ________ Tiffy.

When I met Tiffy’s owners, they seemed very ________. George, the husband, was trying to be calm, but I could tell this was ________ for him, having to leave his dog to a ________ and trust that everything would ________.

After some goodbyes, I asked George and his wife to help me ________ Tiffy in the plane. I promised to take care of Tiffy and ________ them as soon as we got to Kansas City.

The flight was ________, and Tiffy was a great passenger. The next day, she ________ with Karen and made it back to George in Virginia within a few days. He was so ________ and sent me a nice e-mail with pictures. It felt great to know that I had helped bring this family together again.

1.

A．schedule

B．investment

C．budget

D．connection

2.

A．food

B．shelter

C．medicine

D．transportation

3.

A．secretly

B．originally

C．desperately

D．temporarily

4.

A．proved

B．happened

C．appeared

D．showed

5.

A．offered

B．hurried

C．failed

D．waited

6.

A．see off

B．pick up

C．hand over

D．look after

7.

A．curious

B．confused

C．annoyed

D．nervous

8.

A．perfect

B．common

C．hard

D．lucky

9.

A．stranger

B．neighbor

C．coworker

D．facilitator

10.

A．figure out

B．work out

C．turn out

D．run out

11.

A．feed

B．change

C．follow

D．load

12.

A．join

B．call

C．leave

D．serve

13.

A．unexpected

B．unnecessary

C．uneventful

D．unavoidable

14.

A．returned

B．flew

C．fought

D．accompanied

15.

A．proud

B．generous

C．sympathetic

D．grateful

3 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. When will the solar eclipse happen?

A．At 2:50 pm.

B．At 3:20 pm.

C．At 3:10 pm.

2. Why does the woman go to get the paper?

A．To keep the birds safe.

B．To stop the birds singing.

C．To protect her eyes.

4 . What does the woman think of the weather?

A．It’s very warm.

B．It’s super cold.

C．It’s rather hot.

5 . How is the weather this weekend according to the weatherman?

A．Cold.

B．Cool.

C．Warm.

6 . Every year about 40,000 people attempt to climb Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. They ______ with them lots of waste. The ______ might damage the beauty of the place. The glaciers (冰川) are disappearing, changing the face of Kilimanjaro.

Hearing these stories, I’m ______ about the place — other destinations are described as “purer” natural experiences.

However, I soon ______ that much has changed since the days of disturbing reports of ______ among tons of rubbish. I find a ______ mountain, with toilets at camps and along the paths. The environmental challenges are ______ but the efforts made by the Tanzania National Park Authority seem to be ______.

The best of a Kilimanjaro ______, in my opinion, isn’t reaching the top. Mountains are ______ as spiritual places by many cultures. This view is especially evident on Kilimanjaro as ______ go through five ecosystems within a few kilometers. At the base is a rainforest. It ends suddenly at 3, 000 meters, ______ lands of low growing plants. Further up, the weather ______ — low clouds envelop the mountainsides, which are covered with thick grass. I counted twelve shades of green from where I stand. Above 4, 000 meters is the highland desert: gravel (砾石), stones and rocks. ______ you climb into an arctic-like zone with permanent (永久的) snow and the glaciers that may soon disappear.

Does Kilimanjaro deserve its reputation as a crowded mountain with lines of tourists ______ the atmosphere of peace? I found the opposite to be true.

1.

A．keep

B．leave

C．connect

D．bring

2.

A．stories

B．buildings

C．crowds

D．reporters

3.

A．silent

B．doubtful

C．serious

D．crazy

4.

A．discover

B．argue

C．decide

D．admit

5.

A．equipment

B．grass

C．camps

D．stones

6.

A．clean

B．quiet

C．tall

D．faraway

7.

A．new

B．special

C．significant

D．necessary

8.

A．taking over

B．spreading out

C．carrying on

D．paying off

9.

A．atmosphere

B．experience

C．experiment

D．sight

10.

A．regarded

B．observed

C．explored

D．studied

11.

A．adventurers

B．climbers

C．natives

D．officials

12.

A．holding on to

B．going back to

C．setting out to

D．giving way to

13.

A．changes

B．clears

C．improves

D．permits

14.

A．Obviously

B．Seemingly

C．Absolutely

D．Finally

15.

A．keeping

B．ruining

C．replacing

D．creating

7 . In an effort to help out important insects like bees and butterflies, bus stops across the United Kingdom (UK) are getting living roofs. Small gardens on bus shelter roofs are being planted with flowers chosen to help support the struggling insects. The gardens provide much-needed islands of nature in a man-made environment of a city.

Humans count on bees and other “pollinators (授粉者)” like butterflies to help grow plants, such as flowers and trees. But with humans taking over more and more land for cities, roads and farms, more natural areas have disappeared. The Wildlife Trusts, a group which works to protect wildlife in the UK, says that 97% of England’s wildflower fields have been lost since World War II and the insect numbers there have dropped by 50% since 1970. Bee bus stops are a small step toward supporting these important insects.

The advertising company Clear Channel is working with The Wildlife Trusts and city governments to set up bee bus stops in cities across the UK. Bee bus stops are like ordinary bus shelters, but small gardens have been added to the roofs. The gardens are filled with flowers and plants chosen to attract bees and butterflies. The company plans to set up 1,000 bee bus stops in the UK.

Clear Channel already has bee bus stop programs in several countries in Europe. In the Netherlands, the city of Utrecht has 300 bee bus stops. Research shows that these bus stops—along with many other steps taken to support pollinators—may be helping. After decades of dropping numbers, bee populations in the Netherlands seem to have become more stable over the last few years.

The little gardens can also help to slightly lower city temperatures. Even though the bus shelter gardens are small, together they add up to a much larger area. Thirzah McSherry, who works for The Wildlife Trusts, says, “We’re living through a nature and climate crisis and we need to use every tool we’ve got to deal with it.”

1. Why are bee bus stop gardens being built in the UK?

A．To beautify the city.	B．To improve urban farming.
C．To solve the environmental pollution.	D．To provide shelters for pollinating insects.

2. What leads to the insect numbers dropping sharply in England?

A．Losses of forests.	B．Climate changes.
C．Human activities.	D．Natural disasters.

3. How does the author prove the effect of the bee bus stop programs?

A．By analyzing the data.	B．By making a comparison.
C．By showing similar examples.	D．By presenting its bright future.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．The urban environment is getting worse.

B．The United Kingdom is building bee bus stops.

C．City should build larger gardens for the insects.

D．The bee bus stop is the best way to save the city.

8 . Like other penguins, African penguins have white feathers covering their chests and black feathers covering their backs. They have lifelong mates, and they live in huge numbers —so, scientists wondered how the birds were able to identify their partners among a sea of black-and-white birds. To find it out, they studied 12 African penguins at a marine park called Zoomarine Italia.

In one test, they hung two life-size photographs of the African penguins. One is selected randomly(随机选择地), while the other is the test subject’s mate. The scientists recorded their interactions with the photos: How long did they spend looking at each photo, as well as how much time did they spend standing near each one? The penguins spent more time looking at the photo of their partners—about 23 seconds longer, on average —than looking at the other photo. They also stood next to the mate’s photo for twice as long. Then, the researchers covered up the heads of the birds in the photographs, and the penguins still stayed near their partners’ photos.

In another experiment, the researchers hung up two photos of a bird’s mate —but, in one, they had digitally removed its spots(点). In this case, the penguin again spent more time looking at the photo with the spots. In the third experiment, the researchers hung two penguin photos with digitally removed spots—one of the test subject’s mate and the other: a random penguin. In this case, the penguins did not appear to recognize their partners—they spent almost the same time looking at or standing near both photos.

Together, the research results suggest African penguins are zeroing in on their partners’ spots and using them like name tags. Scientists say: “Our results prove birds recognize their mates by specific visual patterns and all sensory modalities(模态)should be considered in the study of animal communication.”

1. What can we learn from Paragraph 1?

A．African penguins live independently.

B．African penguins have special ability to recognize partners.

C．African penguins have when feathers covering their backs.

D．Scientists studied 12 African penguins from the wild.

2. What plays a key role in African penguins’ identifying their partners?

A．Their partners’ voice.	B．Their partners’ heads.
C．Their partners’ back feathers.	D．Their partners’ spotted bodies.

3. What does the underlined phrase “zeroing in on” in Paragraph 5 mean?

A．Losing sight of.	B．Taking delight in.
C．Paying attention to.	D．Speaking highly of.

4. Where might you find the passage?

A．In a science report.	B．In a travel brochure.
C．In a biology textbook.	D．In a fashion magazine.

9 . 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。

When it comes to animals in China, one iconic creature springs to mind: the black and white giant panda. This national animal is     1     (extreme) rare and protected by the Chinese government. In the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, also     2     (call) Chengdu Panda Base, you’ll be able to see these soft, clumsy (笨拙的) creatures carefully protected.

Chengdu Panda Base     3     (consider) as an important institution for panda research nowadays. Built in 1987 to care for rescued wild pandas, the open-air reserve is one of China’s most popular     4     (destination).It is remarkably successful at introducing new pandas into wild populations and mainly focuses     5     the conservation of pandas.

Try to visit in the morning     6     the pandas are most active. Feeding takes place around opening time at 8 am, although you’ll see them eating in the late afternoon, too. Pandas spend most of their afternoons     7     (sleep), particularly during the height of midsummer.

As well as living, breathing pandas, there are some     8     (amaze) panda information centers and museums explaining how    9    ( protect) pandas from dying out. A visit to the base is a perfect learning opportunity for adults and children alike to get closer to     10     lovely creature.