1 . Hundreds of hours of survey footage has revealed a rare mammal in the south-west of Rio Grande do Sul state in Brazil. Wildlife camera traps have recorded footage of a giant anteater(食蚁兽) wandering through scrubland in Espinilho State Park in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It is the first time since the 1890s that this large mammal has been seen in the southwest of the state. Experts think the anteater came from Ibera National Park in Argentina, where a major re wilding project has been underway since 2007.

The anteater was spotted by Brazilian biologist Fabio Mazim as he was reviewing hundreds of hours of footage for a wild if e survey. “The animal seems to be in very good condition and established in the area,” says Mazim. “At the moment it is impossible for us to determine whether it is male or female, one or even several different individuals.”

According to WWF Brazil, the species was once present in all Brazilian states. It is now threatened with extinction in all regions of the country and has been lost from some states entirely. The main causes of the population decline are the damage and loss of occupied zone, hunting, road accidents and forest fires.

Giant anteaters were first l reintroduced to I bera National Park in 2007 by Rewilding Argentina. Since the start of the project, 110 anteaters orphaned by road accidents or illegal hunting have been released, and several generations now live in Ibera Wetlands. The discovery in Rio Grande do Sul state, along with additional sightings over a 100 km range, suggests that Ibera’s giant anteaters are colonizing other regions.

For the next stage of the project, researchers will try to find out if there are more individuals in the area, and determine what their favoured habitat(栖息地) is. “We intend to seize the individual sighted in Espinilho State Park, collect biological samples (样本) for genetic analysis, and compare them with the populations that exist elsewhere in Brazil.” says Flavia Miranda, a biologist who has been studying the species for 25 years.

1. How was the giant anteater discovered?

A．Through cooperation with WWF Brazil.

B．Through a wild adventure in Espinilho State Park.

C．By catching the animal for a bioresearch.

D．By examining picture recording for a wildlife survey.

2. What are the reasons for the decrease of the anteater population?

A．Lack of genetic variety.

B．Loss of living areas and natural disasters.

C．Climate change and natural destruction.

D．Competition for resources with other species.

3. What motivated there appearance of the anteater in this region?

A．A major rewilding project by Re wilding Argentina.

B．The establishment of a protected area for anteaters

C．A reproductive program focused on prisoned anteaters

D．An anti-hunting campaign sponsored by WWF Brazil.

4. What is the future plan of the research?

A．Releasing the giant anteater back into the wild after a health check.

B．Shifting the giant anteater to Ibera National Park for further studies.

C．Trapping the giant anteater to compare genetic samples with other populations in Brazil.

D．Observing the giant anteater from a distance to understand its behavior better.

2 . Founder is turning ownership of the company after nearly 50 years into two entities (实体) that will help fight the climate crisis.

Patagonia is a private company based in Ventura, California, which sells outdoor clothing and equipment, and was founded in 1973. Patagonia’s founder Yvon Chouinard, who has previously expressed his unwillingness at gathering wealth, is giving away his company. The outdoor clothing company will now be in the hands of a trust and a nonprofit organization. All future profits will be donated to help fight climate change, the company announced Wednesday.

“It’s been a half-century since we began our experiment in responsible business,” Chouinard said. “As the business leader In ever wanted to be, I am doing my part” He added, “Instead of taking value from nature and turning it into wealth, we are using the wealth Patagonia creates to protect the resources. We’re making Earth our only shareholder. I am dead serious about saving this planet.”

Chouinard and his family will be turning over their entire ownership share into two newly created entities. Those entities will ensure that the company’s values will continue to be upheld—and that Patagonia’s profits are used to combat climate change.

“If we have any hope of a thriving planet 50 years from now, it demands that all of us should do all we can with the resources we have. We want to both protect the purpose of the business and immediately and continuously release more funding to fight the environmental crisis. We believe this new structure delivers on both and we hope it will inspire a new way of doing business that puts people and the planet first.” Chouinard said in a statement Wednesday.

This nonprofit organization will make sure that the company’s annual profits, about $100 million per year, will be used to protect nature and biodiversity, support thriving communities and fight the environmental crisis.

1. What is the goal for donating Patagonia?

A．To maximize shareholder value.

B．To turn the structure of the company.

C．To use its profits for protection of nature.

D．To become a leader in the business world.

2. What does the underlined word “thriving” in Paragraph 5mean?

A．Limiting.

B．Interesting.

C．Promising.

D．Rewarding.

3. Which can best describe Mr Chouinard’s plan?

A．Kill two birds with one stone.	B．Helping others is a virtue.
C．Rose presented, smell remained.	D．Actions speak louder than words.

4. What is the focus of the author about Mr Chouinard?

A．His pursuit of success.	B．His social responsibility.
C．His rich life experiences.	D．His great business talent.

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。

Venice is an attractive city between the sea and the sky. The city     1    (consist) of over 100 islands and there aren’t any cars or buses. All the islands     2    (link) by canals and bridges, making it     3    (convenience) for people to travel around the city. The best­known of the canals, the Grand Canal, serves     4     the main street in the part of the city.

Venice has a lot of world­famous tourist     5    (attraction), including Saint Mark’s Square, the Doge’s Palace and Saint Mark’s Basilica,     6     is the city’s most famous church. Every year thousands     7     tourists visit this beautiful city. They always find themselves     8    (impress) by the city’s cultural treasures.

Sadly, the Italian city has been regularly flooded by rising sea water over the years. From November to February, sea level rises up to one and a half meters,     9    (cover) many of Venice’s famous areas. But people in Venice still love their city. They are unwilling     10    (leave). Instead, they want to stay there to save Venice from the sea.

4 . Live with roommates? Have friends and family around you? Chances are that if you’re looking to live a more sustainable lifestyle, not everyone around you will be ready to jump on that bandwagon.

I experienced this when I started switching to a zero waste lifestyle five years ago, as I was living with my parents, and I continue to experience this with my husband, as he is not completely zero waste like me. I’ve learned a few things along the way though, which I hope you’ll find encouraging if you’re doing your best to figure out how you can make the change in a not-always-supportive household.

Zero waste was a radical lifestyle movement a few years back. I remember showing my parents a video of Bea Johnson, sharing how cool I thought it would be to buy groceries with jars, and have so little trash! A few days later, I came back with my first jars of zero waste groceries, and my dad commented on how silly it was for me to carry jars everywhere. It came off as a bit discouraging.

Yet as the months of reducing waste continued, I did what I could that was within my own reach. I had my own bedroom, so I worked on removing things I didn’t need. Since I had my own toiletries (洗漱用品), I was able to start personalising my routine to be more sustainable. I also offered to cook every so often, so I portioned out a bit of the cupboard for my own zero waste groceries. Perhaps your household won’t entirely make the switch, but you may have some control over your own personal spaces to make the changes you desire.

As you make your lifestyle changes, you may find yourself wanting to speak up for yourself if others comment on what you’re doing, which can turn itself into a whole household debate. If you have individuals who are not on board, your words probably won’t do much and can often leave you feeling more discouraged.

So here is my advice: Lead by action.

1. What do the underlined words “jump on that bandwagon” mean in the first paragraph?

A．Share an apartment with you.	B．Join you in what you’re doing.
C．Transform your way of living.	D．Help you to make the decision.

2. What was the attitude of the author’s father toward buying groceries with jars?

A．He disapproved of it.	B．He was favorable to it.
C．He was tolerant of it.	D．He didn’t care about it.

3. What can we infer about the author?

A．She is quite good at cooking.	B．She respects others’ privacy.
C．She enjoys being a housewife.	D．She is a determined person.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．How to get on well with other family members.

B．How to have one’s own personal space at home.

C．How to live a zero waste lifestyle in a household.

D．How to control the budget when buying groceries.

5 . 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。

The dog whimpered (呜咽) and pawed (抓挠) at the leg of the dead man.

“It’s no good,” said the boy. “He’s not going to move. He’s …”

He couldn’t bring himself to say the word dead. Instead, he said, “Passed on.”

The dog whimpered again and then sat on the ground. It looked at the boy expectantly as if waiting for his advice.

The boy looked up at the steep cliff face (峭壁) and pointed in that direction. “That’s where we have to go,” he said. “We have to go up there before the sun set. Somehow or other. That’s the only way we can get home.”

The dog gave one more whimper and began to walk downhill as if refusing to accept his suggestion.

“Not down there. This way, let’s go home.” The boy shouted hurriedly, waiting for the dog to return. The dog turned around and looked at the boy for a while. But then it continued its own journey.

“Come back. Not that way. It’s too far. And you might get lost.” The boy shouted at the dog again.

The dog paid no attention this time and soon disappeared behind a clump of ferns (一丛蕨类植物). The boy followed without thinking twice. Soon the boy lost all sense of where he was. The golden red sun was setting and it was getting cold. The only direction he could be sure of was down. And suddenly he was on his own.

“Come back, dog,” he shouted. “Don’t leave me. I’ll freeze (冻死). And so will you.” There was no reply from the silent forest. He looked around and up. One gum tree loomed (赫然耸现) above all the others.

“I won’t move out of sight of that gum tree,” he thought to himself. He didn’t dare to go far, just circling the gum tree.

“Where are you hiding, dog?” he said.

注意：
1. 续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 续写部分分为两段, 每段的开头语已为你写好。
Paragraph 1:
Minutes passed, and then an hour or more.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
The words had no sooner left his lips (嘴唇) than he saw the dog.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入一个单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Climate change is a familiar topic to us for decades. There is little doubt     1     Earth is getting warmer and warmer. A lot of evidence     2     (indicate) a dramatic change in the global climate.

The increase in temperature has     3     impact on Earth’s ecology. In 2013, a news photo of a dead polar bear which     4     (find) on Norway’s Arctic island of Svalbard made a lot of people     5     (shock). In addition, there is strong and comprehensive evidence that the rise in temperature has led to an increase in extreme weather and natural disasters worldwide,     6     (cause) great loss of life and property. Climate scientists have warned that this warming trend will probably continue and there will be a     7     (high) price to pay, if we do not take appropriate actions.

“Greenhouse effect” is a key factor in clime change. Continued greenhouse gas emissions will result     8     further warming and long-lasting changes to the global climate. Governments should make     9     (policy) and take appropriate actions and measures. Individuals can reduce our “carbon footprint” by restricting the amount of carbon dioxide our lifestyles produce. It is our responsibility to seize every opportunity     10     (educate) everyone about global warming.

9 . There are 156 known species of glass frogs living throughout the neotropics. Recent advancements in genetics are giving researchers a revealing look into the lives of these one-inch-long tree dwellers, some of which are the size of a paper clip.

Scientists have discovered, for example, that male glass frogs in some species are stellar parents — a rare trait among vertebrates (脊椎动物). Males of at least 24 species not only protect their eggs from predators but also actively care for them. While the embryos (胚胎) develop, males of some species, such as the sun glass frog sit atop their egg clutch "like a chicken," keeping the eggs hydrated until they hatch into tadpoles (蝌蚪).

New research is also discovering how the glass frog's transparent belly forms. It's suspected that young glass frogs physically rearrange the insides of their cells and tissues to become transparent adults. Fluid between the tissue cells may also contain a substance that allows light to travel through.

Another mechanism that may allow glass frogs to blend into the green leaves on which they doze during the day is called "a biological mirror", a kind of shield or covering of crystals in many of their tissues, which reflects up to 30 percent of the light that normally reaches them. Those crystals amplify the light signal, and the frog's green looks brighter.

Many scientists studying glass frogs arc motivated by the fact that some of their subjects are disappearing—and fast. Agriculture, cattle grazing, and mining projects in the Andes are taking over the frogs' already fractured forest homes.

"As soon as they are discovered, many species are declared endangered," Guayasamin, a biologist in Ecuador, says "yet there could be an advantage in conserving such isolated ponulanons." All could be inspired to work together to set aside frog-rich patches of land as reserves, ensuring that these delicate creatures have a solid chance at survival.

1. What can we know about glass frogs?

A．They are regarded dangerous.	B．They are small animals.
C．They are of different colors.	D．They live in the water.

2. What does the underlined word "stellar" in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Strange.	B．Ambitious.
C．Excellent.	D．Different.

3. How can glass frogs hide themselves in the green leaves?

A．They physically change their cells.	B．They contain transparent fluid.
C．Crystals in their tissues reflect light.	D．Light signal makes them greener.

4. What is Guayasamin's suggestion for endangered glass frogs?

A．Stopping cattle grazing.	B．Building frog reserves.
C．Improving frog popularity.	D．Planting more forest trees.