1 . For the first time in about 100 years, a rare bird called the takahē is walking freely along the Lake Whakatipu Waimaori Valley in New Zealand after 18 captive birds were released into the wild. The area is also home to a Maori tribe called Ngai Tahu, which has spent years campaigning for the birds to return to their land. The Maori are New Zealand’s Indigenous people (first people known to live there), and they consider the takahē bird to be “taonga”, meaning a treasure.

Takahē are large, round, flightless birds with red legs, and they have lived in New Zealand since prehistoric times. Like many New Zealand birds, takahē evolved to be flightless because there were no mammals to compete with. When Europeans arrived in New Zealand, however, predators such as cats and ferrets were introduced and killed off many flightless birds. Takahē were declared extinct in 1898, but a small number of the birds were discovered in 1948 in a remote part of the Murchison Mountains.

Since then, conservationists have been trying to restore the takahē population in captivity. They gathered the bird’s eggs in order to keep the chicks safe from predators. The chicks were raised by volunteers, who fed them while wearing sockpuppets on their hands to imitate the parent birds. There are now about 500 takahē birds in captivity. Several pairs of adult birds have been released into the island’s sanctuaries and national parks. Experts will monitor them to see how they adapt to their new environment. If everything goes well, they hope to release seven more birds this month and 10 young birds next year.

Ta Tipene O’Regan, an elder of the Ngai Tahu tribe, helped to release the birds. He told The Guardian newspaper, ”There are few things more beautiful than to watch these large birds running back into lands where they haven’t walked for over a century. ”O’Regan said, “It’s an absolute joy. ”

1. As for Maori people, takahē are ______.

A．valuable

B．dangerous

C．adaptable

D．entertaining

2. What caused takahē flightless according to Paragraph 2?

A．Big bodies	B．Long time captivity.
C．Native people’s protection.	D．No competitors.

3. What does the underlined word “chicks” refer to in Paragraph 3?

A．Eggs.

B．Predators.

C．Baby birds

D．Parent takahē.

4. Which is probably the best title?

A．Native Birds back in the Wild	B．A Big Joy of Maori Tribes
C．Rare Eggs Protected by Volunteers	D．Distinct Mammals in New Zealand

2 . Dressed in a kachhad, a traditional Nepalese clothes, Umesh Balal walked into his meetings at the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) on climate change in Dubai with a sense of determination.

Balal, who has physical disability, was there to publicly _________ inclusion of disability rights in the climate change conference, an aspect that he said has long been _________ by organizers of the world’s largest annual meeting on climate issues.

As a student, Balal was _________ about science and involved himself in research on environmental science. Those were his first few interactions that _________ the climate related issues to him. Being from a mountainous region, Balal _________ more about how climate change had _________ people there, which led him to develop climate anxiety.

The more Balan _________ himself to climate science, the more he learned about the impact of climate change. People with more resources have better chances of _________ the climate crisis. But the less developed countries, for the _________ communities, usually don’t have the same opportunities, which will push them further into the __________

And it is even harder for people with __________. Many people with disabilities in Nepal don’t have __________ to proper education or opportunities for growth. As a result, they aren’t able to advocate for their rights.   

In an interview, Balan said, “__________, I am honored that I come from a supportive family, where I had a chance of good education which __________ me to grow in life. This is what I __________for others, to change the way they live their lives.”

1.

A．control

B．achieve

C．support

D．measure

2.

A．ignored

B．studied

C．respected

D．issued

3.

A．anxious

B．particular

C．worried

D．curious

4.

A．sold

B．lent

C．introduced

D．awarded

5.

A．brought

B．knew

C．complained

D．quarreled

6.

A．affected

B．prepared

C．organized

D．admitted

7.

A．devoted

B．changed

C．limited

D．helped

8.

A．comparing with

B．coping with

C．differing from

D．resulting from

9.

A．warmer

B．cleaner

C．poorer

D．quieter

10.

A．confidence

B．calmness

C．honesty

D．crisis

11.

A．rights

B．disabilities

C．degrees

D．advertisements

12.

A．objection

B．attention

C．access

D．gratitude

13.

A．Fortunately

B．Secretly

C．Similarly

D．Naturally

14.

A．forced

B．ordered

C．warned

D．allowed

15.

A．occupy

B．want

C．cheer

D．blame

3 . When gardeners grow varieties of plants in their beautiful gardens, they are happy to see beneficial insects like bees and butterflies surrounding the flowers. But as they take a closer look, they may find some plants are covered in black dots and filled with harmful insects or pests. Some gardeners may immediately reach for chemicals.     1     Although it may stop the insect problem, it will also threaten bees and butterflies which help the plants reproduce.

If you are wise gardeners, you should first take preventive measures to control the harmful insects.     2     Only when there are too many harmful insects, should pest control be considered. The first defense should always be the safest method available.

Prevention

As a rule, prevention is the best treatment. Inspect plants closely, including their leaves, before buying them from the store.     3    

When planting, space plants out to permit them to grow to their full size. Plants too close together can breed harmful organisms, like bacteria.

    4     They invite pests if permitted to remain on the ground. When you do see pests, wash them away. Use rubbing alcohol to remove some insects, or pick them off the plants.

Pesticides

If you decide a pesticide is necessary, choose it carefully and follow the directions and warnings on the product. Avoid using pesticides in extreme heat, on windy days, or when the plants are wet.     5     At the time, beneficial insects are inactive. You can consider removing flowers from the plants to lessen the risk that beneficial insects will come in contact with the pesticides.

A．But this is not wise.

B．In most cases, chemicals don’t help.

C．Treat the plants early in the morning or at night.

D．Also do remember the plants need nutrition and care.

E．Keep your garden free of fallen leaves, fruits and other wastes.

F．Do not bring any plants home that show signs of disease or pests.

G．The process starts with the idea that having some pests is acceptable.

4 . 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。

Known as a ”living fossil“,the Chinese sturgeon(鲟)is a very precious species. It     1     (believe)to have lived alongside the dinosaurs more than 140 million years ago.

Although dinosaurs are long since gone, the Chinese sturgeon still exists to this day.     2    ,the species has been listed as ”Critically Endangered“ on the Red List of Threatened Species. According to CGTN, dams and overfishing affect     3     (it)reproduction.

On May 14,Shanghai legislators(立法委员)passed a new law protecting the Chinese sturgeon,    4    (stress)”regional cooperation“,according to China Daily.

”This is the first local legislation in the country     5    (protect)one endangered fish,“ said Ding Wei, director of the legislative affairs committee.

The protection of the Chinese sturgeon is     6     (urgently). China began the artificial propagation(繁殖)and release of the fish in 1984. However, very few of     7     farmed fish have survived in the wild.

    8     this species can be preserved depends on the natural population. If the natural population is not well protected, the Chinese sturgeon is in     9    (dangerous)of extinction.

Since January 1 of this year, a 10-year fishing ban on key     10    (area)of the Yangtze River basin has been issued, covering 332 nature reserves, which include Shanghai’s Chinese sturgeon nature reserve.

5 . It was around 3 p.m. I was lined up at the train ticket counter to reserve a trip to Nagoya to_______ some photos for a magazine called “Today Fashion”. It was then that I felt the ground moving slightly like a subway shooting through a tunnel far beneath my feet. It was so mild that I_______it, as did everyone around me. Seconds later,a(n)   _______shake occurred. Things started falling over to the ground, and signs hanging from the ceiling began swinging violently. An elderly man next to me smiled at me_______and just said one word: “Earthquake.”

I _______ for the door, about 60 feet away. The ground was shaking so violently that it was_______to run in a straight line. My heart was still pounding so wildly_______.I reached the street. I longed to get as far away from these buildings as possible, but in Tokyo, finding any truly open space is actually_______.Ultimately, I stood in a_______for a good two hours as did most everyone else. During this time, the ground of the spacious park continued to________less violently. I would________later that afternoon that the quake was a magnitude 8.9, the strongest earthquake in recorded history. There were a few women________with people pointing up at the buildings as they shook, ________many others appeared calm and relaxed. Even though I have witnessed many big events in the world, I really________Japanese for their calmness and timely________.

1.

A．shoot

B．recommend

C．post

D．appreciate

2.

A．ignored

B．noticed

C．missed

D．felt

3.

A．mild

B．violent

C．forecast

D．anticipated

4.

A．nervously

B．calmly

C．broadly

D．delightfully

5.

A．reached

B．made

C．looked

D．rushed

6.

A．compulsory

B．effortless

C．challenging

D．entertaining

7.

A．unless

B．if

C．though

D．once

8.

A．undoubted

B．impossible

C．easy

D．available

9.

A．park

B．building

C．subway

D．train

10.

A．change

B．crack

C．fall

D．shake

11.

A．put forward

B．put down

C．figure out

D．make out

12.

A．laughing

B．crying

C．escaping

D．surviving

13.

A．yet

B．and

C．hence

D．so

14.

A．covered

B．adored

C．thanked

D．admired

15.

A．disaster

B．reaction

C．rescue

D．assistance

6 . Lots of young mammals and birds engage in behaviour that provides no obvious adaptive outcome such as access to food, shelter or a mate, is voluntary and rewarding in itself and appears to be conducted pleasantly when the animal is relaxed.

What about bumblebees (大黄蜂)? Apparently they play too, according to work just published in Animal Behaviour by Galpayage Dona and Lars Chittka. The idea of asking whether bumblebees like to play came to Chittka during a previous study in which he trained them to roll wooden balls around in order to gain access to food. He noticed that, during this experiment, they would often roll the balls for no apparent reason. They just seemed to enjoy it.

A perfect PhD project for an ambitious student. And Ms Galpayage Dona stepped up to the mark. She created an field, put pollen (花粉) and sugar solution in it to arrest the bees, and connected it via a plastic tube to a bumblebee nest in Dr Chittka’s laboratory. In one part of the field, nine of the balls were fixed to the floor. In another, the balls could be rolled around. Ms Dona tagged 45 bees, between one and 23 days old, so that they could be followed as individuals. She then opened the door to the field for three hours a day for 18 days and recorded on video what happened.

The recordings suggested that the bees did enjoy this experiment. All of the tagged bees rolled a ball at least once during the experiment. Most did so many times. One particular enthusiast managed 117 rolls. Overall, the camera recorded 910 incidents of ball—rolling by tagged insects. Also young bees played more often than old ones. All that they seemingly need now is some goalposts and a referee (裁判), and bumblebee social behaviour will take off to the next level.

1. Why do some animals engage in the behavior mentioned in paragraph 1?

A．To find a perfect mate.	B．To gain access to food.
C．To entertain themselves.	D．To get rewards from others.

2. What gave rise to the study published in Animal Behaviour?

A．A survival training	B．A failed experiment.
C．An ambitious project.	D．An unexpected finding.

3. What does the underlined phrase “stepped up to the mark” mean in paragraph 3?

A．Applied for her PhD.	B．Joined Chittka’s study.
C．Tagged the bumblebees.	D．Updated Chittka’s equipment.

4. What can be a suitable title of the passage?

A．Why Animals Love to Play?	B．How Bumblebees Manage Ball-rolling?
C．Are Bumblebees Porential Football Players?	D．Is Playfulness Restricted to Mammals and Birds

7 . Asteroids (小行星) are believed to have formed early in our solar system’s history — about 4.5 billion years ago — when a cloud of gas and dust called the solar nebula (太阳星云) collapsed and formed our sun and the planets. By visiting these near Earth objects to study the material that came from the solar nebula, we can look for answers to some of humankind’s most arresting questions, such as:   How did the solar system form and where did the Earth’s water and other organic materials such as carbon come from? In addition to unlocking clues about our solar system, asteroids may provide clues about our Earth. By understanding more about asteroids, we may learn more about past Earth impacts and possibly find ways to reduce the threat of future impacts.

If we don’t want to go the way of the dinosaurs someday, we need to protect ourselves against the threat of being hit by a big asteroid. According to NASA, typically about once every 10,000 years, a rock y or iron asteroid the size of a football field could crash into our planet and possibly cause tidal waves big enough to flood coastal areas.

But what we really have to fear is asteroids about 328 feet across or bigger. Such an impact would cause a firestorm and fill the atmosphere with sun-blocking dust, which would wipe out forests and farm fields and starve the human and animal life that it didn’t immediately kill.

That’s why it’s vital to develop a way to neutralize such a threat to Earth. NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test, launched in late November 2021, was the first mission to demonstrate a technology called asteroid redirection by manmade impactor. A robotic spacecraft will be crashed into an asteroid named Didymos, in an effort to show that it’s possible to slightly change the path of an asteroid. That would enable NASA to redirect potential threats to miss Earth.

1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?

A．How solar system came into being.

B．How long asteroids have existed.

C．Why asteroids are to be explored.

D．When asteroids will impact Earth.

2. Why does the author mention dinosaurs in paragraph 2?

A．To make the text more interesting.

B．To introduce the topic of the text.

C．To grab readers’ attention to asteroids.

D．To show the disaster from an asteroid impact.

3. Which can best replace “neutralize” underlined in paragraph 4?

A．strengthen

B．avoid

C．beautify

D．realize

4. What can we know about asteroids?

A．Dinosaurs may live on some of them.

B．They were formed earlier than Earth.

C．Exploring them helps us know Earth.

D．NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test failed.

8 . Lynda Doughty, a marine biologist, developed a passion for marine wildlife during her childhood. Growing up along the coast of Maine, she witnessed the impact of human activity on marine mammals and she made it her life’s work to protect them. “I feel this intense responsibility to help these animals,” Lynda said. “And, really, this is what I was put on this Earth to do.”

Harbor seals are among the most common mammals found along the East Coast, and they face various threats to their well-being, including fishing net s and illegal feeding, chemical pollutants, as well as boat and propeller (螺旋桨) injuries.

Earlier in her career, she worked for a marine mammal emergency response organization that eventually closed due to lack of funding. To fill the gap left by the group, Lynda started her own non-profit organization — Marine Mammals of Maine in 2011. It has since provided response and medical care for more than 3,000 marine mammals.

Lynda’s team operates a 24-hour hotline that responds to calls regarding marine mammals in danger. Their permit allows them to respond to mammals stranded (搁浅) within 2,500 miles of the coastline, and her team only offers help if the mammal is in critical condition. Critically ill mammals are transported to Lynda’s center and nursed back to health. Seals typically require three or more months of professional care treatment before they are released back into the ocean.

In addition to mammal rescues, Marine Mammals of Maine conducts important research to learn about marine mammal habitats and human impacts. Marine mammals can give us clues about the ocean’s health, which ultimately affects human well-being as well. The organization also helps promote marine conservation among youth and the local community. In addition, they instruct the public on what to do, and what not to do, when encountering wild species like harbor seals.

1. What do Lynda’s words mean?

A．She was born along the coast of Maine.

B．She ignored the impact of human activity.

C．She did her work with a sense of mission.

D．She protected marine wildlife at a young age.

2. Why did Lynda set up Marine Mammals of Maine in 2011?

A．To earn more money.

B．To replace the group.

C．To make the group a non-profit organization.

D．To restart marine mammal emergency response.

3. What can we learn about Lynda’s team from paragraph 4?

A．It only treats critically ill seals.

B．It rescues marine mammals in danger.

C．It protects all endangered marine mammals.

D．It stops people from fishing marine mammals.

4. What’s the purpose of paragraph 5?

A．To state younger generations need to be instructed.

B．To stress the severe situations that marine life faces.

C．To mention other social contributions of Lynda’s team.

D．To show humans have a great impact on marine mammals.

9 . This heart-warming video shows how a young woman gained the trust of an abandoned rabbit.

25-year-old Alicia Castro spent all day trying to _________ the pet rabbit that had been _________ outside her apartment. She endured (忍受) _________ temperatures and talked to the rabbit while leaving food.

Tons of people knew the rabbit was there! A few said they _________ to catch him but failed. With the cold weather coming, she knew that time was important and she would feel so _________ if she didn’t do anything. He was very _________. She was sick and it was barely above freezing. Every day she would sit outside in the cold with him, gaining his _________, feeding him, and trying to get him to _________ into her crate (小木箱). Filming and sharing the _________ felt pretty normal for her, but it was great to have so much helpful __________. At first she just had a towel to grab him, but by day four, she had proper food, a crate, and knowledge that made __________ him possible. Day three was definitely the hardest. She was so frustrated and started to worry that she would never catch him, not only __________ this poor, helpless rabbit, but also the millions of people who were __________ along too for about four days. __________, Alicia’s patience paid off and the rabbit now is living a life of cosy (温暖舒适的) __________.

1.

A．tease

B．catch

C．teach

D．bully

2.

A．deserted

B．caged

C．abused

D．treated

3.

A．warm

B．realistic

C．natural

D．freezing

4.

A．claimed

B．pretended

C．agreed

D．attempted

5.

A．disappointed

B．guilty

C．puzzled

D．delighted

6.

A．nervous

B．complicated

C．confused

D．excited

7.

A．invitation

B．trust

C．promise

D．permission

8.

A．drop

B．roll

C．climb

D．break

9.

A．process

B．performance

C．personality

D．perspective

10.

A．behavior

B．support

C．comfort

D．advice

11.

A．dominating

B．cheering

C．persuading

D．rescuing

12.

A．letting down

B．driving away

C．giving up

D．worrying about

13.

A．walking

B．working

C．watching

D．getting

14.

A．Hopefully

B．Eventually

C．Consequently

D．Virtually

15.

A．rank

B．memory

C．luxury

D．worth

10 . 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。

A new study found that nearly half of bald eagles    1    (test) across the United States show signs of repeated lead (铅) exposure. Researchers examined the blood, bones, feathers and liver tissue (肝脏组织) of l,210 eagles between 2010 and 20l8.

Lead is a poisonous substance     2     affects the nervous system and interferes (妨碍) with the normal function of nerve cells. Even in low amounts, lead can reduce bald eagles’ ability     3     (fly), hunt and reproduce. In high amounts, lead causes     4    (breathe) difficulty and death.

Bald eagles are one of America’s most celebrated conservation success stories. The birds       5    (remove) from the U. S. Endangered Species List in 2007. But scientists say that high lead levels are still     6     concern. Lead exposure also reduces their ability to face future difficulties, such as climate change or infectious diseases.

“Lead is available to these birds more than we     7    ( previous) thought,” said VinceSlabe, a research wildlife biologist at the nonprofit group Conservation Science Global.

The blood samples from live eagles in the new study were taken from birds trapped andstudied     8    other reasons. The bone, feather and liver samples came from eagles killed by vehicles, power lines or other causes.

The researchers also found higher levels of lead exposure in fall     9    winter. During these months, eagles eat animal remains left by hunters. These remains often contain many    10    (piece) of lead ammunition (弹药).