1 . Much like the popular TikTok challenge where kids resist eating snacks, cuttlefish can do the same! Cuttlefish can delay gratification(满足)—wait for a better meal rather than be tempted by the one at hand—and those that can wait longest also do better in a learning test, scientists have discovered.

This fascinating report marks the first time a link between self-control and intelligence has been found in an animal other than humans and chimpanzees. It is published this week in Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The research was conducted by lead author Alexandra Schnell of University of Cambridge, at the Marine Biological Laboratory(MBL), Woods Hole.

“We used a slightly-changed version of the Stanford marshmallow(棉花糖) test in the 1970s, where children were given a choice of taking an immediate reward(1 marshmallow) or waiting to earn a delayed but better reward(2 marshmallows),” Schnell says. “Cuttlefish in the present study were all able to wait for the better reward and tolerated delays for up to 50—130 seconds, which is even comparable to what we see in large-brained vertebrates(脊椎动物) such as chimpanzees(黑猩猩), crows, and parrots.” Cuttlefish that could wait longer for a meal also showed better cognitive(认知的) performance in a learning task. In that experiment, cuttlefish were trained to associate a visual cue with a food reward. Then, the situation was the other way round, so the reward became associated with a different cue. “The cuttlefish that were quickest at learning both of those associations were better at keeping self-control.” Schnell says.

Why cuttlefish have evolved this capacity for self-control is a bit mysterious. Delayed gratification in humans is thought to strengthen social bonds between individuals—such as waiting to eat so a partner can eat first—which benefits the species as a whole. But whether it may also be a function of most animals still remains to be further explored.

1. How does the author lead to the topic?

A．By giving an example.	B．By explaining a definition.
C．By quoting a famous saying.	D．By introducing a research result.

2. What is mainly discussed in Paragraph 3?

A．The procedures and result of the experiment.

B．The amazing evolution of cuttlefish’s brain ability.

C．The background and the researchers in the experiment.

D．The comparison between the brains of human and cuttlefish.

3. What can we know about the experiment?

A．Cuttlefish’s delayed gratification is linked to better cognitive performance.

B．The researchers later adapted the experiment for a Stanford marshmallow test.

C．Previous link between self-control and intelligence has been found in animals.

D．Four sea species have been so far confirmed with the ability to delay gratification.

4. Which might be the best title of this passage?

A．Cuttlefish: The Impatient Waiter and Quick Hunter

B．A Test Challenging Kids: To Eat Now or To Eat Not?

C．Large-brained Vertebrates: Better Self Control Leads to More Rewards

D．Delayed Gratification: Quick-Learning Cuttlefish Pass “The Marshmallow Test”

2 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

The 6.2-magnitude earthquake    1    hit an ethnic county lying    2     Northwest China’s Gansu province midnight Monday has killed 111 people in Gansu and neighboring Qinghai province, according to local earthquake relief headquarters.

According to China Earthquake Networks Center, the quake    3     (strike) at 11:59 pm Monday and has a focal depth of 10 km. The epicenter, Liugou township, is about 8 km from the county seat of Jishishan Bao’an, Dongxiang, Sala autonomous county in Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture, Gansu.

Witnesses told Xinhua the earthquake caused damages on houses, roads and other infrastructures. Several villages have suffered power failures and shortage of water.

According to local meteorological authorities, the    4     (day) low temperature in Jishishan is reported    5     (reach) minus 10 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.

The provincial fire and rescue department has sent 580 rescuers    6     (aid) with 88 fire engines, 12 search and rescue dogs, more than 10,000 sets of equipment to the disaster area.

The railway authority has suspended passenger and cargo trains     7     (pass) through the quake zone and ordered a safety check of railway tracks.

Hu Changsheng, Party chief of Gansu, and Ren Zhenhe, governor of Gansu, rushed to the disaster area to command rescue and    8     (relieve) effort.

It was reported that every effort    9     (make) to provide assistance to    10    were affected and to restore normality to the region as quickly as possible.

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。

Two male wild Asian elephants in the prime of their lives     1     (spot)playing happily last month in Yalu Village, Mengxian Township, Ning’er Hani and Yi Autonomous County of Pu’er City, southwest China’s Yunnan Province.

In the past two months, over ten wild Asian elephants have visited the county several times, most of     2     have returned to their     3     (origin)habitats in Jiangcheng Hani and Yi Autonomous County of the city.

“Currently, the two Asian elephants are still wandering in the village,” said Wang Siqi,     4     Asian elephant inspector.

Bathing in sun light and fanning their ears, they came to a sugarcane field and started searching for food     5     (separate) with their trunks after an afternoon nap around 4 pm. They then played on a road and walked backward, according to the     6     (late)drone footage.

Monitoring results suggested that they may come from the same elephant herd and showed that over the past more than one month, the two elephants have lived together     7     harmony with each other. In recent years, Ning’er Hani and Yi Autonomous County     8     (step)up efforts in ecological environment protection,     9     (attract)many Asian elephant herds with more food sources for the species. Since the beginning of 2023, the county has seen 246 Asian elephant     10     (visit).

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。

In the past 10 years, China has added more than 22 million hectares of forest. Thanks to     1     (generation) of tree planters, our surroundings are becoming much greener.

In 2022, China completed the afforestation (植树造林) of 3.83 million hectares and treated 1, 847, 300 hectares of rock-deserted land. After continuous effort, China has achieved     2     (remark)progress.

China’s forest coverage rate has reached 24 percent, and forest accumulation has reached 19 billion cubic meters,     3     has laid a solid foundation for maintaining national ecological security and     4    (improve)people’s well-being.

In terms of vegetation (植被) restoration, in 2020 China published a guideline to perform a forest chief scheme nationwide. Principal leaders of governments should     5     (appoint)as “forest chiefs” at various levels ranging from the provincial level     6     the village level.

Bazhou District in China’s Sichuan Province is     7     unique biodiversity ecological zone. In the past, the surface of the mountain there was exposed due to mining;     8    , after the government’s management, the area has returned to its former green self.

In terms of ecological civilization education, in Shanghai, for example, an elementary school has     9     (creative)combined traditional Chinese medicine resources with AR technology to help children to learn plants. Meanwhile, Suzhou in Jiangsu Province has digitized tree planting activities through a mini-game on how     10    (identify)different types of trees.

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。

July 2023 was the world’s warmest month on record, with heat waves spreading across North America, Asia and Europe. How to cool the planet     1    (trouble) scientists in the last decades. They are now turning     2     sun-blocking technology, which refers to reflecting sunlight back into space to keep down the temperature of the     3    (planet) climate.

According to Euro news, a European television news network, one idea     4    (involve) pumping sun-blocking particles (粒子) into the upper atmosphere. The particles will then stay in the air and redirect sunshine back upwards. It is like     5    (apply) sunscreen on the outside of Earth. Another very     6    (promise) technique is called “cloud brightening”. This method includes sending sea salt particles into clouds above the sea, making     7    (they) whiter and thus reflect more sunlight back into space.

However, following the report,     8     open letter by more than 60 scientists called for caution and more research first. Kristen Rasmussen, a climate scientist at Colorado State University, US, has been studying     9     these sun-blocking methods will affect rainfall patterns. She said that apart from rainfall, ecosystems and even human     10    (community) will also be affected. “We need to be very cautious on this,” Rasmussen told Scientific American.

6 . Here are some fantastic parks in San Antonio.

Brackenridge Park

The park was first established in 1899 and has been popular with both locals and visitors ever since. Towering trees and peaceful riverbanks will greet guests along the park’s paths, and the facilities include playgrounds, museums, a miniature train, a Japanese tea garden, and one of the oldest golf courses in the city.

Friedrich Wilderness Park

In the park, you’ll find about 10 miles of paved(铺过的)and unpaved trails(路线), with a little something for everyone. From rocky climbs to deep canyons, and enchanting forests to open views, there’s no shortage of natural beauty. The area is nationally famous for birdwatching.

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park

The park is the state’s only one on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Site. It covers quite a large area, so it’s best to make it a full-day or at least a half-day trip so you can be sure to cover everything. While the Alamo is a separate attraction, you will get to enjoy the architectural wonders of Mission Concepcion, Mission San Jose, Mission San Juan, and Mission Espada. They’re all connected by a hike and bike trail, with plenty of stops along the way to picnic, climb trees, and refill water. Admission is free!

Eisenhower Park

Just a 20-to 30-minute drive from the city center, the park puts the best landscapes in the Texas Hill Country on full display, holding 6 miles of hiking trails, both paved and unpaved. Explore dried creek beds, look out over plunging canyons, and enjoy full views of San Antonio down below. You can also find playgrounds for the little ones, picnic tables, and barbecue facilities.

1. What is Friedrich Wilderness Park well-known for?

A．Birdwatching.	B．Ancient buildings.
C．A Japanese tea garden.	D．Unpaved hiking paths.

2. Which park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

A．Brackenridge Park.

B．Friedrich Wilderness Park.

C．San Antonio Missions National Historical Park.

D．Eisenhower Park.

3. What are some of the features of Eisenhower Park?

A．Golf courses and bicycle trails.

B．Museums and no entrance fee.

C．Birdwatching and playgrounds.

D．Hiking trails and barbecue facilities.

7 . 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。

Caught in a flood

Mary and her parents were downstairs in the living room. Mary was looking through the windows at the endless rain outside. It had been raining non-stop for three days. She had never seen a storm this bad. It was making her nervous. The wind roared and the rain beat on the roof and windows. Dad was listening to a weather report on the radio, while Mum was putting their important documents and disaster supplies into a bag.

“Mum, Dad,” said Mary suddenly, “I think we should leave here right away!”

“No,” said Dad. “It’s too late: The radio says the city has already been flooded.”

“We can drive our car through the floodwater. Let’s us leave! I’m really scared!” cried Mary. “We can’t do that, honey,” explained Mum, “otherwise the moving water could wash the car away!”

Mary walked to the door. She was curious to see how much water there was outside.

“Don’t open the door!” shouted Mum and Dad at the same time. “The water may flood in!”

Dad moved the dinner table against the door, in case the floodwater forced the door open. Mum waved to Mary to sit on the sofa. “Mary, don’t worry. Everything’s going to be OK,” she said softly, trying her best to comfort Mary. Her voice was calm, but Mary could tell she was worried too.

Without saying a single word, Dad walked to the sofa, sat down and hugged his wife and daughter. The sudden silence in the house seemed to make the wind and rain more frightening outside. What could they do?

注意：
1．续写词数应为150左右；
2．续写部分分为两段，每段开头语已为你写好。
Paragraph 1:

All of a sudden, the floodwater forced the door open.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:

Being upstairs, they breathed a sigh of relief.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8 . 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。

In addition to the obvious dangers they face, military working dogs are at risk of temporary and permanent hearing loss. Whether in training, during transport such as helicopter flights,     1     in actual operations, the dogs can     2     (expose) to really loud noise.

In an attempt     3     (solve) this problem, the Canine Auditory Protection System (CAPS) has been developed,     4     uses lightweight, high-quality sound absorption materials to block unwanted sounds. Unlike     5     (convention) hearing protection, this solution is constructed of flexible materials that fit     6     (neat) over the unique shape of a dog’s head. This flexibility     7     (guarantee) proper scaling around the ear and maximum sound reduction.

The system uses a snood-style (发网式的) device to uniformly distribute the pressure needed to keep the hearing protection     8     place. At a little more than an inch thick, the device will not be a burden to dogs     9     (carry) out tasks in tight spaces. It is also compatible (兼容的) with other devices used by working dogs.

Even a short helicopter flight can affect a dog’s hearing, resulting in limited     10     (perform) and inability to hear the handler’s commands. This new technology protects the dog while on missions and can extend the dog’ s working life.

9 . Even chess experts perform worse when air quality is lower, suggesting a negative effect on cognition(认知). Here’s something else chess players need to keep in check: air pollution.

That’s the bottom line of a newly published study co-authored by a researcher, showing that chess players perform objectively worse and make more suboptimal(次优的) moves, as measured by a computerized analysis of their games, when there is more fine particulate matter(颗粒物) in the air, notated as PM 2.5.

More specifically, given a modest increase in fine particulate matter, the probability that chess players will make an error increases by 2.1 percentage points, and the spectrum of those errors increases by 10.8 percent. In this setting, at least, cleaner air leads to clearer heads and sharper thinking.

“We find that when individuals are exposed to higher levels of air pollution, they make more mistakes, and they make larger mistakes,” says Juan Palacios, an economist in Sustainable Urbanization Lab.

“It’s pure random exposure to air pollution that is driving these people’s performance,” Palacios says. “Against comparable opponents in the same tournament round, being exposed to different levels of air quality makes a difference for move quality and decision quality.”

The researchers also found that when air pollution was worse, the chess players performed even more poorly when under time limitation. “We find it interesting that those mistakes especially occur in the phase of the game where players are facing time pressure,” Palacios says.

“There are more and more papers showing that there is a cost with air pollution, and there is a cost for more and more people,” Palacios says. “And this is just one example showing that even for these very excellent chess players, who think they can beat everything, it seems that with air pollution, they have an enemy who harms them.”

1. What effect does air pollution have on chess players?

A．They make fewer good choices.	B．They perform subjectively worse.
C．They suffer body discomfort.	D．They lose all games with computers.

2. What does the underlined word “spectrum” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Magic.

B．Process.

C．Range.

D．Balance.

3. What does Palacios express in the last paragraph?

A．His appeal for attention to chess players.

B．His concern about air pollution.

C．An example of chess players’ performance.

D．Approaches to dealing with air pollution.

4. What’s the main idea of the text?

A．Air pollution is a tough enemy chess players face.

B．Chess players make more and more mistakes.

C．There is a cost with air pollution for more people.

D．Chess players perform poorly under time limitation.

10 . The impact of the man-made climate crisis on Antarctica is scientifically undeniable: stable ice shelves are retreating, air temperature increased by 3 degrees Celsius. krill(磷虾)numbers are declining, melting ice is contributing to sea level rise, and polar bears and seals are getting displaced. “Antarctic biodiversity could decline substantially by the end of the century if we continue with business as usual.” Jasmine Rachael Lee, lead author of the University of Queensland study says.

Published in the journal PLOS Biology, the study finds population declines are likely for 65% of the continent’s plants and wildlife by the year 2100. The most vulnerable(脆弱的)species is the Emperor penguins. In October 2022, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed Emperor penguins as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act(ESA), as experts predict the flightless seabird will see a 26% to 47% dip in its population by 2050. “This listing reflects the growing extinction crisis and highlights the importance of the ESA and efforts to conserve species before population declines become irreversible(不可逆转).” said Service Director Martha Williams at the time.

Aside from Emperor penguins, other Antarctic specialists, like the Adélie penguin and dry soil nematodes, were also highly vulnerable. We urgently need a combination of global and local conservation action to best conserve Antarctic species. Global action and global voices to help relieve climate change—because the biggest threat to Antarctica is coming from outside of it. And then we need local actions to help protect biodiversity against local threats and give them the best chance of adapting to climate changes. This will help to save our iconic(代表性的)species like the Emperor penguins and all of Antarctica’s unique and highly adapted inhabitants. It will also help humankind, as we rely heavily on the priceless services the Antarctic provides in regulating our climate and capturing sea level in its ice sheets.

1. What can we learn from Paragraph 1?

A．The impact of climate crisis is usually denied.

B．Conservation efforts are badly needed.

C．Air temperature on Antarctic increases 3℃ annually.

D．Sea level rise results in seabirds losing their habitats.

2. Why is the Emperor penguin mentioned in Paragraph 2?

A．To serve as a call to protect wildlife on Antarctic

B．To reflect the growing population of wild species.

C．To prove the effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act.

D．To highlight the severe impact of rising temperature.

3. What is probably the best conservation policy?

A．Reducing the chances of making a trip to Antarctic.

B．Making joint efforts to relieve climate change.

C．Attempting to provide essential nutrients to the ecosystem.

D．Continuing to carry forward the Endangered Species Act.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Plants and Wildlife on Antarctica Will Decline Quickly

B．Antarctic Species Are Vulnerable to Human Threats

C．More Action Should Be Taken to Protect Wildlife on Antarctica

D．The Best Conservation Strategy Will Be Carried Out Soon