1. What can be seen from space?
| A．The smoke in the Arctic. |
| B．The wildfires in Scandinavia. |
| C．The melting ice in Greenland. |
| A．In Greenland. | B．In Alaska. | C．In Siberia. |
| A．Strong winds. |
| B．More lightening strikes. |
| C．High temperatures. |
| A．The Arctic fires. |
| B．The habitat loss. |
| C．The death of animals. |
1. 灾情发生的时间和地点；
2. 灾情造成损失和伤亡情况；
3. 前往救援的人员以及给与的物资和捐款情况。
注意：1. 写作词数应为80左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
A Flood disaster
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3 . Sperm whales (抹香鲸) living in the Eastern Mediterranean numbered not more than 200-300 individuals during the past decade. Alarming results from the Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute, conducting systematic observations since 1998, indicate that the population might have been halved to only 100-150 whales. The main threat to this population is the more than 30,000 ships that annually cross their habitat at high speed and the risk of collision with them.
International and regional agreements force Greece to take action to protect the sperm whales, including their habitat, the Hellenic Trench. The pilot system SAvEWhales, which was developed by a team of Greek researchers, contributes to this direction.
SAvEWhales records the clicking sounds of the sperm whales, processes them and sends the data to a land-based analysis center where computer models are used to detect, precisely locate the animals, and finally forward the localization fixes (定位) to nearby ships, all in real time. Specifically developed software combines localization results with shipping information from Marine Traffic, a leading ship tracking service provider, to assess collision risk. If a ship is on a collision course with a whale, its captain can be warned well in advance, so that the ship slows down and/or changes course in time to prevent the collision.
Despite its promise, it may be some time before SAvEWhales, or something like it, can be in permanent use. So far, Emmanuel Skarsoulis, research director of Greece’s Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, and his teammates have already identified a few barriers. These include analytical challenges, such as the difficulty of differentiating individual whales when a group is traveling together. Besides, SAVEWhales can’t pick up the location of singing whales like the Mediterranean fin whale which is also endangered.
Still, passive whale detection is relatively inexpensive and can protect at least one of the endangered whale species in the Hellenic Trench.
1. What can be learned from paragraph 1?| A．Sperm whales’ habitat almost disappeared in a short time. |
| B．Ship strikes are the leading cause of death for sperm whales. |
| C．Many ships have caused sperm whales to leave their habitat |
| D．The population of sperm whales has increased slightly since 1998. |
| A．Provide ship tracking service for Marine Traffic. |
| B．Assess sperm whales’ behavior and health in real time. |
| C．Send the real-time location of sperm whales to passing ships. |
| D．Give warnings to prevent some ships from crashing into others. |
| A．It may cause a great deal of harm to singing whales |
| B．It may cost quite a lot of money to be effectively used. |
| C．It can’t be used for whales that communicate through clicks. |
| D．It can’t distinguish between individual whales traveling together. |
| A．A new detection system can save sperm whales. |
| B．Sperm whales are classified as an endangered species. |
| C．SAEWhales has become applicable around the world. |
| D．A computational technique offers the power to locate ships. |
When Evan was 13, he wanted to have a dog. His mom Octavia refused since raising a dog would need lots of attention and care.
The boy once joined the Forest Exploration club of his school where Octavia taught. And the mother was in charge of the club. One morning, guided by Octavia, Evan and his schoolmates went hiking in a forest. During the hike, some purple flowers caught Evan’s eye. Evan thought those beautiful flowers could surely impress his mother. So he walked to the riverside secretly to pick those flowers. Unfortunately, Evan got separated from the group and got lost.
He anxiously kept walking, hoping he could catch up with the group. Suddenly, a dog appeared. At first, Evan thought it might be a wolf, so he tensed and stood there still. When the dog got closer, he saw its tail wagging (摇摆) gently.
“Oh, buddy. You scared me,” he said, petting the dog. “You must be a stray (走失的) dog, huh?” The dog looked at him with the most sincere expression. Evan wanted to find his way home, not only for himself but also for the animal. Therefore, he walked again. The moment Octavia realized Evan was gone, she and others began looking for Evan desperately, but in vain.
It was getting darker and colder. Evan discovered a cave. He went inside and made a fire to keep warm. He knew his mom and other schoolmates must have been searching the forest for him. “Buddy, let’s wait here and see if we can hear my group calling,” Evan told the dog. And they sat near each other. Before long, Evan fell asleep.
At some point, he heard the sound of animal growling (低声吼叫) and noticed the dog at the entrance of their shelter. The dog was growling at something that Evan couldn’t see well. But there was another animal growling back. Evan wiped his eyes and tried to see what made the dog so alert and angry. He then saw a big fox, and said to himself, “Thank goodness! I’m not alone!” But he was still frightened. The fox moved forward, wanting to attack Evan.
注意：
1．续写词数应为150左右；
2．请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Without stepping back, the brave dog continued barking, ready to attack the fox.
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“It’s my mom! Let’s go!” Evan excitedly told the dog and ran to Octavia.
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5 . Lionfish certainly aren’t the fastest predators (捕食性动物) at sea, but new research suggests that they can catch swift prey in an unhurried way, moving slowly in pursuit until the perfect moment to strike. “The finding may help explain part of the lionfish’s impact as an invasive (侵入的) species, and reveals a hunting approach that other relatively slow predators use,” researchers said.
Born with brightly colored stripes, lionfish often use coral reefs (珊瑚) as a protection and remain undetected long enough to follow and attack small fish. But the predators also feed in open water where they’re more visible. Curious about how these slow swimmers hunt in plain view, Ashley Peterson, a professor at the University of California, and her colleagues placed some red lionfish in a tank and recorded them as they chased down the green chromis, a kind of small reef fish. In 14 of the 23 trials, the lionfish successfully swallowed their prey. They also captured the chromis in 74 percent of the trials where the lionfish made attempts to strike.
On average, chromis swam about twice as fast as lionfish. But chromis still fell victim to the way lionfish hunted — lionfish swim towards chromis, aiming for the prey’s current position. “If they’re interested in something, they never give up,” Peterson said. In contrast, the prey fish does bursts of fast swimming along with short pauses. “Over time, lionfish will take advantage of all those pauses to get closer and closer until they capture the prey,” Peterson said. “It would be interesting to see how lionfish’s chase plays out.”
If lionfish do use the strategy in the wild and the prey reacts similarly, it’s possible that the hunting method could contribute to the destructive potential of their invasion in the Caribbean, the western Atlantic and the Mediterranean, where the fish are eating native ocean animals and disrupting food webs. But other factors, such as lionfish’s huge appetite and fruitful reproduction, could be more influential on the invasiveness.
1. What does the new research focus on?| A．Defensive measures of lionfish. | B．Slow predators’ hunting strategy. |
| C．The impact of different predators. | D．Approaches to handling invasive species. |
| A．Small fish are much safer in open water. |
| B．Lionfish always pretend not to see their prey. |
| C．Lionfish have a high rate of successful strikes. |
| D．Fast prey tends not to be long-distance swimmers. |
| A．They quietly pick up their speed. |
| B．They prefer more challenging prey. |
| C．They like to play tricky games with their prey. |
| D．They show great perseverance in capturing their prey. |
| A．Slow predators may have the same characteristics. |
| B．Lionfish’ hunting style makes them dominate the oceans. |
| C．It’s time to deal with the limitations of the wild environment. |
| D．Lionfish are harmful to ocean creatures as an invasive species. |
Edgar McGregor, a climate activist, spent hundreds of days straight picking up litter
McGregor was committed to clearing up litter while
Many people are thankful
When asked about his experience, McGregor said, “
7 . In the thick jungle of New Guinea is nature’s most amazing theater, a Carola’s parotia (天堂鸟) is showing off his red and yellow feathers in a display called a “butterfly dance.”
This brilliantly colored birds of paradise have developed over millions of years from ancient birds whose feathers were dark and boring in comparison. It seems to be a contradiction (矛盾) that such extreme feathers and colors could have been favored by the process of evolution. After all, these same brightly colored feathers that attract mates also make the birds much more noticeable to predators (捕食者). The answer lies in the safe environment in which the birds live, and a process of evolution known as sexual selection. Except for other pressures, birds of paradise begin to specialize in attracting mates. Over millions of years they have slowly undergone changes in their colors, feathers and other talents. Characteristics that made one bird more attractive than another were passed on and impove over time.
In the past, demand for the bird’s feathers resulted in a huge amount of hunting. At the peak of the trade in the early 1900s, 80,000 skins a year were exported from New Guinea to Europe ladies’ hats. Nowadays, few birds die for fashion or for traditional costumes: Ceremonial feathers are passed down from generation to generation. Although local people are still permitted to hunt the birds for traditional uses, they usually target older male birds, leaving younger males to continue breeding.
David Mitchell, a conservationist, is relying on the help of local villagers to record where the birds display and what they eat. He hopes to not only gather data, but also encourage protection of the birds’ habitat. The strategy seems to be working. For millions of years, these impressive birds have danced to find their mates. They will keep dancing for as long as the forest offers them stage.
1. Why do the birds of paradise evlove the bright cholors?| A．To frighten away predators. | B．To execise and clean bodies. |
| C．To show the possession of an area. | D．To attract a mate’s attention. |
| A．Industrial development destroyed their habitat. | B．A high demand for feathers to use in hats. |
| C．They were eaten by the predators. | D．They got sick after inteactions with human. |
| A．To eat them. | B．To protect smaller birds. |
| C．To make traditional costumes. | D．To keep their numbers down. |
| A．Feathers of Love | B．Trouble in Paradise |
| C．An Amazing performance | D．The Protection of Birds of Paradise |
1.节约水电；
2.垃圾分类处理；
3.骑自行车或乘坐公交车。
注意：1.词数在80左右；
2.不要逐字翻译，可适当发挥。
参考词汇：低碳 low carbon
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The Mango Tree—A Friend of All
It was a usual cheerful and playful day for Dorothy. The only difference was that her family had shifted to a new apartment. Although she had been in the new house just two days, Dorothy had already started liking her new home very much, not only because of the spacious rooms, but also because of a large mango tree which had lovingly extended its branches across the balcony of her house. The mango tree not only gave a beautiful view but also served as a home for a large number of birds and small animals. Dorothy’s mother was also fond of plants and had kept many potted plants in the balcony.
A week passed by. On a Sunday morning, Dorothy was awakened by a loud noise in her neighbourhood. She ran towards the balcony and, to her surprise, found some people chopping (砍) off the beloved mango tree. She ran up to her mother and explained the matter.
Dorothy and her mother looked down from the balcony. They saw the women under the guidance of Mr. Denver, cutting the mango tree down. Mr. Denver was the resident of the ground floor apartment. He said angrily, “Look, I am getting this job done under my expense. This tree is blocking my view. I cannot see my car properly because of this annoying tree.” Dorothy and her mother understood that there was no point in having an argument with Mr. Denver.
From then on, Dorothy tried all possible ways to take her revenge (报复) against Mr. Denver for cutting her beloved mango tree. She did many tricks such as sticking the gum on his call ng bell, pouring sugar in his balcony to attractants, jumping on the floor to create noise, etc.
Days passed by. One morning, as Dorothy was helping her mother water the potted plants kept in the balcony, she couldn’t take here yes away from the fresh green leaves coming from the injured mango tree. Dorothy couldn’t hold her excitement and started jumping with delight.
注意：1.续写词数应为150个左右；2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Several days later, Dorothy’s parents decided to invite Mr. Denver and his family for dinner.
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Mr. Denver received Dorothy’s mother’s gift warmly with a smile.
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10 . Depending on the right combination of currents and wind, a large mass of Sargassum “seaweed”circling the Gulf of Mexico may soon wash up along the US coast near Florida. The bloom (藻华)，which is likely to be the largest ever recorded，is visible from space.
Sargassum is a type of leafy, rootless algae that form large floating mats on the ocean floor. It can be found in the Sargasso Sea and was first mentioned by Christopher Columbus in 1492 when he was afraid his ship would become trapped in it.
Sargassum is an important habitat for marine species because it provides food, shelter, and breeding grounds. It absorbs carbon dioxide, an important greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming, just like other floating marine vegetation, according to Phys.org. However, when tons of it gathers along coastlines, it sends out a terrible strong smell which can cause headaches, eye discomfort, and upset stomachs. Too much algae on beaches can harm marine ecosystems and make it difficult for people to keep on with their recreational and fishing activities, costing communities millions of dollars.
Scientists have been tracking the formation of large Sargassum blooms. However, this year’s bloom could be the largest ever, covering more than 8,800 kilometers from the coasts of Africa to the Gulf of Mexico and weighing 10 million tons.
It is critical to improve Sargassum management. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) not only advocates best practices in Sargassum cleanup and removal, but also cooperates with governments and communities to develop policies, standards, and measures to protect public and environmental health. FAO is also promoting ways to repurpose Sargassum, turning it into products to provide additional employment and income. In fact, small businesses are already using Sargassum to make bricks, shoes, soaps and paper. Larger businesses are considering turning Sargassum into renewable energy, bioplastics, and compost.
1. Why does the author mention space in paragraph 1?| A．To stress the Sargassum bloom is massive. |
| B．To explain how currents and wind combine. |
| C．To show what the Gulf of Mexico looks like from space. |
| D．To demonstrate how the Sargassum movement was tracked. |
| A．Sargassum’s significance in the marine economy. |
| B．The process of Sargassum’s moving to the coast. |
| C．Sargassum’s contribution to reducing global warming. |
| D．The double-edged effects of Sargassum’s existence. |
| A．They participate in cleanup activities. |
| B．They help rebuild marine ecosystems. |
| C．They create products from Sargassum. |
| D．They transform Sargassum into resources. |
| A．Smelly Seaweed Bloom Heads to Florida |
| B．FAO Now Works on Reducing Marine Litter |
| C．Groundbreaking Project Turns Sargassum into Plastics |
| D．Sargassum is Changing the Beach Vacation in Mexico |
