1 . The cultivation of plants by ants is more widespread than previously realized, and has evolved on at least 15 separate occasions.

There are more than 200 species of ant in the Americas that farm fungi (真菌) for food, but this trait evolved just once sometime between 45 million and 65 million years ago. Biologists regard the cultivation of fungi by ants as true agriculture appearing earlier than human agriculture because it meets four criteria: the ants plant the fungus, care for it, harvest it and depend on it for food.

By contrast, while thousands of ant species are known to have a wide variety of interdependent relationships with plants, none were regarded as true agriculture. But in 2016, Guillaume Chomicki and Susanne Renner at the University of Munich, Germany, discovered that an ant in Fungi cultivates several plants in a way that meets the four criteria for true agriculture.

The ants collect the seeds of the plants and place them in cracks in the bark of trees. As the plants grow, they form hollow structures called domain that the ants nest in. The ants defecate (排便) at designated absorptive places in these domain, providing nutrients for the plant. In return, as well as shelter, the plant provides food in the form of fruit juice.

This discovery prompted Chomicki and others to review the literature on ant-plant relationships to see if there are other examples of plant cultivation that have been overlooked. “They have never really been looked at in the framework of agriculture,” says Chomicki, who is now at the University of Sheffield in the UK. “It’s definitely widespread.”

The team identified 37 examples of tree-living ants that cultivate plants that grow on trees, known as epiphytes (附生植物). By looking at the family trees of the ant species, the team was able to determine on how many occasions plant cultivation evolved and roughly when. Fifteen is a conservative estimate, says Campbell. All the systems evolved relatively recently, around 1million to 3 million years ago, she says.

Whether the 37 examples of plant cultivation identified by the team count as true agriculture depends on the definitions used. Not all of the species get food from the plants, but they do rely on them for shelter, which is crucial for ants living in trees, says Campbell. So the team thinks the definition of true agriculture should include shelter as well as food.

1. According to biologists, why is ant-fungus cultivation considered as a form of true agriculture?

A．Because it occurred earlier than human agriculture.

B．Because it fulfills the standards typical of agricultural practices.

C．Because it redefines the four criteria for true human agriculture.

D．Because it is less common than previously thought.

2. What motivated Chomicki and others to review the literature on ant-plant relationships?

A．They determined on new family trees of the ant species.

B．They overlooked some tree-living ants that provided nutrients for the plants.

C．They never studied the ant-plant relationships within the context of agriculture.

D．They never identified any an t species that engaged in cultivation of fungi.

3. Which of the following statements is supported by the team's findings according to the passage?

A．Ants’ cultivation of plants is limited to a few specific species.

B．The cultivation of fungi by ants is considered the earliest form of agriculture.

C．True agriculture in ants involves only food-related interactions with plants.

D．Ants have independently cultivated plants on at least 15 distinct occasions.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．The evolution of ants in the plant kingdom.

B．The widespread occurrence of ant-plant cultivation.

C．The discovery of a new ant species engaging in agriculture.

D．The contrast between ant agriculture and human agriculture.

2 . Reducing the workweek to four days could have a climate benefit. In addition to improving the well-being of workers, cutting working hours may reduce carbon emissions. But those benefits would depend on a number of factors, experts emphasize, including how people choose to spend nonworking time.

Commuting and travel

Transportation is the biggest contributor to greenhouse emissions. A November 2021 survey of 2,000 employees and 500 business leaders in the United Kingdom found that if all organizations introduced a four-day week, the reduced trips to work would decrease travel overall by more than 691 million miles a week.

But the climate benefits of less commuting could be eliminated, experts said, if people choose to spend their extra time off traveling, particularly if they do so by car or plane.

Energy usage

Shorter working hours could lead to reductions in energy usage, experts said. According to a 2006 paper, if the United States adopted European work standards, the country would consume about 20 percent less energy.

Energy could also be conserved if fewer resources are needed to heat and cool large office buildings, reducing demands on electricity. For example, if an entire workplace shuts down on the fifth day, that would help lower consumption — less so if the office stays open to accommodate employees taking different days off.

Lifestyle changes

It’s possible that fewer working hours may lead some people to have a larger carbon footprint, but experts say research suggests that most people are likely to shift toward more sustainable lifestyles.

One theory is that people who work more and have less free time tend to do things in more carbon-intensive ways, such as choosing faster modes of transportation or buying prepared foods. Convenience is often carbon-intensive and people tend to choose convenience when they're time-stressed. Meanwhile, some research suggests that those who work less are more likely to engage in traditionally low-carbon activities, such as spending time with family or sleeping.

“When we talk about the four-day workweek and the environment, we focus on the tangible, but actually, in a way, the biggest potential benefit here is in the intangible,” experts said.

1. What is identified as the leading cause of greenhouse emissions according to the passage?

A．The well-being of employees.

B．The conservation of energy.

C．Commuting and travel.

D．The European work standard.

2. What can be inferred from the underlined sentence “the biggest potential benefit here is in the intangible” in the last paragraph?

A．People will have big potential in achieving intangible benefits while working.

B．People are more likely to engage in carbon-intensive activities due to time constraints.

C．People may shift toward more sustainable lifestyles and lower carbon footprints.

D．People may travel more frequently by car or plane during their extra time off.

3. The passage is mainly written to       .

A．highlight the importance of shortening working time in the context of well-being

B．provide an overview of transportation emissions worldwide

C．analyze the impact of reduced working hours on mode of business

D．illustrate factors affecting the climate benefits of a shorter workweek

3 . Mary kept tossing and turning in her sleeping bag. It was late in the night. She had been a school counsellor in the summer camp for a year now. She took care of young children who were as young as seven. That night, she was having a bad dream. In it, she was running desperately towards a river. She kept shouting, “Fire!”

Mary was awake. She realized that she had been shouting in her sleep. Suddenly, she smelled smoke. Then she saw shadows dancing against the walls of the tent. Mary jumped up and hurried to the opening in the tent. A tree was on fire! Fanned by the wind, the fire leaped up hungrily to devour everything in its path. It was going to spread to the tents very soon.

Time was of essence so Mary pulled the four children instantly out of their sleeping bags. “Fire! Fire!” She yelled, as loudly as she could.” Wake up! Get up!” After that, Mary ran back to her tent and grabbed all the sleeping bags she could carry. By then, everyone had emerged from their tents. Their faces were etched with confusion. Mary took the youngest child by the hand. Knowing that the sleeping bags would be useful, Mary pulled them along. Everyone quickly but calmly followed her. They held on to each other, in solemn silence.

After they ran to the river, Mary pulled the children into the water. Then she got into it herself. She dragged the sleeping bags in. She pushed them under the water until they were soaked. Mary was not surprised that all the trees were on fire. It had been an extremely hot season and everything in the forest was dry. Soon, they saw many animals racing to the river. Deer, rabbits and squirrels splashed into it. By then, the fire roared. Mary and other adults grabbed the wet sleeping bags and pulled them over the children’s heads.

Everything around them was bright orange and the sleeping bags had to stay wet. They made a final effort to splash water over all the sleeping bags and hid under the water.

The heat and smoke finally ended. Mary raised her head and looked around. To her relief, all the children had escaped unhurt. People all called out, “You saved our lives.” Mary suddenly thought of the dream she had.

1. The underlined word devour is closest in meaning to ________.

A．brighten

B．destroy

C．evaluate

D．refuse

2. Why did Mary carry sleeping bags with her in the first place?

A．Because some children were still in the bags

B．Because these sleeping bags were expensive.

C．Because the bags could protect them against fire in the water.

D．Because bags could be used to put out the fire.

3. According to Mary, why did the fire spread so quickly?

A．Because someone set the fire.	B．Because there were no fire fighters.
C．Because it was rather try.	D．Because animals worsened the fire.

4 . Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main points of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.

You still need a better reason to plant a tree?

Police aren’t cheap and neither are lawyers, judges, and all the other layers that make up the justice system. But trees and some grass, in comparison, are a real bargain, and they prove to be effective in lighting crimes.

Many cities used to launch programs to plant vegetation along roadways to help absorb rainwater. After tracking 14 types of crime in nearby areas, Michelle Kondo, a social scientist found that a variety of crimes including property crimes such as theft and burglary, and violent crimes such as armed fights and mayhem in those areas decreased to 27 percent, a stunning 18 percent fall. Kondo believed the appearance of city trucks and vans in the landscaped areas— for planting and maintenance— was enough to scare away potential criminals.

Kondo’s study also worked on the link between grassland care and decrease of the crime in downtown areas. It’s tempting to use income as the connection. After all, if you have the crime and money to water your lawn, you probably live in a neighborhood that sees less crime. But actually, people are less likely to hang in those areas where the streets are maintained or cleaned. “You will see less kids hanging on the corners.’’ Kondo said. He argued that caution of the local people implied by the organized greenery helped to frighten away ill-intentioned guys, by announcing to would-be criminals that there are “eyes on the street’’ that care for their neighborhood and would be more likely to report a crime.

We already know greenery is beautiful to look at and can help improve mood and health while reducing pollution. Now we can add crime-fighting to the list of vegetation’s many benefits. Therefore, are you ready to plant a tree?

5 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. confused       B. adaptable       C floating       D. decaying       E. attempts F. imitated       G. attached       H. signs       I. samples       J. relatively       K. steady

Though it is not unusual to find marine animals under the Antarctica seafloor, researchers had always assumed that there would be few     1     of life farther away from open water and sunlight. However, the discovery of filter-feeding (滤食的) organisms— 160 miles away from the open ocean, with temperatures of -2.2℃ and under complete darkness— suggests that life in the world’s harshest environment may be more     2     than previously thought.

In 2017, BAS geologist James Smith and his colleagues conducted a three-month expedition to the middle of Antarctica’s Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf, to collect     3     of the seafloor deposits. The team drilled through the half-mile of ice by pumping almost 20,000 liters of hot water through a pipe. After about 20 hours of painstaking work, they were finally able to reach the seabed underneath.

However, when the scientists lowered the instrument, along with a camera, to collect the soil, it came up empty. After multiple failed     4    — each round trip taking about an hour— the researchers took a closer look at the footage and noticed a massive stone sitting amid the     5     flat seabed. Even more surprisingly, the rock was covered with stationary animals, like sponges (海绵) and potentially unknown species.

The finding has     6     many scientists given that certain organisms, such as sponges and coral polyps (珊瑚虫), which live their entire lives     7     to rocks, or other hard surfaces, need food supplies. In the open water, the “marine snow,” as the food is called, comes from     8     organic matter, which drifts down from the upper waters to the deep ocean. However, the species in such depth are too far from the open sea to receive     9     supplies of nutrients. To make matters worse, due to the area’s strong ocean currents, the food has to travel anywhere from 370 to 930 miles to get to them.

“This is by far the furthest under an ice shelf that we’ve seen any of these filter-feeding animals,” said Smith. “These things are stuck on a rock and only get fed if something comes     10     along.”

6 . It’s a common belief that over time, pet owners start to look like their animals, and vice versa (反之亦然). Now comes the terrifying news that cats look up to their owners as role models and copy their behavior. Next time you reach for your fridge, think twice. If your kitty is watching, she is likely to overeat as well.

What is your cat’s IQ?

In a new study from the University of Messina, it turns out that indoor cats who live closely to their owners “mirror” the lives of their caregivers. They sleep at the same time, eat at the same time, and can even become more or less social depending on the behavior of their owners.

“Cats are intelligent animals with a long memory, ”Jane Brunt, the executive director of the Catalyst Council, told Discovery News. “They watch and learn from us, noting the patterns of our actions, knowing where their food is kept and what time to expect to be fed, how to open the cupboard door that's been improperly closed, and where their feeding and toileting areas are. “Because cats copy our habits, if you spend a lot of time raiding the fridge, your cat will return to its food bowl for that midnight snack, too. According to the study, this explains why “human and cat overweight rates often seem to match”．So, if you feel guilty about leaving your precious kitty at home while you go to work, now you can feel even worse：you are making your cat fat!

There’s no word if drinking green tea and making sure you go to yoga will benefit your cat, but based on the study, it sounds like sticking to a healthy eating and sleeping schedule is best for both of you.

There’s a lot we can learn from our cats in return. “When they sit on our laps softly purring with rhythmic breathing and half-closed eyes, the sense of peace and calm that comes over us is like a private lesson in inner meditation (冥想),” Brunt said. Sure. But cats don’t have to sit in rush hour traffic for an hour a day or worry about their in-laws. They’re probably pretty good at remaining calm.

So, according to science, even though we assume that cats are not close to us all these years, it turns out they are in fact learning from us and looking up to us. Scary, huh?

1. What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 5 refer to?

A．Humans’ keeping searching the fridge.

B．Cats’ going to their owners for food.

C．Cats’ copying humans’ habit of looking for food.

D．Humans’ leaving cats home while working.

2. What can we learn from our cats?

A．To remain calm.	B．To be able to copy.
C．To stay proud.	D．To look up to friends.

3. The best title for the passage could be “________”．

A．Your cat can bring you pleasure	B．You are copying your cat
C．You can make your cat social	D．Your cat is copying your habit