1 . The village of Misfat al-Abriyeen has changed its fortunes by transforming mud-brick homes into fine hotels. The village of 800 people, located on the cliffs of Oman’s “Grand Canyon“, opened its narrow streets six years ago to foreigners and locals seeking adventure in the deserts and green corners of the Gulf area.
Villager Yacoub al-Abri said it all started in 2010 when his uncle suggested they take another look at the mud houses that had lain ignored for years in the ancient settlement about three hours’ drive from the capital Muscat. The owners had abandoned the centuries-old homes, fearing they could topple, and moved to the opposite side of the village where they built new accommodation.
The brown-walled homes, made of mud bricks with palm-leave roofs, were tuned into simple but elegant inns with wood furniture and handcrafts made using sill banded down from their ancestors.“We started with only five rooms, then we increased the number and bought other old houses. Today we have 15 rooms and there are plans to continue expanding until we reach 50,” Abri said.
At an altitude of more than 1,000 meters, the tiny village which is home to the Abri tribe is a charming collection of traditional houses located along dozens of small alleys (小巷) overlooking lands bursting with banana plants and citrus and palm trees. It is part of a region known as the Grand Canyon of Oman where tourists can hike the rocky mountains and valleys, and explore the old ways of local people. The region is also famed for its centuries-old stories that are still widely told in similar villages across the country.
Renoda, a Dutch psychologist living in Muscat, was visiting with three of her friends. “It’s perhaps the 10th time that I have visited this hotel since last year. I come here for a night or two every month, seeking calm, relaxation and comfort,” she told AFP.
1. What does the underlined word “topple” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Move. | B．Shrink. | C．Disappear. | D．Fall. |
| A．Splendid. | B．Outdated. | C．Traditional. | D．Ordinary. |
| A．The unique lifestyle of the local people. |
| B．The special location of the small village. |
| C．The introduction of the history of the village. |
| D．The attractive features of the small village. |
| A．She lives a busy life in the city. |
| B．She enjoys adventurous traveling. |
| C．She visits the villagers as part of her work. |
| D．She wants to settle down in this village permanently. |
2 . Whether it be a person, an animal, or even an insect, a mother’s instincts (本能) are never wrong. This idea rings true for a mother cat who acted fast and sought out help when her kittens were in trouble. This mother cat’s quick thinking may have just saved her babies.
In the urban district of Izmir in western Turkey, a cat walked into a regular hospital bolding a kitten in her mouth. As the mother cat moved through the hospital, people were surprised to see such a sight, but let her pass. The mother cat asked for help, crying for a long time. She was familiar to the hospital staff, who had been leaving her food and water outside, but they were unaware that she had given birth to kittens.
The mother cat was concerned for her young because they weren’t able to open their eyes. After the doctors looked at the kittens, they noticed that they were suffering from eye infections. One of the doctors recalls, “We consulted with vets (兽医) and gave medicine as described. When the kittens opened their eyes a short time later, we were excited.” Later, they were sent to an animal hospital for further care. The cats are now up for adoption and will hopefully find loving forever homes.
When it comes to mother cats and kittens, kittens completely depend on mothers for the first few months of their lives. Because they are blind and almost deaf until about two or three weeks old, the mother cat must protect them from any threat or danger. Without the mother cat’s help, the kittens may not make it to adulthood.
As shown by the mother cat in Turkey, a mother’s love and protection knows no bounds. Whether the mom is a human or a cat, mothers will always look out for their babies and make sure they are safe and healthy.
1. Why did the mother cat show up in the hospital?| A．To beg for food. | B．To get her babies treated. |
| C．To express thanks. | D．To give birth to her babies. |
| A．They built them a home. | B．They adopted all of them. |
| C．They operated on them immediately. | D．They gave them right medicine. |
| A．Their physical state. | B．Their eating habit. |
| C．Their appearance. | D．Their behavior. |
| A．cat has nine lives. | B．One good turn deserves another. |
| C．Love makes a difference. | D．God helps those who help themselves. |
3 . Two high school students have identified four new planets in distant space about 200-light-years from Earth, making them “the youngest astronomers” to make such a discovery.
Kartik Pingle, 16, and Jasmine Wright. 18, who both attend schools in Massachusetts, participated in the Student Research Mentoring Program (SRMP). With the help of Tansu Daylan, an MIT doctor for Astrophysics and Space Research, the students studied and analyzed data from the Transiting Exoplanct Survey Satellite (TESS). Together they focused on Tess Object of Interest (TOI) 1233, a nearby, bright sun-like star and here they found four planets rotating（旋转）around the star. “We were looking to see changes in light over time,” Pingle explained, “the idea is that if the planet transits the star, or passes in front of it, it would periodically cover up the star and decrease its brightness.”
While studying 1233, Pingle and Wright had at least hoped to find one planet but were overwhelmed with joy when a total of four were spotted. “I was very excited and very shocked.” Wright said. “We knew this was the goal of Daylan’s research, but to actually find a multi-planetary system, and be part of the discovering team, was really cool.” Three of the newly discovered planets are considered as “sub-Neptunes”, which are gaseous, but smaller than the Neptune that lives in our solar system. While observing the planets, the team determined each one completes their orbit around 1233 every six to 19.5 days. However, the fourth planet is called a “super-Earth” for its large size and rockiness this one orbits around the star in just under four days.
“We have long been studying planets beyond our solar system and with multi-planetary systems, the two young students are kind of hitting the jackpot. They are really blessed.” Daylan said. “The planets originated from the same disk of matter around the same star, but they ended up being different planets with different atmospheres and different climates due to their different orbits. So, we would like to understand the basic processes of planet formation and evolution using this planetary system.”
Daylan added that it was a “win-win” to work with Pingle and Wright on the study. “As a researcher, I really enjoy interacting with young brains that are open to experimentation and learning and have slightest bias（偏见）.”he said, “I also think it is very beneficial to high school students, since they get exposure to cutting-edge research, and this prepares them quickly for a research career.”
1. How did the two students identify the four planets？| A．By helping professor Tansu Daylan with the data. |
| B．By analyzing the change of brightness of star 1233. |
| C．By studying Neptune that lives in our solar system. |
| D．By interacting with other young talented brains. |
| A．It was made by two high school students. |
| B．It was made with an innovative approach. |
| C．It was meant to be made by Tansu Daylan. |
| D．It found the largest number of planets at a time. |
| A．Making a discovery difficultly. | B．Achieving the goal easily. |
| C．Succeeding in something luckily. | D．Performing a task carefully. |
| A．It allows the scientists to work with young people without prejudice. |
| B．It equips future astronomers with better researching abilities. |
| C．It provides more perspectives and thus boosts more discoveries. |
| D．It arouses students’ interest in exploring the unknown universe. |
4 . Scientists recently have announced a new primate species-Popa langur, a medium-sized leaf-eating monkey living in central Myanmar.
Popa langur-named for an extinct volcano home to its largest population of about 100 individuals-has been around for at least a million year, according to a study published in Zoological Research.
In fact, the newest monkey species was not found during an expedition or spotted by a research team, but was discovered in the backrooms of the London Natural History Museum. The senior author of the study, Frank Momberg, and his colleagues conducted a genetic analysis of a sample of monkey feces (粪便) collected in the forests of central Myanmar and Compared it with specimens (标本) from Myanmar gathered almost a century ago in the museum, only to find out that the previously unknown langur was still roaming (在……漫步)in the wild.
Scientists set up cameras in the forest hoping to get a glimpse of the creature. In 2018, the monkey was finally filmed, revealing its distinctive coloration.
Although it’s exciting news for scientists to find a new species, after investigation, they found the total number of Popa langur is about 200 to 250, which will likely mean the new species is “critically endangered”. Additional field surveys and protection measures are urgently required to save the langurs from extinction.
The discovery of Popa langur also brings people’s attention to new species identification.
Actually, species are not clearly divided as we learned in school. Scientists define a species by whether the animals are able to produce fertile offspring (后代) together. Another way is to use genetic information, which is mainly used to define a species that is genetically distinguished from another but still shares a clear ancestor.
When scientists announce a newly defined species based on genetic evidence, it usually means they have elevated (提升为) an alrealy defined subspecies to the species level. The Popa langur, for example, was previously classified as a member of a specific group of langur monkeys.
It can be controversial to elevate a subspecies into a new species based on genetic information,like Popa langur. Some scholars dismiss these discoveries. But others think without a unique name and estimated population, these small groups cannot get enough conservation funding and may eventually disappear without anyone knowing it.
1. Which of the following is the key factor in discovering the new monkey species?| A．The examination of the sample of monkey feces collected. |
| B．The study of the specimens preserved in the museum. |
| C．A comparative analysis of the sample and specimens. |
| D．A comparison of the film shot in the forest with the specimens. |
| A．The significance of the discovery of Popa langur. |
| B．The reasons scientists define Popa langur as a new species. |
| C．The relationship between species and subspecies. |
| D．Different methods to identify a new species. |
| A．Objective | B．Indifferent | C．subjective | D．Pessimisic |
| A．To report on the discovery of Popa langur. |
| B．To inform us of the importance of genetic studies. |
| C．To raise funds to preserve langur monkeys. |
| D．To compare different monkey species. |
5 . A black cat was regarded as a hero recently. It helped rescuers find his 83-year-old owner who had
Tamar Longmuir, 38, says she was informed of her
“The cat is very
“She had gone through the barbed wire fence (倒刺铁丝围栏) and was
“Piran the cat
| A．hidden | B．stepped | C．jumped | D．fallen |
| A．missing | B．dead | C．grateful | D．sick |
| A．strangely | B．hopelessly | C．immediately | D．surprisingly |
| A．blamed | B．joined | C．connected | D．directed |
| A．mentioned | B．noticed | C．remembered | D．understood |
| A．familiar | B．kind | C．attached | D．special |
| A．search | B．water | C．clear | D．measure |
| A．laughter | B．breath | C．call | D．whisper |
| A．equal | B．difficult | C．ready | D．common |
| A．lying | B．reading | C．sleeping | D．playing |
| A．information | B．permission | C．money | D．help |
| A．shelter | B．hospital | C．safety | D．home |
| A．Through | B．Despite | C．For | D．Without |
| A．checked | B．left | C．recognized | D．settled |
| A．excited | B．saved | C．ruined | D．protected |
6 . Dogs can smell fear, but can they smell out the truth? It turns out, dogs are pretty good at picking up on human behavior. A team led by Akiko Takaoka of Kyoto University in Japan conducted a study which found out that dogs actually know if you’re to be believed or not.
The study involved tricking dogs in the name of science. Humans have known for a long time that if you point at an object, a dog will run to it. Researchers applied this information in their study. During the experiment, they pointed at a container that was filled with hidden food. Sure enough, the dog ran towards the container. Then, they pointed at a container that was empty. The dogs ran towards it, but found that it had no food. The third time the researchers pointed at a container with food, the dogs refused to go there. They knew the person pointing wasn’t reliable based on their previous experience. 36 dogs were used in the experiment, and every single dog wouldn’t go towards the container the third time. This experiment proves that dogs can spot a liar or that dogs have major trust issues.
In other words, if you lie to your dog, your dog forms the opinion that your words aren’t good and will behave accordingly. “Dogs have more complex social intelligence than we thought. This social intelligence evolved selectively in their long life history with humans,” said Takaoka, who was also surprised that dogs were quick when they “devalued the reliability of a human.”
John Bradshaw of the University of Bristol in the UK, who wasn’t involved in this study, says that the results indicate that dogs prefer predictability. When gestures are inconsistent, dogs tend to become nervous and stressed. The researchers plan to repeat the experiment with wolves to look into the “effects of domestication” on dogs.
1. What does Takaoka’s study focus on?| A．Dogs’ relationship with humans. | B．Dogs’ reaction when cheated. |
| C．Whether dogs can recognize lies. | D．Whether dogs can smell fear. |
| A．12 dogs were tested each time. |
| B．Researchers took advantage of dogs’ habits. |
| C．The same container was used in the three stages. |
| D．Dogs were trained to smell out food before the experiment. |
| A．They are more intelligent than humans. | B．They used to devalue humans’ reliability. |
| C．They have evolved high social intelligence. | D．They react quickly to humans’ gestures. |
| A．Wolves tend to get used to inconsistency. |
| B．Wolves can be domesticated like dogs. |
| C．Dogs are good at predicting human behavior. |
| D．Dogs are easily influenced by changes. |
As the longest man-made river in the world, the Grand canal claims an
The original canal system began around AD 605,
And
In 2005, a group of citizens proposed that the Grand Canal be made a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which would protect both the waterway and the architecture around it. With great efforts, the day people had been looking forward to
8 . You may have recently seen a video from the Beijing Wildlife Zoo becoming a hit. What exactly was so interesting about this video? It shows a dog playing with big cats four to five times its size! Many people might wonder if this dog has a death wish, but it seems that the dog and the big cats are good friends.
The dog was actually raised alongside the lion and tiger cubs, making up an odd but loving family, according to zoo officials. As opposed to the common belief, cross-species friendship has been around for centuries. People have domesticated many animals, most notably cats and dogs, and formed bonds with them as pets. Perhaps you even have a pet yourself.
There are many other instances of cross-species friendships.
At an animal sanctuary in Santiago, Chile, a jaguar named Marina and a deer named Laura formed a friendship after they both came to the park. As neither animal had a mother, sanctuary staff said they instantly bonded when they met. Laura had been rescued from a slaughterhouse while Marina had been rescued from the street.
One possible explanation for these friendships is the environment of the zoo. Animals don’t hunt for their food and don’t need to worry about marking their territory or looking for mates in the way an animal in the wild would. “All those activities take time and energy, and if these needs are removed, the animals get bored,” Gordon Burghardt, a psychologist at the University of Tenessee, US, told The Atlantic magazine. “In this particular situation, the animal’s motivation to engage socially and playfully may be higher in its need hierarchy(等级)than eating.”
Marc Bekoff, former biology professor at the University of Colorado, US, told Slate magazine, “I think the choices animals make in cross-species relationships are the same as they’d make in same-species relationships. Some dogs don’t like every other dog. Animals are very selective about the other individuals who they let into their lives.”
1. What is the common opinion about the friendship between animals?| A．It’s easier for dogs and cats to become friends. |
| B．Animals tend to play with peers of the same species. |
| C．The friendship between animals is not solid and reliable. |
| D．It’s common that animals of different species can become friends. |
| A．To present a truth. | B．To explain a phenomenon. |
| C．To introduce the topic. | D．To provide a proof. |
| A．The existing tradition. | B．The influence by mates. |
| C．The animals’ inner social drive. | D．The animals’ raisers’ instruction. |
| A．To appeal to people to treasure animals. |
| B．To inform readers of a special friendship. |
| C．To demonstrate the history of bringing up pets. |
| D．To compare friendship between cross-species and same-species. |
9 . A selection of wildlife sculpture made out of recycled rubbish is being displayed a tan exhibition at the barley gallery in Not ting ham shire, England, until 24 July. The sculptures have been created by Nottinghamshire-based artist Michelle Jones who has been working with recycled materials to over 20 years.
Fly-tipping--illegally dumping rubbish or littering in a public place — was on the increase during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Jones told the BBC, “Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust showed me some of the materials that were found on their nature reserves-a washing machine, rusty bike, car tyres.” She decided to create wildlife sculpture out of these materials to encourage people to think about the damage fly-tipping can do to the environment
and wildlife. Her three-dimensional art works included recycled items such as skis, a gas mask, and washing machine parts.Jones often draws inspiration from the “beauty of the natural world” and said that the large model of the white-tailed bumblebee(大黄蜂) was inspired by the many hours she spent on her garden during the pandemic. Another sculpture, a bearded vulture(秃鹫 ), was inspired by the sighting of one such bird in the Peak District in July 2020. This was only the second time it had been spotted in the UK.
Using rubbish found in rivers, such as plastic bottles, tennis balls, footwear and toys, Jones created a large wave sculpture to highlight the problem of littering.
Jones says that through her sculptured she draws attention to environmental issue in an attractive and humorous way. Her work has a humour and warmth that makes people smile, making people think twice about what waste is and the value of materials, as well as the impact of over-consumption on the environment and its wildlife.
1. What is the purpose of this exhibition?| A．To raise money for the wildlife trust. | B．To blame rubbish dumping. |
| C．To promote environmental protection. | D．To show ways of recycling. |
| A．The problem of illegal littering. | B．The familiarity with used materials. |
| C．The beauty of the natural world. | D．The suggestion from a wildlife trust. |
| A．Useless but beautiful. | B．Attractive and natural. |
| C．Dirty but enlightening. | D．Humorous and meaningful. |
| A．News. | B．Health. | C．Entertainment. | D．Advertisements, |
10 . Imagine walking into your local grocery store on a freezing January day to pick up freshly harvested cabbage, juicy sweet strawberries, and ripe red tomatoes — all of which were harvested at a local farm only hours before you’d arrived. You might be imagining buying that fresh produce from vertical farms where farmers can grow indoors year-round by controlling light, temperature, water, and carbon dioxide levels as well. Generally, fresh produce grown in vertical farms travels only a few miles to reach grocery store shelves compared to conventional produce, which can travel thousands of miles by truck or plane.
Beyond providing fresh local produce, vertical agriculture could help increase food production and expand agricultural operations as the world’s population is projected to go beyond 9 billion by 2050. And by that same year, two out of every three people are expected to live in urban areas. Producing fresh greens and vegetables close to these growing urban populations could help meet growing global food demands in an environment ally responsible and sustainable way by reducing distribution chains to offer lower emissions, providing higher-nutrient produce, and completely reducing water usage and run off.
Recently, the US Department of Agriculture and Energy held a workshop focusing on vertical agriculture and sustainable urban ecosystems. At this workshop, field experts were responsible for thought-provoking presentations followed by small group discussions focusing on areas such as plant breeding, pest management, and engineering. Workshop team-workers from public and private departments worked together to identify the challenge, needs, and opportunities for vertical farming. A report on this workshop will be produced by research secretaries to help inform depart mental strategic planning efforts for research focus and funding opportunities.
Experts are excited about the potential opportunities vertical agriculture presents to address food security. The National Institute for Food and Agriculture also has funding opportunities that could support future vertical agriculture conference and research. Similarly, the Agricultural Research Service is working on a project to increase U. S. Tomato production and quality in green houses and other protected-environments.
1. What is the common characteristic of produced from the vertical agriculture?| A．Natural. | B．Ego-friendly. | C．Inexpensive. | D．Low-nutrient. |
| A．To explain a rule. | B．To clarify a definition. |
| C．To present a reason. | D．To make a comparison. |
| A．In order of time. | B．Via the division of labour. |
| C．In order of importance. | D．Via the discussion of problems. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Doubtful. | C．Curious. | D．Worried. |
