1 . When people are overworked or tired, they may take a break by visiting green spaces like forests to relax. But can there be forests inside cities?
Urban forests are not acres and acres of lush greenery. They range from the trees in the park on the corner of your street to the trees lining the sidewalk, or simply bushes in your own backyard!
The idea of care and management for tree populations in urban areas began in North America in the late 1960s and was first called environmental forestry. The greening improved greying cities and soon skyrocketed in popularity. It has now become a whole new discipline of forestry called urban forestry.
Urban forests have the potential to help cities cool down and can be the heart of a city’s social life. Even a tiny patch of ground with a few trees can enrich children’s playgrounds and have a positive impact on the psychological development of children. They also encourage community interaction: people tend to hang out together a lot more when green spaces are available.
How can we incorporate forests into cities? There are external factors in towns that make it challenging to design urban forests into cities. For example, how does a city plant and maintain the trees? Tree canopies can block people’s view, which could lead to accidents. Urban trees can also cause damage to buildings, due to their roots, and through the falling of whole trees or branches.
However, if we plan waste removal operations in advance, we can handle this issue efficiently; the waste parts can be used for other purposes, such as timber and fuelwood.
So do we need more unban forests? Absolutely! Urban forests represent a city-dweller’s easiest access to nature. Given that, cities need to find more creative ideas to provide this beautiful resource for their residents!
1. What does the author intend to do in paragraph 3?| A．Add some background information. | B．Summarize the previous paragraphs. |
| C．Give an example to support a theory. | D．Provide readers with some advice. |
| A．Developing writing skills. | B．Improving mental health. |
| C．Learning responsibility. | D．Mastering gardening tips. |
| A．Modem cities. | B．Urban forests. | C．Creative ideas. | D．Environmental issues. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Favorable. | C．Unclear. | D．Negative. |
2 . National Geographic Explorer Malaika Vaz knew from early on that she was destined for adventure. “I was someone who spent a lot of time outdoors,” Vaz says. Among her childhood experiences, she recalls expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic, climbing mountains, scuba diving, and windsurfing.
“In my late teens,” Vaz says, “I began to feel like adventure didn’t really mean anything if there wasn’t an intent to protect the natural spaces we were exploring in.” She began to seek an outlet that would both satisfy her desire for adventure and allow her to support the protection of the species and ecosystems.
Vaz had an interest in the medium of film, and decided to pursue a career in wildlife filmmaking. Today Vaz wears many hats in the filmmaking world, as a documentary director, producer, writer, and presenter.
After falling in love with mantas off the coast of her home, she discovered they were being hunted illegally and she dressed herself as a seafood trader to get as close as possible to the issue. She traced traffickers back to many parts of the world to figure out why mantas were being killed. She shares the challenges of going undercover to produce Peng Yu Sai, her Green Oscar-nominated film on the matter.
The subjects that grab her attention, Vaz admits, cover a wide range. And while she’s been asked to define her focus, she prefers variety, and argues that issues she pinpoints are more interrelated than they may appear.
Her work doesn’t stop at recording important stories-she’s also on top of follow-through, ensuring the message is heard. Vaz and her team work with scientists and policy makers to amplify the message of the films they work on.
From Vaz’s perspective, real improvement in the way the planet is cared for lies in the capable hands of many from various backgrounds. “The truth is that we don’t need ten really passionate, committed environmentalists. We need one hundred or one million people who can do a little bit in that field and change things within their ability.”
1. Which of the following helped Vaz combine adventure with nature protection?| A．Wildlife film-making. | B．Free lifestyle. |
| C．Childhood experience. | D．Outdoor activities. |
| A．Vaz’s home on the coast. | B．Vaz’s experience of mountain climbing. |
| C．The history of Green Oscar. | D．The illegal hunting of mantas. |
| A．The backgrounds of policy makers. | B．The influence of films. |
| C．The guidance from environmentalists. | D．The combined efforts of people. |
| A．Enthusiastic but careless. | B．Adventurous and insightful. |
| C．Knowledgeable but proud. | D．Humorous and patient. |
Devon became the man of the house since his father passed away last year, but tonight he was a twelve-year old boy who wanted a puppy for his birthday, and his birthday was tomorrow.
“They say every boy should have a dog of his own, don’t you agree?”
I sighed, knowing what my answer would have to be. “I would love to get you a puppy, but puppies are expensive. They need food and shots and a license. We just can’t afford all that right now, honey.” I lowered my head so he wouldn’t see my tears.
He stood there for a moment. “That’s okay, Mom. I understand,” he whispered. “But some day, when things get better, can we get a puppy?” “Of course, Devon, I promise.” I forced myself to smile.
“When we get a puppy, I am going to name him Rusty.”
“Rusty? That’s a fine name.”
The next morning, I gathered our recyclable bottles and cans which were worth five cents each. We drove to the nearby convenience store and sold them at a nearby store. Then we chose the two most delicious donuts with the money.
Devon grabbed the donut and took a huge bite. On the front sidewalk, he stopped so suddenly that I almost ran into him.
A puppy caught his eye. A young woman was parked just outside the door. Her face was wet with tears. The puppy curled up (蜷缩) in her lap with his nose resting on the driver’s door.
Devon rushed over to the car and giggled (咯咯笑) as he fed the rest of his donut to the puppy and was thanked with a wet puppy lick across the face.
Then I turned to the woman: “What’s wrong?”
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。
The woman dried her face before answering.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Really?” Devon took a deep breath and turned to me.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| A．In the kitchen. | B．In the bathroom. | C．In the living room. |
5 . On a cold morning in December, Schewel enters a community garden in Bushwick followed by his two small dogs, Sundrop and Moonbeam. The dogs feel excited with
Armed with his two
At the garden, the dogs
The good news is that there aren’t many rats at all here. Schewel’s strategy proves
| A．recognition | B．anticipation | C．competition | D．satisfaction |
| A．release | B．warn | C．drag | D．raise |
| A．permission | B．survival | C．shortage | D．advantage |
| A．leaders | B．companions | C．soldiers | D．visitors |
| A．compared | B．combined | C．associated | D．accompanied |
| A．reasonable | B．valuable | C．acceptable | D．changeable |
| A．priority | B．theme | C．grade | D．rank |
| A．As | B．Unlike | C．With | D．For |
| A．lifestyle | B．development | C．ecosystem | D．population |
| A．shake | B．leave | C．surround | D．protect |
| A．find | B．hide | C．escape | D．dig |
| A．turns on | B．turns off | C．turns up | D．turns down |
| A．In a way | B．In a flash | C．In a word | D．In a mess |
| A．will | B．risk | C．command | D．heart |
| A．urgent | B．common | C．dramatic | D．effective |
6 . Digging out potato tubers (茎块) is one of the greatest rewards gardens have to offer. Children in particular are surprised at seeing these tubers that almost magically become chips, mash (泥) or baked potatoes.
Happily, potatoes are very easy to grow. Seed tubers are placed in good garden soil, ideally with some compost (堆肥) for every square meter, in a sunny spot, about 10cm deep at 30cm intervals in rows 60-70cm apart.
Seed tubers are offered as earliest and second earliest and maincrop. The second earliest and maincrops can be stored for winter use but earliest are usually consumed in summer.
Seasoned potato growers buy early seed potatoes in February and place them in a cool, reasonably light place and let them sprout (发芽). It takes six weeks for small sprouts to form.
Early potatoes are typically planted from middle March in the South, but are likely to emerge before the first season finishes in May. The shoots are frost-sensitive requiring protection on cod nights with either earth or newspapers.
Second early and maincrop potatoes are planted in middle April—the frost risk will be low, but not absent, by the time they emerge. As the stems (茎) grow, soil should be drawn around them until the leaves meet in the row in early summer. At this stage, the potato field is a series of ridges (脊，垄). The tubers form in the ridge, protected from light that turns them green. Covering with black plastic or a thick layer of compost is also accessible instead of ridging, but plastic is not sustainable and slugs (鼻涕虫) can multiply in compost.
Once the flowers are fully open, it is time to dig plants when the tubers are the size of a hen’s egg. They grow rapidly but gradually lose their juicy new potato flavour, so harvest freely.
1. What’s the writing purpose of paragraph 1?| A．To describe a magic process. |
| B．To recall a childhood memory. |
| C．To raise a potato-related topic. |
| D．To introduce a gardening award. |
| A．The closer the intervals are, the faster they will grow. |
| B．The warmer the weather is, the better they will grow. |
| C．The earlier they are planted, the healthier they will grow. |
| D．The deeper they are planted, the stronger they will grow. |
| A．Frost. | B．Plastic. | C．Ridges. | D．Slugs. |
| A．How to cook potatoes. | B．How to grow potatoes. |
| C．How to harvest potatoes. | D．How to preserve potatoes. |
7 . Most popular wildlife parks in India often have long queues and are expensive. Namrata Dadwal lists four lesser-known sanctuaries (保护区) that you can explore at a more reasonable price.
Kumbalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary
Spread over 578 acres in the Aravallirange, the sanctuary is near the Famous Kumbalgarh Fort. The sanctuary makes home to many endangered species of wildlife like wolf, leopard, and jungle cat.
Best way to explore: By boat
Best time to explore: March to December
National Chambal Sanctuary
The 5400 sq km sanctuary extends into Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh and is the only one in India with three keystone species — Ganges river dolphin, ghariyal and red-crowned roof turtle along with eight rare turtle species and about 300 species of birds.
Best way to explore: By boat
Best time to explore: November to March
Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary
While the Sunderbans in West Bengal is India’s most popular mangrove (红树林) forest, an equally wonderful one is Coringa, which is the second largest one in the country. It is a birder’s heaven and is also home to otters, jackals, fishing cats and estuarine crocodiles. Endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles nest here from January to March.
Best way to explore: By boat or on foot
Best time to explore: November to February
Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park
The park has 21 islands and three distinct coastal ecosystems — coral reef, seagrass bed and mangroves — with over 4,200 species of plants and animals. It is home to the largest endangered marine mammal Dugong and is also the last shelter of Balanoglossus.
Best way to explore: By boat or on foot
Best time to explore: October to March
1. Which is the best choice for a visit in July?| A．Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary. |
| B．National Chambal Sanctuary. |
| C．Kumbalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary. |
| D．Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park. |
| A．Dugong. | B．Jungle cat. |
| C．Ganges river dolphin. | D．Olive Ridley sea turtle. |
| A．In a diary. | B．In a biography. |
| C．In a biology book. | D．In a travel brochure. |
8 . Scientists exploring a marine trench(海沟) near Japan were surprised to find a type of snailfish in one of the deepest parts of the ocean, at 8, 336 meters below the surface. The creature is probably the deepest fish anyone will ever find.
“They can’t really go any deeper,” says deep-sea scientist Alan Jamieson of the University of West Australia, who led the team that made the discovery, considering the theoretical limit of fish physiology(生理机能) is around 8, 400 meters to ensure that fish cells don’t become too small at such enormous pressures. “If anyone does find fish deeper than this, it will not be by much,” Jamieson says. The previous record holder, a junior snail fish seen in the Mariana Trench, was filmed at a depth of 8, 178 meters in 2017.
Prosanta Chakrabarty, director of fishes at Louisiana State University’s Museum of Natural Science, is impressed that the fish could survive so far down, where the water pressure is 800tes that of the surface. “At that depth, everything from gas exchange for breathing to nearly every physiological function seems impossible,” he says. “I can barely swim to the bottom of a swimming pool without my ears exploding.”
Jamieson’s team discovered the snail fish in August 2022 at the bottom of the Izu-Ogasawara Trench, near the main islands of Japan. To explore deep ocean trenches, the team was using manned and unmanned underwater vehicles equipped with cameras, lights and batteries, along with a weight to carry the equipment to the seafloor, unexpectedly photographing the fish.
The warmer water seems to be why the snail fish survive. These snail fish are living near the edge of what’s possible. “The difference is less than a degree, so we wouldn’t care,” Jamieson says. “But it makes a difference to sea animals.”
In an e-mail to Scientific American, Dahiana Arcila, a scientist who studies fishes noted the part played by technology in the discovery. “Detectors and landers will gain a deeper understanding of the unexplored regions of our planet’s oceans,” she wrote.
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?| A．The snail fish is native to the marine trench. |
| B．The finding is within the expectations of the scientist. |
| C．It was the Japanese scientists that conducted the exploration. |
| D．The fish maybe the deepest one in the ocean now and forever. |
| A．They both made record-breaking discoveries. |
| B．They both used manned and unmanned vehicles. |
| C．They both expanded the limit of fish physiology. |
| D．They both found snail fish at a depth of 8, 400 metres. |
| A．Concerned. | B．Confused. | C．Surprised. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．To emphasize the necessity of marine exploration. |
| B．To encourage a deeper exploration of unknown oceans. |
| C．To stress the role of advanced technology in the research. |
| D．To confirm the importance of the discovery to our planet. |
9 . Every day as the sun rises, Ma Hongyi, a 66-year-old farmer, can be seen patrolling (巡逻) Yuncheng Salt Lake with his dog in Yuncheng city, North China’s Shanxi province.
Ma still remembers the day when he first saw two big pink birds wandering through the water. “I had never seen such pretty birds. They were even taller than me, with long wings,” Ma recalls. He was later informed that birds were flamingos, a rare sight in China, which were listed on the International Union for Protection of Nature’s red list of endangered species in 2013. From that day on, Ma started his second career as a volunteer to prevent human beings from interfering with the wildlife. “The birds are attracted by the good environment,” Ma says. “I will do my best to protect the lake so that birds can come here every year.”
Yuncheng Salt Lake covers an area of 132 square kilometers and used to serve as a salt production base. As the country began attaching greater importance to environmental protection, an ecological (生态的) protection and development center was set up in 2012 to carry out regular ecological protection and restoration (修复) of the lake. “The greatest value of the Salt Lake lies in its ecology, which should be properly restored and protected,” says Chu Xianghao, mayor of the city. The lake area hosts 292 types of wild animals, along with 782 plant varieties, some of which are newly recorded species in the country.
After patrolling the lake as volunteer for over four years, Ma was employed by the local government to help with wildlife protection in 2019. “The lake’s ecology is getting better,” Ma says, adding that he looks forward to the arrival of the flamingos every year. “Some of them are my old friends,” he says.
1. Why does Ma patrol Yuncheng Salt Lake every day?| A．To serve as a keeper of the lake. | B．To observe the rare flamingos closely. |
| C．To admire the scenery around the lake. | D．To come across the flamingos again |
| A．bringing benefits to | B．losing control of |
| C．sharing space with | D．causing problems to |
| A．It is still used as a salt production base | B．The restoration of it will be carried out soon. |
| C．It’s home to 292 types of endangered wildlife | D．The protection of its ecology is of great importance |
| A．Ambitious. | B．Responsible. | C．Generous. | D．Humorous. |
10 . Josiah Launstein, 14, has always felt lucky to live in Rockaway, New York. Living just a few blocks from the beach, Josiah can see the ocean and hear the wave from her house. “It’s the ocean that makes Rockaway so
On October 29, 2012, that
When they returned to Rockaway the next day, they found their neighborhood in ruins. All around her, people were
“My mom tells me that I can’t
Josiah’s
Josiah also worked with other organizations to bring much-needed
Today, the scars of destruction are still seen in Rockaway, but hope is
| A．realistic | B．special | C．rare | D．sharp |
| A．breeze | B．beach | C．landscape | D．ocean |
| A．Fortunately | B．Unusually | C．Apparently | D．Appropriately |
| A．wandering | B．inspecting | C．suffering | D．greeting |
| A．inspired | B．relieved | C．defended | D．depressed |
| A．expose | B．control | C．accept | D．display |
| A．arrangement | B．prediction | C．insight | D．choice |
| A．natives | B．survivors | C．employees | D．officials |
| A．gave out | B．closed down | C．burned down | D．broke out |
| A．replaced | B．generated | C．expanded | D．grabbed |
| A．clothing | B．reputation | C．supplies | D．ingredients |
| A．innovations | B．emotion | C．credit | D．efforts |
| A．deserved | B．impressed | C．stimulated | D．honored |
| A．all of a sudden | B．in the air | C．for good measure | D．to a certain extent |
| A．stronger | B．more suitable | C．more sufficient | D．wiser |
