1 . The opening of California’s commercial crab season, which normally starts in November, is delayed once again to protect whales searching for their prey (猎物) along the coast.

California has been affected by a marine heat wave since May. The Blob, as this mass of warm water has become known, is squeezing cooler water preferred by whales and their prey close to shore, where fishermen set their traps. This crowding can lead to tangle (缠结) between whales and fishing equipment, endangering the animals’ lives and requiring rescue missions.

In a new study, scientists say they can now use global temperature models, commonly used in climate science, to predict up to a year in advance when hot ocean temperatures raise the risk of tangles between whales and fishing equipment.The tool analyzed in the new study, called the Habitat Compression Index, works by feeding sea-surface temperature measurements into an equation (方程式) that estimates the likelihood of whale habitat shrinking closer to shore.Regulators and fishermen agree that the new forecasting research could help them walk the tightrope between protecting whales and protecting local livelihoods (生计).

Mr Ogg, a commercial fishing boat captain, describes himself as a conservationist who doesn’t want to see whales harmed.“Fishermen have a big motivation to protect the natural environment,” he said, “because that’s where they make their living.” Previously, the challenge was adapting to changing conditions and fishing regulations on short notice, especially for smaller business owners and their crews.“One of the biggest problems we had was the unpredictability,” Mr Ogg said, “We were living from week to week then.”

Though scientists have shown the Habitat Compression Index can now forecast months in advance, state officials would probably wait to see conditions in real time before making decisions about the crab fishery, said Ryan Bartling, an environmental scientist at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

1. What do the whales come to shore for according to the first two paragraphs?

A．Safety.

B．Shelter.

C．Leisure.

D．Food.

2. What does the underlined phrase “walk the tightrope” probably mean?

A．To take a risk.	B．To join in an act.
C．To strike a balance.	D．To walk on a rope.

3. What’s the state officials’ attitude towards the tool in the study?

A．Supportive.

B．Indifferent.

C．Cautious.

D．Pessimistic.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．How climate data gives whales room to swim

B．What causes the decrease in whale population

C．Why global temperature models are in great need

D．Whether to protect whales or the local livelihoods

2 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入一个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

For those looking to escape the concrete jungle, maybe it’s time to dive into the bamboo forests of southern Sichuan.

A natural forest that people in Sichuan province tend     1    (visit) is the Southern Sichuan Bamboo Sea in Yibin. The 120-square-kilometer Bamboo Sea is the     2     (large) bamboo park in China and its average temperature seldom drops below zero degrees Celsius in winter     3     many parts of the country are covered with snow and ice.

Known as one of the country’s 10 most beautiful forests, it     4    (be) a popular tourist attraction since the Oscar-winning Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon     5    (shoot), there in 2001.

Two years later, the bamboo forest received world-wide     6    (recognize) as a bamboo reserve in December 2003,     7    (become) the fourth tourism destination in China to be granted Green Globe 21 certification.

The Bamboo Sea covers Changning and Jiang’an, two counties     8     the authority of Yibin. Amazed at its vast expanse, Huang Tingjian,     9     poet from the Song Dynasty, described it as “bamboo waves”. As Huang was an     10    (influence) man of letters, his description gave rise to the forest’s popular nickname—the Bamboo Sea.

3 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Where are the two speakers?

A．On the street.

B．In a park.

C．At a square.

2. What breed is the man’s dog?

A．Golden retriever.

B．Chihuahua.

C．Samoyed.

3. What does the man think about his dog?

A．He’s cute.

B．He’s shy.

C．He’s dangerous.

4. What kind of dog does the woman want to raise?

A．A large-sized dog.

B．A brave dog.

C．A smart dog.

4 . I stared out the window,_______ the snow. Damn holidays. . . I thought as I saw the people outside caroling(唱颂歌)outside. Can’t I just be left alone!I got up from my bed and, in _______, made for the kitchen.

I made myself dinner, which wasn’t anything_______. I wasn’t the best cook so I just made myself a stir fry and_______ it a day... That was until I heard the noise. Did someone throw ice at my window? Maybe a thief? I _______ the katana(武士刀)and walked down stairs. I searched the entire house until I found a puppy, so cute and_______. I couldn’t help but _______ at this creature. I decided to keep it and named it Arthur. His eyes were blue like a husky dog. Maybe a mixed breed? I thought as I washed Arthur up and dried him with a_______. Then I spent all night_________with my new friend. It was the first ________of joy I felt during the holidays in years. For the next week, Arthur and I spent the holidays watching romance movies on Netflix, sleeping, or ________ our mouths with the food in the house. It was probably the happiest I’ve been in months. Arthur really made an impact on my life that I never thought was ________.

Arthur stayed by my side a majority of the time. My friend called him ‘mama’s boy’ or something silly like that. I didn’t________ it, though. Every year on Christmas day, I thanked God for giving me the ________. And I ________ felt blessed with My Arthur. My little boy.

1.

A．enjoying

B．cursing

C．monitoring

D．envying

2.

A．depression

B．surprise

C．alarm

D．tiredness

3.

A．dramatic

B．fancy

C．solid

D．justified

4.

A．called

B．made

C．put

D．took

5.

A．handled

B．drilled

C．fixed

D．grabbed

6.

A．committed

B．outgoing

C．innocent

D．dangerous

7.

A．glare

B．laugh

C．smile

D．shout

8.

A．blouse

B．fire

C．friend

D．towel

9.

A．fighting

B．interfering

C．sticking

D．combining

10.

A．part

B．number

C．sort

D．bit

11.

A．engaging

B．stuffing

C．digesting

D．loading

12.

A．possible

B．accessible

C．appropriate

D．essential

13.

A．forgive

B．demand

C．mind

D．accept

14.

A．time

B．opportunity

C．access

D．gift

15.

A．sincerely

B．elegantly

C．practically

D．distinctly

5 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What does the man ask the woman to do?

A．Bring him a snack.

B．Walk the dog.

C．Stay quiet.

2. What is the real reason why the man can’t get up?

A．The dog is sleeping on his legs.

B．He has injured himself.

C．He is very tired.

3. How far does the woman usually walk her dog around the park?

A．5km.

B．10km.

C．15km.

6 . In late spring and early summer each year, tens of millions of butterflies come out of their chrysalises (蚕蛹) in the butterfly valley in southwest China’s Yunnan province. For butterfly expert Yang Zhenwen, it is the busiest time of the year, but he greets it with great enthusiasm.

Before the break of dawn, Yang has already arrived at the observation point, busily tending to the needs of the awakening butterflies. “Due to warmer temperatures, the ‘butterfly explosion’ this year occurred slightly earlier than usual, and the size of the butterflies is larger than that in previous years,” said 46-year-old Yang, curator (馆长) of the butterfly valley museum. “We expect that there will be about 80 million to 100 million butterflies in the valley during this year’s ‘butterfly explosion’. That seems so crazy,” said Yang. According to Yang, in the valley, more than 320 butterfly species have been identified in specimens or photographs, including the rarest, most primitive, largest and smallest butterflies in China.

Besides Yang, many local villages have also assumed the role of butterfly guardians. However, the journey toward achieving human-butterfly harmony was far from easy. Some two decades ago, the villagers had little awareness of butterfly protection, believing wrongly that butterflies could endanger their food crops. They viewed them as pests that should be removed.

In 1998, Yang began his journey at the agricultural science station in Ma’an’di Township, the very place where the butterfly valley lies. “It was there that I got into a frequent dilemma— the local villagers, seeking to protect their crops, would often turn to pesticides to kill the butterflies,” he said. “However, my sincere love for these creatures forced me to prevent them from harming the delicate insects.”

Now, the development of ecotourism relying on butterfly resources has successfully changed the once extremely poor township. More villagers have started reproducing butterflies. He describes the butterfly valley as a “dream-making machine”, which extends the “butterfly dream” of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.

1. What made Yang’s aim to reach human-butterfly harmony hard in the beginning?

A．Warm temperatures in local villages.	B．The number and size of the butterflies.
C．Improper location of the butterfly valley.	D．Lack of awareness of butterfly protection.

2. What does the underlined word “dilemma” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．A choice difficult to make.	B．A fact easy to understand.
C．A duty hard to carry out.	D．A situation smooth to deal with.

3. Which of the following best describe Yang Zhenwen?

A．Honest and professional.	B．Humorous and creative.
C．Hard-working and strong-willed.	D．Generous and easy-going.

4. Which can be a suitable title for the passage?

A．Changing the Poor State of a Town	B．Volunteering as a Butterfly Guardian
C．Helping Butterflies Spread Their Wings	D．Developing a Relationship with the Locals

7 . Emmanuel Mendoza, a college student, is currently running a study at Texas A&M University, where he’s mixing simulated (模拟的)Martian (火星的) soil and frass(粪便)from fly larvae(幼虫)to find just the right recipe for growing plants on Mars.

The seed of this idea was planted when Mendoza was in middle school, watching Ridley Scott’s 2015 film The Martian, in which Mark Watney becomes stuck on the planet and grows potatoes to survive. “That got me really interested in what nutrients or what soil structure Martian soil has that we could potentially take advantage of, ”Mendoza said.

Now, he’s running an experiment growing English peas in simulated Martian soil. “I definitely considered potatoes like Mark Watney, ”he said. “But the fact was that I couldn’t necessarily get the data I wanted out of them. ”

He wanted to be able to measure plant growth as it occurred throughout his experiment. Since potatoes grow underground, he’d only be able to collect data once they were done growing. In the end, Mendoza chose to grow English peas because they’re self-pollinating(自花传粉), grow fairly quickly and he can see the shoots climb.

Martian soil, though it does contain other essential nutrients, isn’t exactly ideal for plants from Earth. It tends to be rocky and lacks the right organic (有机 的)matter. Here’s where the larvae come in. Mendoza turned to the larvae of black soldier flies, which produce a waste known as frass. “They can break down almost any biomatter and turn it into really useful matter, “Mendoza said. “And then you can use the frass as a nutrient alternative to soil.”

For this experiment, Mendoza mixed different percentages of simulated Martian soil and frass to see what best supported growing English pea plants. Now, he said he’s seeing growth across all his plants—even the ones growing in 100%simulated Martian soil.

1. Why does the author mention the film The Martian?

A．To show Mendoza’s enthusiasm for films.

B．To illustrate Mark Watney’s intelligence.

C．To prove Mark Watney’s interest in gardening.

D．To introduce the origin of Mendoza’s experiment.

2. Why did Mendoza grow English peas instead of potatoes?

A．He was unwilling to repeat others’ study.

B．English peas grew far faster than potatoes .

C．Potatoes needed stricter living conditions.

D．It was more convenient to collect the data.

3. What is the function of frass?

A．It serves as certain essential nutrients.

B．It loosens the soil for plants to grow.

C．It makes the soil become quite rocky.

D．It helps black soldier flies grow stronger.

4. How does Mendoza feel about his experiment results?

A．Doubtful.

B．Pleased.

C．Intolerant.

D．Disappointed.

8 . My parents have a boxer dog called Boris which is as badly behaved as his name might suggest. He is known to ________ on a chair at the kitchen table expecting full ________. Whenever the dishwasher is being stacked, he likes to add a personal prewash to the ________.

Even my mother might ________ that Boris is the worst-behaved dog she has ever had, but on the plus side, he is very ________.

The sofas and chairs in their sitting room are covered in books-not because my parents love to read, but in an attempt to ________ the dog climbing on the furniture. ________, any human who wants to sit on a sofa has to ________ a library of books. I’ve suggested a removable cover would be more attractive, or training, but it’s too late for that.

The story between my parents and Boris is repeated across our community. Usually, our gang of dogs gathered almost daily, ________ did we. A group of folks of different ages, backgrounds and interests—all ________ by our dogs. Friends are therefore made through dogs, creating a ________ that lasts far beyond the lifespan of our canine(犬的)family. Sunny, Jess and Archie have all ________ now, but the friendship between us humans remains.

I have met so many people whose daily ________ with their group of dog have been their mainstay and helped them deal with ________. They are medicine for the_________. Dogs are actually man’s best friends.

1.

A．get up

B．come up

C．put up

D．sit up

2.

A．love

B．food

C．service

D．massage

3.

A．plates

B．meals

C．meats

D．vegetables

4.

A．complain

B．worry

C．explain

D．conclude

5.

A．greedy

B．naughty

C．lovely

D．proud

6.

A．observe

B．prevent

C．notice

D．keep

7.

A．Fortunately

B．Naturally

C．Incredibly

D．Consequently

8.

A．deliver

B．rearrange

C．carry

D．equip

9.

A．as

B．or

C．nor

D．also

10.

A．provided

B．supported

C．united

D．surrounded

11.

A．barrier

B．bond

C．border

D．belief

12.

A．gone

B．grown

C．slept

D．cloned

13.

A．run

B．housework

C．dialogues

D．walks

14.

A．difficulties

B．loneliness

C．relationships

D．troubles

15.

A．body

B．diseases

C．soul

D．sufferings

9 . There are a lot of chemicals that can cause indoor air pollution. A recent project conducted has found over 900 different substances in our home are related to it. Many researchers have already examined the causes of indoor air pollution.     1    

It has been proved that different kinds of chemicals can be released by building materials and new furniture. Everything from painting and decorating products, bathroom cleaners and beauty products can contain these chemicals.     2     For instance, cooking generates a lot of harmful emissions, like frying meat in oil.

As a research from Denmark has highlighted, cooking, particularly roasting can damage our body. Roast dinners contain many potentially harmful pollutants.     3     When exposed to cooking emissions, people actually had DNA damage. It can be associated with cell repair processes that trigger cancer—causing genetic changes.     4     And what can we do with it?

As far as cooking emissions are concerned, no one is suggesting switching to takeaways.     5     For example, cooking meat at high temperatures with lots of fat produces more harmful emissions than boiling pasta. Besides, opening windows and using cooker hoods are preferable so that we can enjoy the roasted meat without those undesirable effects.

A．In the long run, these changes lead to cancer.

B．They might also arise from cooking at home.

C．A wide range of sources are under investigation.

D．Therefore, what results from indoor air pollution?

E．However, most of us have ignored their bad effects.

F．So, what are the main contributors to poor air quality?

G．But we can change how we cook to deal with the emissions.

10 . The song of the Florida grasshopper sparrow is unusual and surprisingly insect-like. But it almost fell silent forever. In 2012, Joel Sartore, the founder of National Geographic Explorer and Photo Ark received a call from the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service: The songbird, an important ecological link in Florida’s dry grassland, was on the edge of extinction. With only a few dozen males showing up in counts, it was among North America’s most endangered bird species.

Sartore flew to Florida to photograph the bird and work with conservationists to raise awareness of the species’ difficult situation. The story appeared in outlets, such as newspapers, magazines and even the Internet, helping boost government funding for a breeding program. Thanks to these steps, there are now as many as 180 adults in the wild and researchers are working hard to bring the species back from the brink of extinction.

Like other examples of species survival, the push to save the sparrow is “a remarkable story of belief and cooperation,” says Sartore. It also shows what it takes to protect an endangered species: research, narratives, partnerships, resources and time. This journey shows the society’s mission to illustrate and protect the wonder of the world. Over the past 136 years, we’ve developed a unique Explorer-led model, combining science, exploration, education, and storytelling to drive impact. We support Explorer in more than 140 countries, including Sartore and others whose work appears in this issue: biologist André Green II, photographer Lynsey Addario and education advocate Ara Kusuma.

Sartore has been creating an “ark” of animal photos for 17 years. Portraits of more than 15, 000 species invite audiences to connect and care. With the society’s support, the images have appeared on landmarks and U. S. postage stamps, prompting on—the—ground conservation efforts such as an initiative of National Geographic Explorer and Photo Ark.

As Sartore says, “The sounds of birds are the sounds of a healthy planet. When we save a bird or another species, we’re actually saving ourselves.”

1. How does the author introduce the topic?

A．By clarifying a concept.	B．By offering an example.
C．By giving an explanation.	D．By quoting a remark.

2. Which has the similar meaning with “outlets” in paragraph 2?

A．Stores.

B．Media.

C．Exits.

D．Books

3. What contributes to the sparrow’s survival?

A．A funding program from the government.

B．An ark of animal photos in the magazine.

C．A unique initiative for species protection.

D．A joint effort from different professionals.

4. What does Sartore want to convey in the last paragraph?

A．The urgency of species’ protection.

B．The promotion of cooperative methods.

C．The importance of coexistence.

D．The situation of human survival.