1 . China’s space industry has made great achievements, which makes us occupy a place in the world space field. After 11 years, China has finally completed its Tiangong space station with the docking (对接) its Mengtian lab module, establishing the Tiangong as the second operational space station apart from the US-led, multinational International Space Station.
On November 1, the Mengtian lab module, the third and final part of its Tiangong space station docked with the core Tianhe module 13 hours after being launched. Next, the Tianhe and Mengtian modules will dock with the Wentian lab module, completing Tiangong’s T-shaped basic structure. The 17.88-meter-long, 23-ton Mengtian module is the heaviest operational single-cabin (舱) active spacecraft in orbit. Mengtian consists of a work cabin, a goods airlock cabin, a payload cabin and resource cabin. In addition, it has eight scientific experiment rooms and 37 extravehicular (舱外的) installation (安装) options.
One of the more ambitious aims of China’s space program is to position the country as a leading provider of space-based international public goods and services, such as planetary defense. Last month, Asia Times reported about China’s plans to conduct its first asteroid (行星) direction-changing test in 2025 or 2026. China has also taken pioneering steps in Mar exploration. A good example is the completion of China’s Tianwen-1 Mars mission. China has also stated that it is willing to share scientific data from its Tianwen-l mission at an appropriate time and that scientists are welcome to apply for research over the data.
Moreover, China has also announced plans to send men to the moon, helping its future settlement and economic use. And China and Russia plan to establish a permanent moon base by 2027. The base, the International Lunar Research Station, is seen as an experimental complex designed for multiple scientific activities.
Reflecting China’s open-door space policy, the Tiangong is designed to be “inclusive” and adaptable for foreign astronauts.
1. Which statement is true about the Mengtian module according to the text?| A．It has docked with the Wentian lab module. |
| B．It is an significant part of Tiangong space station. |
| C．It is made up of four scientific experiment cabins. |
| D．It is heavier than all the other single-cabin spaceships. |
| A．To present a fact. | B．To explain a rule. |
| C．To clarify a concept. | D．To make a prediction. |
| A．By sending men to the settlement of the moon. |
| B．By providing clear photos of the planet’s surface. |
| C．By sharing scientific data from its Tianwen-1 mission. |
| D．By setting up a moon base for multiple scientific activities. |
| A．International Space Station Suffers Wear and Tear |
| B．Side by Side, China Works with UN Member States |
| C．Step by Step, China Finds Its Footing in Outer Space |
| D．Tiangong Space Station Is Established Little by Little |
A lesson in trust
“Come on, Tuck,” I said, patting the floor of the 4Runner (越野车). “Load. Let’s go for a walk.” Tuck danced nervously at my feet, then sat and looked up at me with sad eyes. He wouldn’t jump in.
This was my first afternoon with the three-year-old border collie (德国牧羊犬) I was adopting, and it was time for the daily hike.
I’d taken Tuck in reluctantly, as a temporary solution for Tammy, my friend. She was trying to find a new home for the dog. Tuck was adopted from a pet store and had been kept long in a cage there, leaving him long-lasting trauma (创伤).
Tammy knew why I wasn’t willing to give Tuck a permanent home. Three months earlier, I’d lost my beloved Bantam, the border collie who’d been my rock for 12 years. I wasn’t ready to let a new dog into my life for good. But I’d agreed to help Tammy out while she continued her search.
Tuck wouldn’t load, no matter how much I coaxed (劝诱). Knowing there was always a reason for a dog’s behavior, I finally lifted the dog up and placed him in the back. “Load,” I said, teaching him the command. “Good boy.”
But every day, when it came time to load for our hike, Tuck still didn’t trust my invitation. At the end of the second week, I became impatient.
Actually, Tuck was a sweet dog and seemed to love everyone. He had this boyish enthusiasm toward strangers.
Days crept into a third week. I found myself appreciating Tuck for who he was. One afternoon, he came to the steps where I sat. He shyly looked at me, then walked over and put one big foot on my knee. At that very moment, I realized that he did show affection, in his own way. But he still refused to load for our hike.
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。
Why wouldn’t Tuck jump into the car?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The next afternoon, I called Tuck over and let him watch as I removed the cage from the car.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3 . Look out the window or walk over to a patch of soil near your home. It could be reddish brown, black, dark gray or even the colour of rich, dark chocolate. If it’s moist enough, run your hands through it. It may separate into thick clumps that can hold water and later release it. With a few exceptions—such as desert sites—this is how good soil behaves.
In fact, the number of microscopic organisms that live in a shovelful of rich garden soil exceeds the number of plants and animals inhabiting the entire aboveground Amazon rainforest. And the Amazon is known for having more plants and animals than any other land-based habitat.
Soil is what supports life on Earth. Most people give it little thought, but it feeds us and the ecosystems around us. It is where countless species make their homes. It collects water, pulls pollutants from the air and helps support the planet’s atmosphere. Soil is one of Mother Nature’s unsung heroes.
And while most soil looks like it’s static, just sitting there unmoving, it actually hosts plenty of activities. Its earthworms may be digging tunnels. Worms are weightlifters. But they aren’t the only ones making changes. Other creatures below ground are too tiny to see with the unaided eye. These include one celled creatures called protozoa (单细胞生物). They improve soil by eating bacteria and releasing nitrogen, which helps plants grow.
And then there are all those bacteria. Most people think of them as dangerous. In soils, they not only serve as prey to beneficial protozoa, but also perform an environmental service. They help recycle dead plant parts and animal tissues into nutrients. They even turn some pollutants in soil and water into more of the nutrients that can sustain the diverse species that make up lively ecosystems beneath our feet.
1. What’s the purpose of mentioning the Amazon rainforest in the second paragraph?| A．To indicate the rich species in the Amazon rainforest. |
| B．To introduce the rich soil in the Amazon rainforest. |
| C．To stress the variety of microscopic organisms in the rich soil. |
| D．To illustrate biodiversity aboveground the Amazon rainforest. |
| A．Soil is something that supports life on Earth. |
| B．Soil provides a variety of benefits to our planet. |
| C．Soil determines the quality of our ecosystems. |
| D．Soil is the Mother Nature’s unsung hero. |
| A．The soil in the desert behaves as well as good soil does. |
| B．Most people give thought to soil for it supports life on Earth. |
| C．Most soil indeed hosts plenty of activities though it looks quiet. |
| D．The bacteria in soils almost do no good to the environment. |
| A．Categories of the Soil on Earth | B．The Disappearance of the Rich Soil |
| C．Biodiversity in the Amazon Rainforest | D．Healthy Soil Supports Life on Our Planet |
4 . The world’s longest cave system is an enormous network of 420 miles of twists and turns, with limestone (石灰岩) falling from the ceilings in drops.
Mammoth Cave National Park preserves this unique and historical natural wonder. As large as the limestone cave system is, park officials, estimate there may be another 600 miles of cave passageways that have yet to be explored. The incredible rock formations have resulted in the park being recognized as a World Heritage Site, thanks to its extraordinary size and scientific importance –– making it one of only 13 natural US sites with that title.
The caves were created naturally by the process of limestone wearing away. Rain and rivers slowly break down and shape soft limestone, which creates the vast underground network. Not only are they an amazing destination to visit, but the system also provides drinking water for roughly 40% of the US population, and they’re of historical significance too.
The caves act as a time capsule that preserves over 5,000 years of human history — and the caves’ first explorers were Native Americans, who mined the upper levels of Mammoth Cave. Thanks to the cave system’s atmosphere and natural protection from any kind of human disturbance, the archaeological (考古的) sites have been left in great shape.
Mammoth Cave was established as a national park thanks to strong local support. Back in the 1920s, Secretary of the Interior Hubert Work created the Southern Appalachian National Park Commission in 1925 to survey proposed park sites, including the caves. After years of work acquiring the land for the park, as well as building roads, trails (小径), and public facilities, Mammoth Cave National Park was established on July 1, 1941. The park now receives around 2 million visitors a year, with roughly a quarter taking a tour of the caves –– everything from a cultural tour to the more adventurous climbing tours on offer. The cave supports more than 130 wildlife species, such as the eyeless cavefish, which has adapted to the lightless environment by no longer growing eyes, and the cave crayfish.
1. What has made Mammoth Cave National Park a World Heritage Site?| A．The wildlife species. | B．The rock formations. |
| C．The cave passageways. | D．The scientific discovery. |
| A．They are an amazing destination to visit. |
| B．They were first explored by Native Americans. |
| C．They provide drinking water for the Americans. |
| D．They preserve human history over 5000 years. |
| A．It took a lot of work to establish the park. |
| B．Local people donated the land for the park. |
| C．Around 2 million people visit the caves annually. |
| D．The site of the park was decided by the secretary. |
| A．Taking cultural and adventurous tours |
| B．Preserving a unique and historical wonder |
| C．Exploring the world’s longest cave system |
| D．Establishing Mammoth Cave National Park |
5 . From the moon to Mars, scientists have been looking for water —the key to life —in the solar system for decades. Recently, they have turned to Jupiter (木星)!
On April 14, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) JUICE spacecraft successfully lifted off from French Guiana in South America. JUICE, short for “Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer”, will collect data from Jupiter and its three moons, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.
The three moons are believed to have big oceans of liquid water under their icy shells. According to ESA, the water on these moons could be as much as six times the amount in Earth’s oceans. The mission “will change our understanding of the solar system”, wrote Scientific American.
In 1998, NASA’s Galileo spacecraft found that Europa might send water as far as 160 kilometers into space. That gave scientists the idea of studying the icy moons of Jupiter.
The oceans under these moons are likely to be tens of kilometers deep. But they are also trapped under tens of kilometers of ice, making it very difficult to study them. Although JUICE cannot land on the surface, it has lots of high-tech equipment to study the moon’s environment, including spectral imaging (光谱成像) tools and radar. They could give more data on things like the thickness of the oceans, their salt content, and their distance from the icy shells above, reported Phys.org.
“The main goal is to understand whether there are habitable (可居住的) environments among those icy moons and around a giant planet like Jupiter,” JUICE team member Olivier Witasse said during a press conference on April 6.
1. What do we know about JUICE?| A．It left for Jupiter from the US. | B．It got its name from how it looks. |
| C．It will become one of Jupiter’s moons. | D．It will collect data from Jupiter and its moons. |
| A．cover a small part of its surface |
| B．all come from its icy shell |
| C．have been thrown into space |
| D．be as much as six times the amount in Earth’s oceans |
| A．wandered | B．wept | C．kept | D．declined |
| A．find a possible way to solve the water shortage on Earth |
| B．find out if it is possible for life to live on Jupiter’s moons |
| C．explore if Jupiter has living things similar to human beings |
| D．test ways of keeping water on Europa, Ganymede and Callisto |
6 . Four Places Named After Scientists in Antarctica
There are many scientific breakthroughs made by women in Antarctic. Here are four landmarks in Antarctica and the female pioneers they’re named for.
Jones Terrace (梯田)
The ice-free terrace in eastern Antarctica’s Victoria Land bears Jones’ name. In 1969, geochemist Lois M. Jones led the first all-female research team from the U.S. to work in Antarctica. Jones and her team studied chemical weathering in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, an ice-free area of Antarctica. Through chemical analyses of rocks they had collected, Jones and her team discovered many geochemical characteristics of the valley’s ice-covered lakes.
Mount Fiennes
8,202-foot-high Mount Fiennes, located on Antarctica’s largest island — Alexander Island — is named for Ginny Fiennes. She established and maintained 80-foot-tall radio towers in the Antarctic. In 1985, Fiennes became the first female who was invited to join the Antarctic Club, a British supper club open to individuals who have spent extended time in the Antarctic region.
Francis Peak
The 3,727-foot-tall peak on Antarctica’s Adelaide Island is named after Dame Jane Francis, who is the first female director of the British Antarctic Survey, the national polar research institute of the UK. Her collection of fossils on Seymour Island helped conclude in a 2021 paper that Antarctica’s abundant plant fossils indicate the continent once had a much warmer climate than it currently does.
Peden Cliffs
Peden Cliffs near Antarctica’s Marie Byrd Land are proof of the labor of Irene Peden. She was the first American female scientist to both live and work in the Antarctic, where she used radio waves to study ice sheets. Peden and her team determined how very low frequency radio waves spread over long polar distances by measuring pathways in the ice. They also used varying radio wave frequencies to measure the thickness of Antarctica’s ice sheets.
1. Which place is named after a builder of radio towers in the Antarctic?| A．Jones Terrace. | B．Mount Fiennes. |
| C．Francis Peak. | D．Peden Cliffs. |
| A．Lois M. Jones. | B．Ginny Fiennes. |
| C．Dame Jane Francis. | D．Irene Peden. |
| A．She could judge the thickness of Antarctica’s ice sheets. |
| B．She discovered a lot of ice-covered lakes in the Antarctic. |
| C．She was the first female American to explore the Antarctic. |
| D．She correctly measured the spreading speed of radio waves. |
7 . 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. |
8 . 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 |
9 . Indoor plants might look as if they just sit around not doing much, but in many ways they are the unsung heroes of the home.
What are indoor plants?
Indoor plants, also known as houseplants or pot plants, are plants that like to grow indoors. Many of these species (物种) are not ideally suited to growing outside in the UK, especially in the winter.
Why are indoor plants good for you?
Will Spoelstra, who works at the Royal Botanic Gardens, says, “
Which plants can you grow?
Aloe vera, peace lilies and spider plants are some of the species that are easy to grow indoors. You can buy plants from supermarkets, garden centres or online. Younger plants are often cheaper than fully grown ones, and you get to care for them as they mature — which is part of the joy of owning plants. “
| A．All plants are different |
| B．Not only do they look beautiful |
| C．There are many benefits to growing plants indoors |
| D．Instead, they grow better inside, where it is warmer |
| E．Plants like peace lilies and devil’s ivy are among the best |
| F．Changing the pot of your plant from time to time will also help |
| G．Learning about the requirements of each plant can be very rewarding |
10 . Scientists say a huge percentage of bird species are in danger because their habitats, or homelands, are disappearing.
Traditional migration paths take birds through countries that are not protecting the places for birds to stop, rest and feed. The scientists studied the migration or flight paths of almost 1,500 species. They decided that 91 percent of them passed through dangerous areas.
The major danger for migratory birds is development. Buildings and pavements have covered the places where birds stop and feed as they move from one part of the world to another. One of the scientists who worked on the study says “Many of these important places have been lost to land reclamation because of urban, industrial and agricultural land expansion”.
The problem, according to scientists, is that many of these small birds die along their migration paths because they don’t have a safe place to feed and rest. There is no place to restore their energy for the next part of their journey. Countries in North Africa, Central Asia and those along the coasts of East Asia are having the most difficult time in protecting land. The scientists say these countries do not have enough areas that are safe for birds. One species that doesn’t exist now is the Eskimo curlew. “Our world gets poorer every time we lose a species,” one of the scientists says.
The researchers say countries need to work together and come up with safe stopping areas for birds that pass through their boundaries. For example, one country might have preserved safe zones for migrating birds. But a neighbor country might not. A bird might die.
One scientist who is not connected with the report tells Los Angeles Times that while some habitats are changing, more work can be done to make urban areas safe for birds.
He says small changes, like planting more native plants or keeping cats out of the areas birds would be likely to use, could make a big difference.
1. What mainly caused the disappearing of birds’ habitats?| A．The decrease of awareness to protect birds. | B．Natural disasters. |
| C．Overuse of land by human beings. | D．The rising sea level. |
| A．Tiredness and hunger. | B．Beast attack on the ground. |
| C．Hunting of humans. | D．The long journey. |
| A．By keeping fewer cats or dogs. |
| B．By restoring their destroyed habitats. |
| C．By helping change the birds’ migration paths. |
| D．By preserving the ecological environments on their migration paths. |
| A．To call on people to protect the birds’ habitats. |
| B．To analyze the reasons for disappearing of birds’ habitats. |
| C．To offer some solutions to the problem of birds’ habitats. |
| D．To tell us a huge percentage of bird species are in danger. |
