3 . 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.

2. What do the explorations in 2017 and 2022 have in common?

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.

3. How does Prosanta Chakrabarty feel about the latest finding?

A．Concerned.

B．Confused.

C．Surprised.

D．Disappointed.

4. What does the author want to show by mentioning an e-mail in the last paragraph?

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.

5 . California, Arizona and Nevada announced an agreement on Monday to cut their use of the Colorado River by another 14% in exchange for $1.2 billion grants (拨款) from the US government. The landmark agreement, which lasts through 2026, would avoid compulsory cuts set by the US government to keep the crucial Colorado River basin from collapsing in the face of constant over-consumption and a long drought worsened by climate change.

The 1,450-mile-long Colorado River provides drinking water for 40 million people in seven US states, part of Mexico, and several Native American tribes. It also supplies water for 5.5 million acres of productive farmland.

The Interior Department needs to sign off on the agreement before it takes effect. Camille Touton, leading member of the Interior Department’s Bureau of Reclamation, called the agreement “an important step forward toward our shared goal of creating a sustainable path for the basin that millions of people call home.”

The voluntary cuts are about half of what the US government said were needed last year, but an exceptionally wet winter and unusually plentiful snow pack gave the seven states that use the Colorado River a temporary relief. The two dammed reservoirs (水库) on the river, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, have risen 7 feet and 26 feet, respectively, since April, after falling to crisis levels in 2022. Lake Mead is now 30% full and Lake Powell 27%.

Arizona, California and Nevada draw their Colorado River water from Lake Mead while four Upper Basin states—Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming—use water directly from the river and its branches. All seven basin states still have to reach a longer-term arrangement for use of the declining Colorado River after 2026. Monday’s agreement is “a great start”, Jack Schmidt, director of the Utah State University’s Center for Colorado River Studies, tells the Los Angeles Times. “It’s about 25% of where we ultimately need to get.”

1. What do you know about the Colorado River?

A．It measures 1,450 kilometres long.	B．It’s an inland river in the USA.
C．Arizona is in its Upper Basin.	D．It’s overused by people along it.

2. What relieved the situation in the states using the Colorado River water last year?

A．The productive land.	B．The Interior Department.
C．The wet winter and much snow.	D．Lake Mead and Lake Powell.

3. Why did Jack Schmidt say the agreement was a great start?

A．It was in exchange for $1.2 billion grants.

B．The Interior Department would sign off on it.

C．All 7 basin states have reached a longer-term agreement based on it.

D．It helped to achieve the goal of using the Colorado River sustainably.

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

A．The Colorado River is suffering	B．More efforts are still needed
C．An important agreement is reached	D．Climate change is getting worse

6 . The UNESCO World Heritage List is a prestigious honour awarded to sites of outstanding universal value around the world. Did you know there are 1,157 UNESCO World Heritage Sites spanning across 167 countries? We’ve picked out our top 4 for you to visit below.

The Acropolis, Greece

The Acropolis is an ancient castle that stands proud in the Greek city of Athens. Back in the fifth century BC after battle with the Persians, the plans of Pericles came to life under the influence of Pheidias, the sculptor. It then became a place for thought and art to flourish, where symbols of classical spirit and civilisation came alive.

Historic centre of Rome, Italy

According to Roman mythology, the Eternal City was founded in 753 BC and became the capital of the mighty Roman Empire. Rome is home to a number of attractions including the Forum, the Pantheon and the Colosseum! This World Heritage site contains the whole historic centre within the city walls and reflects the influence of the Renaissance and Baroque periods in making it one of Italy’s most popular cities.

Ayutthaya Historical Park, Thailand

The historic city of Ayutthaya in Thailand was founded around 1350 and was subsequently destroyed in the 18th century by the Burmese. What’s left today is the ruins and some key highlights include the Buddhist temples of Wat Ratchaburana, Wat Mahathat and Wat Phra Sri Sanphet. The area is home to the remains of tall prang (reliquary towers) and should not be missed.

Cultural landscape of Bali, Indonesia

The landscape in Bali is unlike anything else on Earth. Consisting of five rice terraces (梯田) and water temples covering 19,500 hectares, the cultural landscape takes your breath away. This site gains honour through an ancient farming ceremony dating back to the 9th century known as subak. This concept reflects the spirit, the human world and nature, also known as Tri Hita Karana.

1. What might have happened in Greece in the 5th century BC?

A．Greece became famous for its castles.	B．Pheidias became a sculptor.
C．Greece fought against Persians.	D．The Greek spirit disappeared.

2. What is subak?

A．A rice terrace.

B．A cultural landscape.

C．A water temple.

D．An agricultural ceremony.

3. Which of the following has the longest history?

A．The Acropolis.

B．The Eternal City.

C．Ayutthaya.

D．Tri Hita Karana.

7 . 植树节快到了，你和同学将组织一次植树活动。请你用英语写一个简短的倡议书，倡议大家参加植树活动，内容包括：
1.活动要求和注意事项；
2.个人想法。
注意：
1.词数100词左右；
2.标题已为你写好。
题目为: Trees Planting Activity Is Calling On Us

Trees Planting Activity Is Calling On Us

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8 . 阅读下列短文，根据短文内容或括号内所给词的恰当形式填空。

A research team led by Guo Songtao, professor at the Northwest University in China, is developing a system with facial recognition and other technologies     1    (identify) golden snub-nosed monkeys(川金丝猴),     2     are a protected species living in the Qinling Mountains in Northwest China. Called “Tri-AI”, the system can detect, track and recognize individual animals from videos and images,     3    (make) all-time monitoring and behavior analysis of animals possible.

“In the past few years, machine learning     4     (apply) to recognize species, but accurate individual recognition is the first step to do in animal behavior analysis and animal     5     (protect),” Guo told Global Times, noting the system enables researchers to achieve this goal.

    6     (previous), to monitor and track a particular animal, researchers usually used radio collars(无线电项圈) to mark     7    . But this method often injures the animal or is easy to be disturbed by bad weather, leaving the researchers faced     8     the challenge of finding out the one they want to track among a group of animals in the wild.

With the facial recognition technology     9     (adopt) on animals, it may be much     10     (easy) to protect rare animals than 10 years ago.

9 . The humble honey bee is responsible for up to 80 per cent of plant pollination (授粉) worldwide. But population numbers are in steep decline because of habitat loss, pesticides and pollution — threatening our food security. One startup has identified a potential solution — the common hoverfly (食蚜蝇).

UK-based designer Tashia Tucker has created an AI-based technology called Olombria, which encourages hoverflies to increase their pollination levels to match that of bees. Although flies perform approximately 30 percent of the world’s pollination, they aren’t as efficient as bees, often getting distracted and “wandering off” before they can carry pollen between plants.

Olombria is a solution — an AI pollination system that encourages hoverflies to pollinate targeted sites when the plants are in bloom (鲜花盛开). The system consists of sensors, cameras and chemical signaling devices placed within specified areas of an orchard or field. It starts by collecting data on the level and diversity of pollinators in a grower’s field as well as pollination effectiveness.

This information, combined with other environmental data — time, the location and temperature, allows the system to paint an overall picture of pollinator health and then take action. “We first provide that baseline data,” Tucker explains, “so we have an understanding of where there are deficiencies (缺乏) and areas that need to be improved, and then we distribute our natural chemical signaling from the device.”

Depending on what areas of an orchard need pollinating, Olombria’s AIcloud system triggers chosen devices to release organic chemicals that encourage hoverflies to move towards those specific areas. “The chemicals do not change what the flies would naturally do, but target their location and increase the amount of pollen that they’re picking up and transferring,” Tucker explains.

The hoverflies work in cooperation with the bees and, through Tucker’s research, she’s found that the hoverflies even encourage bees to become more efficient pollinators. “There’s a bit of competition; it focuses the bees’ pollination as there’s another insect in the area,” says Tucker.

As a designer, Tucker initially designed Olombria’s device to look like a fruit to reflect the ethos (气质) of the design. “When I started working with farmers, I knew I needed to design the technology to be strong enough to stay out in the field and in various weather conditions,” says Tucker. Since then, Tucker has changed the design and is exploring what colors work well with insects. “As we start to streamline the technology, it is becoming more refined,” Tucker explains. “As an AI system, it’s great, as it’s just getting smarter as the technology develops.”

1. Why are hoverflies not so efficient at plant pollination?

A．Most of them don’t know how to pollinate plants.

B．They can hardly focus on their pollinating work.

C．They have great difficulty carrying pollen.

D．The population of them is declining.

2. What does Olombria first do to encourage hoverflies to pollinate plants?

A．Take pictures of plants in a field.	B．Examine overall plant health there.
C．Choose chemical signaling devices.	D．Get basic facts about pollinators there.

3. What is the purpose in releasing organic chemicals?

A．To attract hoverflies to a certain area.	B．To change pollinators’ behavior.
C．To make pollen attractive to hoverflies.	D．To locate the position of pollinators.

4. Why did Tucker make changes to her design?

A．To deal with pollination crisis quickly.	B．To make it attractive in appearance.
C．To meet the demands of AI systems.	D．To make it as practical as possible.

10 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. When will the first storm arrive?

A．Today.

B．This weekend.

C．Next week.

2. Which city will have fog?

A．New York City.

B．Saint Paul.

C．Boston.

3. For whom will the ice cause problems according to the speaker?

A．People traveling on foot.

B．People driving on the road.

C．People celebrating by the water.

4. What will the weather be like in Chicago?

A．Sunny.

B．Snowy.

C．Windy.