Giant panda Ya Ya arrived at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on Thursday from Memphis. Tennessee. She returned
In December, the Memphis Zoo announced that it would return Ya Ya,
In January, Chinese netizens showed their concern for Ya Ya, for she
In 2006, Ya Ya’s fur began to fall out, and the condition worsened in 2014. Various
2 . Humans’ voice sounds more pleasant than that of primates (灵长类动物) because we don’t have vocal membranes (声带膜), a new study suggests.
Humans have vocal cords (声带), muscles in the top of the throat, which vibrate (振动) to produce sound. That unique part helps people control their voices well enough to produce sounds that form spoken language. However, unlike all the other studied primates, humans don’t have vocal membranes.
To find out how vocal membranes affected spoken sounds, a team from Kyoto University took throats from monkeys that had died of natural causes and put the parts into devices, pushing air through the throats to see how the vocal cords and membranes would react. In the experiment, the researchers found that their vocal membranes and vocal cords vibrated together.
Researchers said these vocal membranes make it harder for other primates to control the voices they make. Without these membranes, humans’ vocal source is more balanced, allowing better voice control and production of long and balanced voices. A key thing that distinguishes human speech from animal sounds is our control over the sounds we make.
In humans, that sort of unpleasant voices can happen when we put extreme amounts of pressure on our voice, like baby crying and adult screaming. But those are rare cases. Researchers also said that our mouths and tongues could help control the voices. They are the basis of human languages.
1. Why does the human voice sound less unpleasant?| A．Humans have no vocal membranes. |
| B．Vocal cords of humans are very narrow. |
| C．Muscles in the human throat can hardly be controlled. |
| D．Humans’ brains are structured differently from other primates. |
| A．By exploring the history of human evolution. |
| B．By referring to previous researches on primates. |
| C．By observing monkeys’ vocal cords and membranes. |
| D．By comparing the voice patterns of different animals. |
| A．A doubt about the research process. |
| B．The importance of the research findings. |
| C．Further explanation of the research results. |
| D．The potential application of the research methods. |
| A．Why humans cry or scream? |
| B．How primates make sounds? |
| C．How primates develop languages? |
| D．Why humans’ voice sounds pleasant? |
3 . A handful of healthy soil could contain great numbers of living organisms. However, poisonous pesticides (杀虫剂) are causing harm and destruction to them, according to a recent analysis.
For the analysis, researchers looked through nearly 400 published studies including over 2,800 experiments on how pesticides affect soil organisms. They found that pesticides harmed organisms critical to maintaining healthy soils, but these harms have never been considered in the safety reviews of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency).Poisonous pesticides are driving factors in the sharp decline of many soil organisms, such as ground beetles. They have been identified as the most significant driver of soil biodiversity loss in the last ten years.
However, that research has always been ignored. The EPA, which is responsible for pesticide supervision(监管)in the country, openly acknowledges that somewhere between 50 and 100 percent of all agriculturally applied pesticides end up on the soil. Yet, to assess pesticides’ harms to soil species, the agency just uses a single test species, the European honeybee, to estimate risk to all soil organisms. It spends its entire life above ground in artificial boxes.
Worse still, as soil health gain popularity globally, pesticide companies have jumped up to green wash and promote their products. Every major company is now advertising its role in improving soil health, such as advocating planting cover crops. As general beliefs, these practices are indeed good for soil health and, if adopted responsibly, are a great step to take. But companies know that these practices are often accompanied by increased pesticide use. Chemicals and pesticides have to be applied more frequently to kill weeds before crops are planted.
The long-term environmental cost can no longer be overlooked. Soils are some of the most complex ecosystems on Earth, containing nearly a quarter of the planet’s biodiversity. Protecting them should be a priority, not an afterthought.
1. What does the underlined word “They” refer to in Paragraph 2?| A．Soil organisms. | B．Ground beetles. |
| C．Artificial boxes. | D．Poisonous pesticides. |
| A．The honeybee is a typical species living in nature. |
| B．The assessment of pesticides’ harms is one-sided. |
| C．Less than half of applied pesticide go to the soil eventually. |
| D．The EPA attaches great importance to pesticide inspection. |
| A．To obey the EPA’s rules. |
| B．To increase their product sales. |
| C．To protect the environment. |
| D．To shoulder their social responsibility. |
| A．Soil: essential to agriculture. |
| B．Pesticides: harmful to soil health. |
| C．Organisms: significant to harvest. |
| D．Pollution: destructive to biodiversity. |
4 . Cats and many other animals can reflect light from their eyes. That’s why their eyes will usually shine brightly in photos taken in a less bright room.
Some species can see better in low light because they either hunt for food or need to look out for enemies throughout the night, or at the early morning and late afternoon.
In fact, domesticated (家养的) cats can see in conditions that are only 16% as bright as what people require. Cats achieve this because their pupils (瞳孔) are special. Pupils operate like windows, with bigger ones letting more light into the eye. And a cat’s pupils can become up to 50% larger than human pupils in weak light.
They also have a higher number of a specific type of light-sensing cell in the back of their eyes than we do. These cells, called rods, catch low-level light.
What’s more, cats have something people don’t: a tapetum lucidum, or eyeshine, which is behind the retina (视网膜), receiving light, changing the light to an electrical signal and sending this signal to the brain to form the image. A cat’s tapetum lucidum reflect light back to the retina, which gives the retina a second chance to absorb more light.
Unfortunately, animals with a tapetum lucidum give up some visual quality for their ability to see in weak light. That’s because bright light reflecting off he tapetum lucidum can make what they see a little more unclear. So, a cat needs to be seven times closer to an object to see it as sharply as a person would in a brightly lit place.
But don’t worry, I’m sure your cat would rather see clearly at night than read a book.
1. In photos taken in dark rooms, we find cats’ eyes shining brightly mainly because ________.| A．their eyes can send light like a car's headlights |
| B．they need to fight enemies with lights in the dark |
| C．they have the habit of hunting for food at night |
| D．they have the ability to reflect light from their eyes |
| A．Pupils. | B．Rods. | C．Retinas. | D．Tapetum lucidums. |
| A．By analyzing causes. | B．By providing examples. |
| C．By explaining a concept. | D．By drawing comparisons. |
| A．Failing to approach the goal. | B．Missing the chance of reading. |
| C．Seeing clearly in the bright light. | D．Losing some visual quality. |
“Sun, sun, sun, here it comes…”
Danny sang while his fingers pressed and pulled skillfully at the guitar strings, delivering a slow and peaceful tune. A circle of audience had formed, nodding and moving slowly to the song.
Lying at the feet of the street performer was his most adoring fan: One-Eyed, a white stray (流浪) dog with pieces of brown. Danny felt the name was suitable considering its physical disability. Usually, One-Eyed would bark loudly as Danny performed. Much to his annoyance, people often mistook the pair as owner and pet. At this time, Danny would reply, “My dog? No!”, eyes rolling at the idea. How he wished the dog would leave him alone instead!
On a snowy night, while Danny was performing, a bird flew downward, landing into the midst of the crowd. It cooed happily as if to harmonize with Danny. Unfortunately, that did not sit well with One-Eyed, which immediately bounced at it and the bird flew away desperately.
The unexpected chaos upturned Danny's hat, which could have been filled with notes and coins from his appreciative audience, leaving it ignored on the ground. "Argh! The hateful dog!” Danny broke down, thinking to himself, “Either the dog goes or I go!”
On the next night, Danny tried to find a new place and chanced upon the park. For a while his earnings were good unsurprisingly as there was a steady flow of visitors. However, that didn't last long. One-Eyed came along and appointed itself as Danny's guardian. "Argh! Here comes the hateful dog again!" That night, Danny hadn't made enough money he should have, all thanks to the troublesome dog.
Danny was almost mad with One-Eyed. “What should I do? Call an animal shelter?” Torn by this problem, he walked aimlessly by the lake of the park. With all his mind focused on how to get rid of the dog, Danny didn't watch his steps. Suddenly, he slipped and fell into the lake accidentally. Struggling in the icy water, he cried for help desperately, almost choking to death. Sensing the approach of death, Danny got into overwhelming panic.
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。
Just then, a familiar barking was heard in the distance.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“My hero! Thank you for saving me,” Danny said gratefully with watery eyes.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________6 . The Albatross (信天翁)
A What is an Albatross?
Albatrosses are the largest seabirds in existence, with wingspans (翼幅) which extend to over three metres in width. They represent a small subset of the larger group known as tube-nosed petrels, which have strong, curved sharp beaks which they use for catching fish and squid on the surface of the ocean. While there is some debate about the exact taxonomy of the species, it is agreed that there are somewhere between 21 and 24 species of albatrosses.
B A Special Breeding Site
Of these species, approximately half breed in New Zealand and about 80 percent breed (繁殖) or fish within New Zealand’s territorial waters. Six species breed only in New Zealand or on its offshore islands. One of only two mainland nesting sites for these birds in the world, for the northern royal albatross, is on the Otago Peninsula in the South Island of New Zealand; it is a popular tourist destination. Visitors can view the albatross colony (种群) from a special building which has been established beside the nesting ground and, while the site is closed during breeding season (繁殖季) , at other times it is often possible to see parents and their chicks living and feeding only metres away from human observers.
C Predators
However, there are risks to albatross chicks (幼鸟) on land. Natural predators (捕食者) such as seagulls can eat eggs and young birds, and in mainland areas there are also threats from dogs, cats and other land animals. On some offshore islands, sea lions have been observed raiding (袭击) nests for eggs. It is thought that this is a new behaviour.
D Threats (危险) for Adult Albatross
The main threats to the adult albatross occur at sea, and most of these are man-made. Albatrosses like to travel close to fishing boats, to eat the leftover scraps of fish that are dropped over the side of the boat. Sometimes, however, they also eat the bait (饵) and accidentally ingest (咽下) fish hooks (钩) , or get dragged (拖，拉) along on fishing lines and drown. The number of albatrosses that any one boat catches is small, but because there are so many fishing boats, this may have a long term impact on population numbers. It is estimated (预估) that at least 100,000 albatrosses die in this way each year. As for all sea bird species, there are other threats, such as drift nets, oil spills and rubbish such as plastic in the ocean. While there are international agreements and fishing conventions to try and protect sea birds, albatrosses are among the million or so sea birds that get caught in drift nets and die each year.
Answer the questions below. Use NO MORE THAN SIX WORDS OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.
1. What is the distance from one wing tip (翅尖) to the other of an albatross?
2. How many kinds of albatrosses are there?
3. What can people see from the special building beside the nesting site?
4. How many albatrosses die each year because of fishing boats?
Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in the reading passage?
Write:
YES 正确
NO 错误
NOT GIVEN 没有提到
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
For nearly four months, the little dog, Indiana, fortunately survived in the woods with a wounded shoulder. She'd been mistaken for a wolf and shot while running wild with her mother, Dakota. An animal control officers said they were the most strongly bonded pair he'd even seen and the two dogs refused to leave each other's side, even while trying to escape being caught.
As a result of the gunshot, Indiana lost both her leg and her mother, for the two were sent to different adoption groups. While Indiana was learning to walk on three legs down south, Dakota was 1,000 miles north in New England. The first adoption family returned her two days later. They said the dog couldn't bond with humans, kept them up all night and wasn't suitable to live in a home. Eventually, Dakota found her forever home with me on Long Island. I have experience with such dogs, and Dakota, a husky (哈士奇犬), just needed attention and someone who understood how to approach her. I always let her come up to me. I gave her the time and space to explore and feel comfortable. She soon let me put a belt on her and would lie on the sofa with me quietly.
When I, accidentally, read the post of Dakota's first adopter, it mentioned that the little dog Dakota had been running with was shot, and, I thought, killed. I'm a broadcast news journalist, so I always did some survey and, by chance, heard a story from a South Carolina TV news outlet about a dog that recently had her front leg cut off because of an old gunshot wound. And anyone who wanted to adopt Indiana was required to have a six-foot fence because she kept jumping over the one at the care shelter in South Carolina. There was no mistaking it—she looked exactly like Dakota. Indiana wasn't killed by the gunshot, just badly injured.
1．续写词数应为150左右；
2．请在答题卡的相应位置作答。
While Dakota loved me and her new home, she still missed her kid.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I decided to bring three-legged Indiana to my home.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8 . The climate change and environmental crises are now closely connected with our daily lives. We've collected a small selection of our favourite documentaries, charting the history and future of the challenges we face.
 | KISS THE GROUND The documentary adopts a light voice when exploring the power of the worlds soils to draw in carbon from the air. The film begins by examining how farming and pesticides have led to soil loss, tracking the damage done to ecology, health and climate. The solution is found through regenerative faming —a field receiving more and more attention. |
 | ICE ON FIRE Dramatically titled, Leonardo DiCaprio's 2019 documentary focuses on the melting polar ice caps of the Arctic. The documentary explores the planetary impact of melting ice, but intelligently includes solutions. DiCaprio explores renewable energy technologies and sustainable economies to put forward a vision for a cleaner future. |
 | CHASING CORAL It can be difficult to really understand what climate breakdown looks like. In 2017, Chasing Coral brought the very real impacts of climate change into sharp focus. The insight into the world's corals suffering from ocean acidification and temperature rise is impressive. |
 | REBUILDNG PARADISE Wildfires — once a natural regulator of ecosystems, now an increasing phenomenon thrown out of rhythm by climate change — are so frequent that many hardly consider the consequence. While it's one thing to deal with the financial loss and restoration, it's something quite different to repair the broken spirit of a community. In Rebuilding Paradise, we follow the journey of the citizens of Paradise, California, as they attempt to restart their lives from the ashes of the destructive 2018 wildfires. |
| A．KISS THE GROUND | B．ICE ON FIRE |
| C．CHASING CORAL | D．REBUILDING PARADISE |
| A．Wildfires nowadays break out as frequently as before. |
| B．Wildfires have both physical and psychological impacts. |
| C．The damage caused by wildfires can never be recovered. |
| D．Wildfires do more harm to economy than to the environment. |
| A．They focus on the speed of the global warming. |
| B．They relate to the global issue of climate change. |
| C．They analyze the frequency of the natural disasters. |
| D．They present solutions to dealing with the challenges. |
In their spare time, most young people like to enjoy themselves and play on their smartphones.
“Though the lifestyle is a little bit tiring, it’s meaningful,” the 27- year- old environmentalist said. In his college years, Li took an active part in field research with his teachers.
The Skywalker Gibbon is a top-level State-protected animal
Humphrey and his wife Hildy had ten white sheep, eight black-faced sheep, and five long-legged lambs. Early every autumn, they would drive their sheep onto the ground beside the big, yellow barn（畜棚）. Then Humphrey would hold each sheep still while Hildy cut off the wool.
When they finished, there were twenty-three soft piles of wool on the floor, and twenty-three pink, skinny sheep jumping around happily as they were freed into the field. Humphrey and Hildy collected piles of wool and put them in the house.
The next few weeks were very busy. They finally finished on cold, fall evening. Twenty-three bright, woolly blankets lay in cheerful piles around the kitchen. They would sell the warm blankets when winter came. By the time the snow flew, the sheep’s wool would have grown long enough to keep them nice and warm. Humphrey and Hildy both smiled, content with a job well done, and went to bed early.
The alarm clock went off at 5: 00 a.m. Humphrey and Hildy listened to the local weather report. “The earliest cold air in history,” The announcer said, “has brought a freeze（霜冻）to our area! So put warm coverings, folks!” They stared at each other in horror.
“The sheep!” shouted Humphrey. They hurried to put on their clothes and raced outside. What a freeze it was! The golden autumn grass fell to the ground, and the sheep without wool were shaking with cold painfully. Their pink skins had turned blue.
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请在答题卡的相应位置作答。
“What will we do?” Hildy cried. “The barn can’t hold so many sheep.”
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Outside the messy kitchen, Hildy had a good idea, eyes falling on the blankets.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
