The Mystery of the “Unfriendly” Neighbor
Every morning, Mai would pass her neighbor’s fence with Chó, a German shepherd. For her, walking by Mr. Groll’s yard was the best part of their morning walk and also the worst. It was the best part because the roses along the way seemed to greet them through their scents, “Good morning, Chó,” “Hello, Mai!”. Then the worst part — the unfriendly shape nearby: Mr. Groll. Every time, Mai would offer a polite greeting to Mr. Groll, and Chó, being friendly, would thump (拍打) her tail. Typically, there was no response. Still, Mai knew he was there, watching behind his fence. He sounded out of breath, and the gate swung nervously in his hand.
“Why does Mr. Groll ignore me?” It remained a mystery to Mai. Was he afraid of her because she was blind? Disabilities sometimes scared grown-ups. Then Mai remembered: the previous day, she heard him playing with her friend Jimmy, who was in a wheelchair.
Maybe Mr. Groll didn’t like Vietnamese (越南的) neighbors. Some folks were said to dislike people from faraway places. No, that couldn’t be it. Every Saturday Mr. Groll and Mai’s big brother, Lien, helped each other with yard work. They were friends.
Well, then, Mai thought: “Maybe he doesn’t like me because I’m a girl.” Then she remembered her friend Jana. Mr. Groll would respond happily to her greeting. Mai’s heart twisted: “Mr. Groll likes Jimmy. And Lien. And Jana. But not me and Chó...”
“Me and Chó!” An idea brightened Mai’s mystery. Maybe she did know why Mr. Groll didn’t talk to her!
“Down,” Mai ordered, letting go of Chó’s harness (拴狗绳). Surprised, Chó flopped to the ground. Mai attached her harness to a post, and felt her way along the fence cautiously.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150个左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答；
3. 参考问题（无需作答）。
① Was Mr. Groll a real unfriendly neighbor? If not, how would he show his friendliness to Mai?
② How can you make your writing agree with the fact that Mai is blind?
Paragraph 1: The gate squeaked (嘎吱作响) open. “Mai! Be careful!”
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Paragraph 2: But being scared of dogs wasn’t funny.
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Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2016, the Shennongjia Forestry District is covered by vast forest,
Tourism development in the area takes a back seat to the wonders of nature. The natural environment has been largely left untouched,
The name of the district is adapted from the legendary father of Chinese herbal medicine, Shennong, who is said
What if you are not interested in medicinal herbs and just want some sightseeing delights? Shennongjia provides a variety of
3 . 
Crab traps (蟹笼) work like this: crabs crawl in, but they don’t crawl out.
With no one there to get them back, the traps continue to fish, says a researcher. “Marine life gets into the trap. Eventually, they can’t eat so they die, and then other marine life becomes attracted to it. They get into the trap, and they die.
Abandoned crab traps harm wildlife and affect other fishers, especially shrimpers (捕虾者). Large and heavy crab traps get caught in shrimping nets, tearing them open or blocking them from catching shrimp. Helpless shrimpers, with nowhere to put the smelly traps, generally just throw them back, continuing the cycle.
But a group in Mississippi has found a solution:
Chloé Dubois, head of a nonprofit focused on marine debris (废弃物), calls it “a great success story.” Dubois says there have been programs historically very successful at recycling waste products at the end of their life cycle. But in the ghost fishing and marine debris field, she says, “
| A．It’s a real win-win. |
| B．The Mississippi program is a pioneer. |
| C．It just becomes this awful cycle of death. |
| D．Shrimpers are informed of basic knowledge of fishing. |
| E．In the meantime, the Mississippi program is expanding. |
| F．That’s good news for crab fishers’ chances of pulling in a good catch. |
| G．A $5 reward is paid to shrimpers to collect and recycle abandoned crab traps. |
4 . Never has there been a primate as big as Gigantopithecus blacki. Adults of this ancient ape (猿) stood about 10 feet tail and could weigh more than 500 pounds, wandering the thick forests of ancient China during the last Ice Age.
Why this impressive animal went extinct has puzzled scientists since the ape was discovered nearly a century ago. But now, a new analysis suggests that the primate’s unique lifestyle left it vulnerable
The new study combines geological dates, pollen records, and clues preserved inside fossil teeth to present a detailed timeline of when, and how, Gigantopithecus blacki went extinct. The results reveal the creature’s decline and ultimate demise in fine detail
Kira Westaway, lead author of the new study and a geochronologist at Macquarie University in Sydney, worked to come up with more accurate dates for the sediments (沉积物) that Gigantopithecus fossils have been found in. Studies of fossil pollen from the Gigantopithecus sites also allowed researchers to study how the animal’s habitat was changing. Prior to 700,000 years ago, both Gigantopithecus and Pongo weidenreichi, another ancient ape, lived in forests where they ate leaves, fruits, and flowers available much of the year round. Due to the environmental changes, dense forests of pines, birches and chestnut relatives gave way to more open habitats with larger patches of grassland However, Gigantopithecus had a difficult time finding preferred foods. Meanwhile Pongo weidenreichi changed its diet to live on-fibrous-plants that were more readily available.
“It was the response of G, blacki to these changes that sealed its fate, ” Westaway says. The giant apes were so big that they had to move on the ground and were limited in how far they could venture, trying to make the most of twigs, bark, and other tough foods that were still accessible. It wasn’t enough.
Yet knowing the ending of the ape’s story hardly closes the case on the giant primate. Did these huge primates follow the same path to extinction, or did the story vary by location? This research opens new questions even as it explains the disappearance of Earth’s most huge ape.
1. What does the new research aim to do?| A．To study the climate changes of ancient China. |
| B．To analyze the geological features of the last Ice Age. |
| C．To solve the mystery of the Gigantopithecus blacki’s extinction. |
| D．To present some detailed findings of the Gigantopithecus blacki’s habitat. |
| A．Change. | B．Removal. | C．Adaptation. | D．Extinction. |
| A．The timing of the giant ape’s disappearance was worked out. |
| B．Another ape was included to show their common habitat. |
| C．The environmental shift had little impact on the giant ape’s habitat. |
| D．Some fossil pollen were studied to reveal the giant ape’s diet preference. |
| A．The giant ape responded to the change of its habitat easily. |
| B．The inability to adapt quickly caused its disappearance. |
| C．The giant ape had sufficient food resources on the grassland. |
| D．The forested habitat was still accessible to the giant ape. |
5 . Cal Fire captain Shawn Raley barked evacuation (疏散) orders over the radio for the neighborhood of Sunset Terrace. The sky was red and the wind screamed. New fires lit in bushes and on roofs. Raley, a 24-year veteran of wildland fires, had seen nearly everything, including swirling eddies of air called fire whirls. But he hadn’t seen anything like this.
At around 7:15 p.m., he drove toward areas in the wooded hills. He figured that residents would need help escaping. His headlights barely pierced the smoke, but he could see three bulldozers (推土机) inch past him on two-lane Buenaventura Boulevard. Don Andrews drove one; Terry Cummings and Jimmie Jones drove the other two. They were under swaying electrical line, and Raley shouted at them to move away.
In the driveway of a house, Raley spotted a Tesla with someone in the driver’s seat. Dr. Thiruvoipati Nanda Kumar had raced eight kilometres home from Vibra Hospital. His wife, Yasoda, and daughter, Sushma, hadn’t received an evacuation alert, and when the power cut out, their garage door wouldn’t open. locking their car inside.
“Go back!” Raley shouted at Kumar, sounding his siren.
“My wife and daughter are there. Can they come in? Kumar said, pointing to Raley’s vehicle. He figured they’d be safest with the captain.
“Come in my truck?” Raley asked. “Yes.”
The women jumped into the back seat, coughing. Nearby, flames that climbed 30 meters burned their neighbors’ homes. Soon theirs would fall, as well.
“I’ll lead you out,” Raley yelled to Kumar. “Take your car.”
Debris (碎片) attacked the truck, cracking Raley’s windshield and breaking the other windows as the wind blew the vehicle off the road. The captain threw himself across the passenger seat, protecting his face as the fire passed over them. Yasoda and Sushma screamed.
“Are you okay?” Raley shouted, though he knew the answer. He was embarrassed. He’d told this trapped family that he would get them out safely. Now they were covered in glass and bleeding. Behind them, the trunk of Kumar’s Tesla was a flame.
1. What can we learn about Raley?| A．He hadn’t seen fire whirls before. |
| B．He was expert at dealing with wildland fires. |
| C．He put on the headlight to see clearly in the smoke. |
| D．He shouted at the workers on the bulldozers to move away the electrical line. |
| A．Kumar rushed back from work to open the garage. |
| B．The doctor’s house had been burnt down to the ground. |
| C．Kumar drove his Tesla following Raley’s truck to get out. |
| D．The whole family was trapped in the car during the power cut. |
| A．Because he was injured by the fire. |
| B．Because he might fail to save the family out. |
| C．Because his truck was blown off the road. |
| D．Because he found Kumar’s Tesla was on fire. |
| A．A Big Wildland Blaze | B．A Lucky Family |
| C．Lead You Out | D．Come in My Truck |
6 . BBYY, as the adult female was known, made a wild dash of more than 388 kilometers in 49 days—the longest distance ever recorded among hares, rabbits or any other relatives—researchers report online December 22 in Ecology.
“To think that such a small animal living under such extreme conditions averaged about eight kilometers per day across seven weeks is truly amazing,” says Joel Berger, a scientist at Colorado State University in Fort Collins.
Arctic hares, also known as North-Pole hares—which weigh more or less the same as house cats, about four kilograms—are desirable targets for foxes and wolves on the tundra (苔原). Given the hares’ important role in the Arctic food chain, scientist Dominique Berteaux wanted to know how the animals move across the dry landscape where very few plants can grow.
In 2019, Berteaux and colleagues fixed satellite tracking rings on 25 hares caught near the northern tip of Ellesmere Island in Nunavut, Canada. As the hares quickly ran away, the researchers had no idea the creatures were beginning a mind-blowing journey across the tundra, Berteaux says. That’s because hares and their relatives, typically spend their lives within a familiar area where food is plentiful and easy to find.
The Arctic hares behaved quite differently, with most traveling anywhere between 113 and 310 kilometers. None came close to BBYY, who died of unknown causes about a month after reaching her final destination.
For a hare to complete such a dangerous journey, it must balance the need to find food without becoming food, says Dennis Murray, a scientist. That makes BBYY’s adventure even more impressive, he says.
Berteaux and colleagues hope data from BBYY and the other hares can help shape conservation strategies for the desert system near the North Pole. But even at this early stage, it’s exciting to find “something unknown in an animal that we thought we knew quite well,” Berteaux says.
1. Why did Berteaux and colleagues do research on Arctic hares?| A．Because of their amazing ability to travel a long distance. |
| B．Because of their weighing more or less the same as house cats. |
| C．Because of their important role in the Arctic food chain. |
| D．Because of their extreme living conditions. |
| A．Amazing. | B．Challenging. | C．Demanding. | D．Upsetting. |
| A．BBYY was an adult male with the longest distance record among hares. |
| B．BBYY died of tiredness from traveling the longest distance. |
| C．BBYY, like other Arctic hares, typically lived within a familiar area. |
| D．BBYY managed to balance the need to find food without becoming food. |
| A．The findings of Berteaux and colleagues are good for nothing. |
| B．The findings of Berteaux and colleagues just confirm what people believe about hares. |
| C．Berteaux and colleagues have discovered an unknown species—Arctic hares. |
| D．Berteaux and colleagues will go on with their research on Arctic hares. |
7 . Our two-year investigation into caged (关在笼中) tigers in America sent us through 32 US states—with some truly shocking experiences. But as the deadline neared, I still needed a powerful and hopeful image.
When we began our reporting in 2017—Sharon, writing; me taking photos; and our son, NickRuggia, filming—more tigers likely lived in cages in the US than remained in the wild. The number ranged from 5,000 to 10,000, but without strict government oversight, no one knew for sure.
Roadside zoos that allowed tourists to take pictures of young tigers were the main cause of what’s been called a US tiger crisis (危机). Caged cats often ended up in the illegal wildlife trade. Young tigers, parted from their mothers at birth, were fed poorly and touched by hundreds of people. When they grew too big and dangerous to pet at around 12 weeks, young tigers were put on show, or simply disappeared.
While we documented the unpleasant part of this industry, we also wanted to show the good life these impressive animals could have. With two weeks left before my deadline, I headed to the Wild Animal Sanctuary near Denver, where well-cared cats walked freely in their habitat.
There I met Clay, Daniel, and Enzo, three of 39 tigers rescued from an animal park in Oklahoma. These nearly grown cats raced beside our car, which I’d seen only in the wild. It was a hot July day and soon two of the cats jumped into a pool to cool off. The third rested beside them on the ground. I crossed the road to take a picture of them. Then quietly, I came up close, trying not to disturb (打扰) them. I had the shot.
1. Why did the author start her reporting?| A．To dig out the dark truth of caged tigers. | B．To explore the amazing land in the country. |
| C．To tell people that baby tigers are harmless. | D．To share the happy moment during the trip. |
| A．Forest fires. | B．Climate change. | C．Roadside zoos. | D．Water pollution. |
| A．They prefer to stay indoors. | B．They are badly treated. |
| C．They get used to the changes. | D．They are traded legally. |
| A．To praise her family for their effort. | B．To explain what the animals suffered. |
| C．To introduce a special kind of tigers. | D．To show some tigers lead an easy life. |
8 . A blue hole is a special kind of underwater cave found inland or in the sea, which forms when the earth above a cave falls in and water fills the space.
An inland blue hole’s water is very still and has different layers. A layer of fresh rainwater floats on top of salt water; the fresh water keeps oxygen from the atmosphere from reaching the salt water; brightly colored bacteria live where the two layers meet.
Diving into blue holes is very dangerous. Near the top of the blue hole, there is a layer of toxic gas, which causes itching, headache, and—in large amounts—death. Divers must also be fast. They have to get in and out of a cave before their oxygen runs out. Additionally, divers have to follow a guideline as they swim through a blue hole because it is very dark inside. Without the guideline, they may get lost.
If blue holes are so dangerous, why do explorers and scientists risk their lives to explore them? The reason is that these underwater caves can provide valuable scientific information. They provide clues about geology, archaeology, and biology. For example, some blue hole creatures probably haven’t changed for millions of years.
The blue holes could even provide clues about astrobiology. For example, divers have found bacteria there that can live without oxygen. Astrobiologist Kevin Hand says the bacteria may be similar to forms of life that might exist on Jupiter’s fourth largest moon, Europa. “Our study of life’s extremes on Earth,” he says, can help increase “our understanding of habitable environments off Earth.”
In addition, the oxygen-free environment of the blue holes preserves bones of humans and animals that fell into the caves long ago. By studying blue holes, we can understand what life was like in prehistoric times. As cave diver Kenny Broad says, “I can think of no other environment on Earth that is so challenging to explore and gives us back so much scientifically.”
1. What’s the main idea of Paragraph 1?| A．The definition of a blue hole. | B．The location of a blue hole. |
| C．The formation of a blue hole. | D．The structure of a blue hole. |
| A．In the saltwater layer. |
| B．In the freshwater layer. |
| C．In between the freshwater and saltwater layers. |
| D．In both of the freshwater and saltwater layers. |
| A．The study of life on Earth. |
| B．The study of life in the universe. |
| C．The study of life in prehistoric times. |
| D．The study of life in oxygen-free environment. |
| A．They’re oxygen-free and lifeless. | B．They’re free of air and light. |
| C．They’re death zones and mysterious. | D．They’re poisonous and dark. |
9 . We usually divide a year into four seasons. However, in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory, there are five seasons — spring, summer, late summer, fall, and winter. Each of the five has many features which guide us to change our habits to keep the balance between our body and the external environment.
Winter in TCM
The ancient Chinese believed that winter is the Yin “阴” season in nature.
In TCM theory, winter is a season to feed ourselves both spiritually and physically. Activities in the season have a turn inwards. For example, we can do more writing, reading and other soul-nourishing (滋养灵魂的) activities. Although energetic exercise should be avoided, it’s important to keep our body healthy with gentle exercise, especially outdoor activities, in which we can get fresh air and sunlight. In addition, we should also go to bed earlier to save more energy.
Foods for winter
The principle of harmony between what we eat and the season is based on hundreds of years of experience in TCM. It suggests that we embrace locally-grown and seasonable foods, which is the way nature intends us to eat. During the winter, there are many foods beneficial to us.
Moods in winter
According to TCM theory, stress, depression and unresolved anger can also weaken our immune system, allowing external factors to affect our body in winter.
| A．Activities in winter |
| B．Exercises in winter |
| C．Most of them naturally grow in this season |
| D．It is inactive, cold and dark, which makes us slow down. |
| E．If you exercise properly in winter, you can enjoy yourself. |
| F．Everyone can enjoy winter if they live and exercise appropriately. |
| G．So, keeping a good mood is especially important in this cold season. |
10 . This winter, the U. S. state of California received unusually large amounts of rain and snow. Now, people worry that some areas will flood as the snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains melts (融化).
Ron Caetano lives about half-way between the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco. He is preparing to leave in case his community, called the Island District, floods.
More than 100 years ago, the Island District area was under a large lake named Tulare Lake. At one time, Tulare Lake was the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River. But reservoirs (水库) and watering systems for agriculture caused it to disappear. However, in very rainy years, farmland can still get covered with water.
Experts say reservoirs near the area will likely receive three times more water than they can hold this year. That means officials must increase the amount of water they release (释放) from the reservoirs. If too much water is released, the area might flood.
The Island District has organized a community network to help prepare for floods. People are placing sandbags close to elderly neighbors’ houses to block possible flooding. And they are looking at reports from water officials, county officials, and from each other.
California has had very dry weather in recent years. Both cities and farm communities acclaimed this year’s winter rains. If the weather gets warmer slowly, the snow will not melt quickly and there may be little or no flooding. But if the weather gets hot quickly, that will bring trouble from too much melting snow.
Officials announced plans to close parts of Yosemite National Park because of threats of flooding. The park is about 270 kilometers east of San Francisco in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Nicholas Pinter is with the University of California, Davis Center for Watershed Sciences. He said the lake’s size has always changed because of California’s weather. He described the surrounding area this way. “It has been an engineering problem all along,” he said. “This is a bathtub (浴缸) with no way out.”
1. What made Tulare Lake disappear?| A．Lack of rainfall. | B．Natural disasters. |
| C．Human behaviors. | D．Climate warming. |
| A．Feared. | B．Prevented. | C．Stored. | D．Welcomed. |
| A．The government can help them escape. | B．The weather will gradually get warm. |
| C．There will be more rain there. | D．Officials won’t let off water. |
| A．It is difficult to deal with the flood. | B．It is easy to keep the snow water. |
| C．The surrounding area is unfit to live. | D．The lake is already overflowing. |
