2 . The specific cultural values of a country may determine whether concern about environmental issues actually leads individuals to engage in environmentally friendly behaviors, according to research published in Psychological Science.

Kimin Eom, a psychological scientist of the University of California, Santa Barbara, was inspired to investigate the links between culture, environmental concern, and environmental action after noticing that both public discussion and academic research on environmental behavior typically focus on people from Western countries. It is worth noticing because Western countries tend to have cultural values that prioritize individuals’ own attitudes and beliefs and encourage expression of them.

“The theory seemed to be that once individuals are led to believe in the urgency of environmental issues and have stronger concerns about sustainability (持续性), they will change and act to address the issues,” explains Eom. But this relationship might not hold for individuals living in more collectivistic (集体主义的) societies, which place more emphasis on social harmony and uniformity than on self-expression, Eom and his team assumed.

To examine what drives environmental action in individualistic and collectivistic cultures, the researchers conducted a study with participants from the United States (an individualistic culture) and Japan (a collectivistic culture). They found environmental concern was closely connected with environmental behavior — in this case, choosing environmentally friendly products — but only among American participants. On the other hand, believing that a large percentage of people engage in environmentally friendly behaviors was associated with making eco-friendly choices among Japanese participants, but not American participants.

The findings suggest that personal concerns are more likely to motivate people to take environmental action if they live in individualistic countries, while social norms (准则) are more likely to drive people to engage in environmentally friendly behavior if they live in collectivistic countries.

“Getting citizens actively engaged is critical to addressing urgent social challenges, such as climate change,” says Eom. “Our research suggests that scientists, policymakers, and activists need to understand how culture shapes the psychological factors of action to develop policies, campaigns, and interventions (干预) that address important social issues.”

1. What does Eom find about previous research on environmental behavior?

A．Its study participants are too limited.

B．Its results need a while to be achieved.

C．It prioritizes individuals’ attitudes and beliefs.

D．It draws much evidence from public discussion.

2. Under which condition will a Japanese man most likely take environmental action?

A．If he sees many others do so.

B．If he is affected by collectivistic values.

C．If he moves to an individualistic country.

D．If he worries about the environment personally.

3. What does Eom say about their research in the last paragraph?

A．It fails to take participants’ psychological factors into account.

B．It encourages scientists and policymakers to make joint efforts.

C．It has a further study direction towards urgent social challenges.

D．It provides insights into promoting public engagement in social issues.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Social Norms Play a Part in Addressing Pollution

B．Environmental Issues Originate from National Cultures

C．Motivating Eco-Friendly Behaviors Depends on Cultural Values

D．More Environmental Concerns Usually Mean More Green Action

3 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. When did the Kobe earthquake happen?

A．At dawn on January 17th, 1995

B．At noon on January 17th, 1995

C．At dawn on January 17th, 1996

2. How many people died in the Kobe earthquake?

A．75,000 .

B．Nearly 310,000.

C．More than 6,000.

3. Which of the following way is mentioned?

A．Walls should be built to protect towns on the coast from large waves.

B．Emergency services should control all.

C．Lectures should be encouraged to arouse the public’s attention.

4. What is the major barrier (困难) in doing more to reduce the earthquake damage?

A．Engineers do not have the knowledge.

B．Protection is too costly (昂贵的) at present.

C．No one takes earthquakes seriously.

6 . Have you ever had a chat with an animal? Many pet owners talk to their animals. But how much do the pets really understand? Dogs respond (回应) when we say, “Sit,” or “Stay.” Studies have shown that dogs really do understand human speech. This isn’t unique to our dog friends! Pigs, chimpanzees, and elephants all understand some human language.

Some animals are very good at communication. They understand humans better than other animals do. A bird named Alex knew 150 words and spoke in full sentences. Chaser, a sheepdog in South Carolina, knew all the names of her 1,022 toys. She would go and get whichever one she was asked to! The most famous example is Koko, a western lowland gorilla (大猩猩) who knew sign language.

Koko was born at the San Francisco Zoo on the 4th of July in 1971. The zoo named her Hanabiko and her caretakers called her “Koko” for short. Koko began learning American Sign Language after her first birthday from a psychologist (心理学家) named Francine “Penny” Patterson. With Patterson’s help, Koko learned 2,000 words!

Koko was very friendly. She enjoyed talking with most humans. Everyone who met her could tell she was smart. What really made Koko different, though, was her personality. Koko didn’t just communicate her needs—she also told jokes and played tricks on (捉弄) her trainers.

Koko could even use a camera. She loved to take selfies! National Geographic made one of Koko’s selfies its cover photo in 1978. The picture was one she took of herself in the mirror (镜子). Koko was on the cover of National Geographic again in 1985. In that picture, she held her cat, whom she named “All Ball”. Koko’s love for All Ball touched people around the world. She raised three cats during her life.

Koko was proud to be a gorilla. When asked to describe herself, she said she was a “fine animal gorilla”. Koko taught us a lot about animals’ brains. Because of her, scientists now think other animals might be able to understand us.

1. What does the underlined word “unique” in paragraph 1 most probably mean?

A．Easy.

B．Helpful.

C．Possible.

D．Special.

2. How is paragraph 2 mainly developed?

A．By giving examples.	B．By providing explanations.
C．By setting down general rules.	D．By presenting research findings.

3. What do we know about Koko?

A．She enjoyed looking in the mirror.	B．She kept four cats during her life.
C．She met Patterson at the age of one.	D．She began learning words in 1971.

4. Which of the following words can best describe Koko?

A．Smart and brave.	B．Humorous and caring.
C．Honest and friendly.	D．Popular and patient.

7 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. Why did Maria go to Australia?

A．For studying animals.

B．For an expert meeting.

C．For a holiday.

2. What did Maria first think when she found the snake?

A．It was not real.

B．It was dangerous.

C．It was dead.

3. Who first took the snake outside?

A．An animal charity.

B．Maria’s relative.

C．A zookeeper.

9 . Domestic cats, like many other animals, use smelly substances from anal sacs (肛门囊) to mark territory and communicate with other animals. The new study shows that many smelly compounds from a cat are actually made by a group of bacteria living in the anal sacs.

“Cats use a lot of smelly chemicals for signaling, and they probably don’t make the mall,” says David Coil, project scientist at the Genome Center at the University of California. The project grew out of the Kitty Biome Project, which started by researcher Holly Ganz, professor of evolution and ecology.

The researchers obtained anal sac substances from a single male Bengal cat. They extracted DNA for sequencing (排序) to identify types of bacteria, and also took samples for chemical smell analysis in Professor Cristina Davis’ laboratory in the mechanical and aerospace engineering department.

Davis’ lab focuses on technology for detecting and characterizing low levels of volatile (挥发性的) organic compounds that can be markers of health and disease, from flu in humans to a disease in fruit trees. Sequencing showed that the microbial community was not very diverse and controlled by a small number of bacterial type. “There are not a lot of players there,” Coil says.

The researchers grew the most abundant bacteria from the screen in culture. Researcher Mei Yamaguchi analyzed the volatile chemicals that the bacteria gave off. Yamaguchi and Davis were able to detect 67 volatile compounds that the bacterial cultures released. Of the compounds, 52 were also found directly in the anal sac substances. The results support the idea that the bacterial community, not the cat itself, produces many of the smells the cat uses to communicate.

Coil and colleagues want to follow up by looking at more cats. If bacteria make these smells, why do cats smell different from each other? How do cats acquire the bacteria and do they change over life? Understanding how microbes influence their smell could have wide implications for understanding smell communication in animals.

1. What do cats use for communication and marking territory?

A．Smelly bacteria living in cats.	B．Smelly substances from anal sacs.
C．DNA extracted from Bengal cats.	D．Chemicals from the KittyBiome Project.

2. What do the results of the study prove?

A．Cats produce their own unique smells.

B．Bengal cats have distinct DNA sequencing patterns.

C．Bacteria in the anal sacs create the majority of smells.

D．The KittyBiome Project found new chemical compounds in cats.

3. What is the focus of Coil and colleagues’ follow-up research?

A．Diet’s impact on cat smells.	B．Cats’ acquisition of bacteria.
C．Bacterial communities in wild cats.	D．Microbes’ role in cat smell variation.

4. What could be the best title for this passage?

A．The Secret Behind Cat Smells	B．How bacteria affect Cat Communication
C．The Role of Davis’ Lab in Animal Studies	D．Exploring DNA Sequencing in Bengal Cats

10 . When Aiden and Lebron asked me to accompany them on a camping trip to the mountains, I pictured a cozy wooden house with a warm fire and hot cocoa. Imagine how my comfortable image became a nightmare of survival training when they showed up with a truck filled with camping supplies—tents, rolled-up sleeping bags, and canteens!

Lebron, super organized, rushed me to join him to escape the city rush. Good weather though —cotton-candy clouds dotted the deep blue sky.

The trail at first seemed more like a road through the trees than a hiking path. Then it got narrow and steep, making me focus and stay quiet. We went higher, above the tree line, seeing the trail winding up to the mountain top.

“It looks closer than it is,” Lebron said, reading my facial cues. “This is the most difficult part of the trail. Loose rocks and tree roots make it dangerous, and we have no shade.”

Finally, we reached the summit. My legs aching, I dropped my pack and groaned (呻吟).“No time to rest,” Lebron said, looking up at the sky. “The weather here changes quickly, and that cool air means a storm is coming. We need to set up camp.”

He was serious about the storm. While Aiden and Lebron set up camp, I tried to help, but the storm arrived fierce and quick. We took cover inside the tent near a huge rock as thunder roared.

Lebron, sensing that I was scared, reached in his backpack for some peanut butter. Slowly, he spread the peanut butter and said, “This is just a typical summer storm—they’re short-lived, but intense,” Lebron continued, “The campsite might get a bit muddy, but what’s the fun in camping if you can’t get dirty! At least the rain will keep the bears away,” he said with a smile.

The storm passed swiftly, revealing a breathtaking view. I won’t lie — I longed for a hot shower and a soft bed, but as I gazed upward at the Milky Way, I knew this was an adventure I would never forget.

1. How did the writer feel when Aiden and Lebron showed up with a truck filled with camping supplies?

A．Anxious and excited.	B．Relaxed and delighted.
C．Frustrated and angry.	D．Disappointed and surprised.

2. What does “it” in Paragraph 4 refer to according to the passage?

A．The trail.

B．The mountain.

C．The summit.

D．The tree line.

3. What was the trail like as they climbed higher?

A．Narrow but plain.	B．Risky and challenging.
C．Pleasant with clear paths.	D．Marked with shelters for breaks.

4. Why did Lebron mention the rain keeping bears away during the storm?

A．To show off his humor.

B．To highlight danger in the area.

C．To ensure everyone stayed indoors.

D．To lighten the mood and reduce fear.