1 . 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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 |
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 |
| A．75,000 . | B．Nearly 310,000. | C．More than 6,000. |
| 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. |
| A．Engineers do not have the knowledge. |
| B．Protection is too costly (昂贵的) at present. |
| C．No one takes earthquakes seriously. |
3 . 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. |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By providing explanations. |
| C．By setting down general rules. | D．By presenting research findings. |
| 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. |
| A．Smart and brave. | B．Humorous and caring. |
| C．Honest and friendly. | D．Popular and patient. |
1. Why did Maria go to Australia?
| A．For studying animals. |
| B．For an expert meeting. |
| C．For a holiday. |
| A．It was not real. | B．It was dangerous. | C．It was dead. |
| A．An animal charity. | B．Maria’s relative. | C．A zookeeper. |
5 . 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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 |
6 . 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. |
| A．The trail. | B．The mountain. | C．The summit. | D．The tree line. |
| A．Narrow but plain. | B．Risky and challenging. |
| C．Pleasant with clear paths. | D．Marked with shelters for breaks. |
| 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. |
7 . Amanda and Daines Tanner’s dog jumped onto their bed a few months ago and pawed at their bodies while they were trying to sleep. It was around 5:30 A．m. on a Saturday — the day each week the couple
Amanda Tanner had never seen Axel, their 1-year-old border collie, so
Daines Tanner drove Gabriel to an emergency room in Houston, where doctors determined that he was having a stroke. Gabriel has since
Sabih Effendi, a doctor who
| A．lived up to | B．looked forward to | C．looked around | D．lived through |
| A．energetic | B．adorable | C．sleepy | D．greedy |
| A．demanded | B．forced | C．walked | D．ordered |
| A．instead | B．quite | C．indeed | D．rather |
| A．knocking | B．looking | C．staring | D．pawing |
| A．balance | B．confidence | C．gift | D．courage |
| A．further | B．clearer | C．smaller | D．larger |
| A．pulled | B．cast | C．noticed | D．insisted |
| A．behavior | B．clues | C．symptoms | D．crisis |
| A．delicate | B．numb | C．frozen | D．ideal |
| A．nearly | B．immediately | C．quickly | D．barely |
| A．enhanced | B．regained | C．transformed | D．combined |
| A．represented | B．impressed | C．treated | D．spotted |
| A．informed | B．awakened | C．grasped | D．encountered |
| A．reward | B．possess | C．attach | D．display |
8 . A lot more animals glow under a special light than scientists previously thought. This ability to glow is known as fluorescence (荧光), which happens when light is absorbed as one wavelength and emitted as another wavelength.
Travouillon, a scientist from Harvard, wondered why so many animals had this unusual quality, and he asked one key question: Is there a function behind the ability? To address the question, Travouillon and his team took a closer look at the life histories of the glowing mammals.
The team discovered that the fluorescence was mainly found in light-colored areas of an animal’s skin and fur. Then they looked at where the fluorescence was found in the animal’s body. They compared that to the animal’s diet and how the animals moved. They also checked whether the animal was nocturnal or diurnal, Travouillon explained. Animals that are nocturnal are most active at night, whereas animals that are diurnal are most active during the day.
One finding was that fluorescence was more common among ground-dwelling, tree-dwelling and burrowing mammals compared to animals that live in water, Travouillon said. The team also found that having a fluorescent coat was more common among nocturnal animals compared to diurnal animals. One potential explanation for that fact is that having a fluorescent coat could help no cturnal animals become more visible to potential partners.
“So, for example, with a species like a quoll that has white spots on its back, the fluorescence would simply brighten their spots,” Travouillon said. “In this way, they are more easily seen. Fluorescence might help members of a species find each other and perhaps recognize each other from a distance,” Travouillon added.
On a closing note, Travouillon cautioned wildlife enthusiasts not to go searching for glowing critters with a UV light. That’s because UV light can damage the animal’s eyesight. Instead, if you want to look for animals in the dark, he recommended using a red light, since it isn’t as bright.
1. What kind of animals are most active at night according to the passage?| A．Diurnal animals. | B．Nocturnal animals. | C．Glowing animals. | D．Underwater animals. |
| A．To live in water. | B．To help them move easily at night. |
| C．To see the members of their species clearly. | D．To brighten other nocturnal animals’ spots. |
| A．UV light is harmful for the animal’s eyesight. |
| B．Wildlife enthusiasts can’t search for glowing critters. |
| C．Nocturnal animals can be found easily by wildlife enthusiasts. |
| D．Wildlife enthusiasts had better use bright light to search for glowing mammals. |
| A．Active mammals with fluorescent. | B．Suggestions for animals enthusiasts. |
| C．Animals glow under special lights. | D．Mammals with an unusual ability in the night. |
9 . 
The day starts early for Tang Shengli, a bird protection volunteer in Lanshan county, Yongzhou, Hunan province. At about 5 am, the 60-year-old is in uniform and ready to start his day’s work protecting and recording migratory (迁徙的) birds. Located on the northern side of the Nanling Mountains, Lanshan is an important passageway for migratory birds. From September to December every year, more than 240 species of migratory birds fly from Siberia to Australia via Hunan. In the past 10 years, Tang has recorded more than 120 species of such birds with his camera. “The flight calls of the migratory birds at night attract me so much that I cannot sleep. All I want to do is get up and record them,” Tang says.
When Tang joined the Hunan provincial bird protection organization in 2013, he knew he faced a tough task. Numerous migratory birds were lost each year as a result of killing and illegal trade. At that time, poachers (偷猎者) lit up the hillside to attract the birds there and hunt them. Some nights hundreds of birds would be killed or caught, remembers Liao Changgui, an official with the local forestry bureau.
By day, Tang distributes brochures to villagers in Lanshan to raise public awareness of bird protection, while at night, he goes deep into the wilderness to tackle illegal hunting. “Many villagers didn’t think bird hunting was illegal, and some made a living from it. Our work has affected their business,” Tang explains, adding his wife was threatened at their home in order to stop him doing his work.
To stop poaching, in October 2012, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration issued a notice to prevent the illegal hunting of migratory birds. In December that year, the Hunan provincial government promised to fight against poaching and establish a bird monitoring and protection system. So far, 43 migratory bird protection stations have been built across the province, covering almost all key points on the passageway. In 2020, a “lights out” program started in Lanshan county to prevent the birds from being distracted (使分心).
On Nov 1, the Hunan provincial government issued a ban on hunting migratory birds and other wildlife listed under national and provincial protection. Nationwide, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration is carrying out a two-month special action plan to strengthen patrols and remove illegal hunting equipment in national parks, nature reserves and bird migration routes across the country.
1. Why did poachers light up the hillside according to paragraph 2?| A．To find their way around the hill. |
| B．To search for birds’ nests and catch them. |
| C．To draw the birds’ attention to catch them. |
| D．To lead the birds to fly safely and in the correct direction. |
| A．Give up. | B．Put off. | C．Call for. | D．Deal with. |
| A．Ways to punish bird poachers. |
| B．Routes migratory birds fly along. |
| C．Measures to protect migratory birds. |
| D．Reasons why poachers try to capture birds. |
| A．Ensuring birds have a safe passage |
| B．Important passageway for migratory birds |
| C．Flight calls of migratory birds at night attract Tang |
| D．Tang records more than 120 species of migratory birds |
10 . Like dogs, wolves can recognize and respond to the voices of familiar humans more than those of strangers, according to a recent study. The research challenges the belief that dogs ability to differentiate human voices is due to selective breeding (选择性繁殖).
Holly Root Gutteridge and colleagues carried out experiments across five zoos and wildlife parks in Spain, involving a total of 24 gray wolves. The team set up speakers and first played the animals the voice of a number of strangers. Then, they played the wolves the voice of their keeper who would say familiar things to them in Spanish, such as “Hey, what’s up, wolves?” The wolves raised their heads, pricked their ears up, and turned toward the speaker. To test that the effect wasn’t accidental, the researchers went back to playing the wolves recordings of strangers and found that they once more lost interest. Finally, to make sure that the wolves truly knew their keepers’ voices, the team mixed things up and had the keepers say a series of unfamiliar phrases. Once more, the results held up.
Root Gutteridge pointed out the significance of wolves being able to differentiate between humans, despite the fact that our species went our separate evolutionary (进化的) ways tens of millions of years ago.
Before this, there had been a limited number of studies on the topic of how animals differentiate between the vocalizations (发声) of other species. Research has shown that our close cousins, gorillas, listen to people, but that was expected.
Given the new finding, “chances are that lots of species are listening to us and getting to know us as individuals,” Root Gutteridge said. “And it’s not all about us. Dogs could be listening to the neighbors’ cats and understanding the difference between one meow or the other. If the abilities are that general, it means that animals might be having a lot more cross- species interactions than we had thought about before.”
1. What established viewpoint does the recent research call into question?| A．Dogs are the only animals that can differentiate human voices. |
| B．Wolves recognize the voices of humans better than dogs. |
| C．Wolves cannot understand human languages. |
| D．Selective breeding enables dogs to differentiate human voices. |
| A．By letting the keepers say unfamiliar phrases in Spanish. |
| B．By asking strangers to reproduce the keepers’ voices. |
| C．By playing recordings of strangers speaking familiar phrases. |
| D．By changing the playback speed of the keepers’ recordings. |
| A．To stress their close relationship with humans. |
| B．To offer additional evidence for the recent study. |
| C．To point out another species that can differentiate voices. |
| D．To explain how animals’ ability to differentiate humans’ voices developed. |
| A．The focus of the future studies. |
| B．The limitations of the research. |
| C．The significance of the research. |
| D．The uniqueness of the experiments. |
