1 . Scientists Kirsty Graham and Catherine Hobaiter have spent hundreds of hours interpreting the gestures of humans’ closest relatives. In a recently published paper, Graham and Hobaiter provide convincing evidence that humans can make a good guess of the meanings of great ape (猿) gestures.

In the study, 17,000 participants were shown 20 short videos of apes making gestures and asked to decide which of four possible answers described each gesture’s meaning. If people had no idea what the apes were doing, they would be right 25 percent of the time by chance. But when watching videos of wild apes raising an arm or striking various poses, they understood the animals’ language far more often than would be expected by chance. The average score was slightly above 50 percent, a statistically strong result, given the study’s size. The finding suggests that humans still have some grasp of this ancestral vocabulary.

Why humans may understand the ape gestures remains to be discovered. One possibility is that all great apes, including humans, inherit (继承) a common set of gestures. Another is that humans and other great apes share the ability to use body movements as communication tools. A third explanation is that the similarity in body shape among humans and other great apes, combined with humans’ cognitive (认知的) abilities, makes it easy for people to infer meaning from ape movements.

The study itself still has its own value as a teaching tool. Engaging so many people with this research has benefits beyond science. It makes us understand that we are so close to our closest relatives. It’s a win for conservation. It’s a win for showing how important it is to keep these guys in our minds, to protect them and to save them.

1. How did the researches tell whether participants can interpret the ape gestures?

A．By interviewing them.	B．By analysing their accuracy rate.
C．By comparing their vocabularies.	D．By observing their guessing process.

2. What can we know about humans and other great apes from paragraph 3?

A．Their living habits are similar

B．Their body structures are the same.

C．They can communicate with body language.

D．They both have high level of cognitive abilities.

3. What does the author say about the further value of the study?

A．It boosts the popularity of the great apes.	B．It encourages people to get close to nature.
C．It promotes the protection of the great apes.	D．It teaches people to use ape gestures as a tool

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

A．Humans Need to Protect the Great Apes.

B．Humans Need to Understand the Great Apes.

C．Humans Can Use the Ape Gestures to Communicate.

D．Humans Can Comprehend the Meaning of the Ape Gestures.

2 . Unlike other natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes are very hard to see coming, even for scientists.    1    Thus, specific practices for earthquake preparedness are necessary. Here are four steps you can take to prepare yourself in advance.

Drop, cover and hold

If you feel the ground start to shake, drop, take cover under as table piece of furniture, and hold on. You can hide under something like a desk or table, with one arm holding on to a leg of the table and your other arm protecting your neck and head.    2    In modern homes, it is no stronger than any other part of the house and will not protect you from injury.

Make a family plan

    3    Create a meeting point—somewhere easy for everyone to remember, or you could also meet at home. Whatever plan you decide on, don’t rely on your phone as your main form of communication. Technology fails all the time in disasters. A major earthquake in California, for example, damaged cell towers and knocked out communication services for days.

Secure your furniture

Those hanging shelves above your bed could be a danger during an earthquake. People often get injured from “flying or falling objects” like furniture or glass during earthquakes. So examine your home and ask yourself, “What could be a potential danger to my safety?”    4    

Make digital copies of important documents

Important documents may get destroyed during earthquakes. Therefore, scan or take photos of your important documents, such as your license, financial records and insurance policy information.    5    This step can help ensure your documents will be available even if your computer is lost in a quake.

A．Then send them to your e-mail.

B．These are all important personal documents.

C．Make sure your household has a plan of action.

D．Whatever you do, do not stand in a doorframe.

E．If you find the answer, you need to runaway immediately.

F．Nowadays early detection systems can only give seconds of warming ahead.

G．If possible, remove those heavy and big objects above your bed immediately.

3 . Say No to Non-electric Cars

Most modern cities have taken action to reduce traffic jams and improve air quality. But if they want to become more livable, they should think about more ambitious goals.

Amsterdam has set a good example. As from 2030, driving a gas vehicle there will not be allowed. The Dutch capital wants its citizens to become healthier and happier.    1    Amsterdam isn’t alone; it joins Hamburg, Madrid and other cities in moving toward at least partial car bans to reduce pollution.

The advantages of such plans are clear.     2    It slows economic growth. Pollution from cars not only contributes to climate change but is also a threat to well-being. Amsterdam’s government says it reduces life expectancy of its citizens by a full year.

    3     Electric cars, after all, are more expensive. And for most people, giving up driving means life will become less convenient. Perhaps cities can help make this switch easier. For example, they can think about improving public transportation. They can also design appealing public spaces for pedestrians (行人).     4     Technology can also do its part. Cities can be more open to new ways of getting around, such as bike-sharing, driverless cars and delivery drones(无人机).

Saying no to non-electric cars or even all cars is hard.     5     Making our cities more livable has to become an urgent goal.

A．But will everyone support such plans?

B．The government should advocate the use of electric cars.

C．Traffic jams waste huge amounts of fuel and time each year.

D．Electric cars not only are energy-saving but produce little noise.

E．But let’s think seriously about our well-being and that of our planet.

F．People who drive electric car maybe given discount son parking fees.

G．One way to do is to encourage them to switch to electric cars or give up driving altogether.

4 . The Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is an annual showcase of the best nature photography.This year,it attracted 49,000 entries. Here are some of the winners and the stories behind the striking images.

“The embrace”by Sergey Gorshkov (Russia).

It shows a Siberian tiger hugging a tree. It took the photographer 11 months to capture, using hidden cameras. Hunted almost to extinction,the population is still threatened by poaching (偷猎). Through the picture, we are reminded of the beauty of the natural world and our shared responsibility to protect it.

“When mother says run”by Shanyuan Li (China).

This is a rare picture of a family of manuls (兔狲),the result of six years’ work at high altitude.

After long-term observation，Li tracked the family.Hours of patience were rewarded when the three kittens came out to play while their mother kept her eyes on a Tibetan fox hiding nearby.                 

“Show business”by Kirsten Luce(USA).

Luce has been reporting on animal abuse，but says it's the most shocking scene she has photographed. It shows a muzzled(戴口套的) polar bear performing in the Circusn on Ice，reportedly the only known circus to use the animals.The polar bear was captured when she was two years old and she’s still performing 18 years later．

1. What can we know about the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition?

A．It is held every two years．

B．It focuses on the natural disasters

C．A lot of people participated in it this year.

D．It aims to teach people how to take photographs.

2. What were the mother manuls doing when the three kittens played outside?

A．Attacking a Tibetan fox nearby.

B．Tracking her family from a hiding place.

C．Protecting the kittens from potential danger.

D．Rewarding the kittens’ patience with food.

3. What do the“The embrace”and“Show business”have in common?

A．They’re about animal abuse.

B．It took a long time to shoot them.

C．The photographers are from the same country.

D．They aim to arouse people’s awareness to protect animals.

5 . When John Todd was a child, he loved to explore the woods around his house, observing how nature solved problems. A dirty stream, for example, often became clear after flowing through plants and along rocks where tiny creatures lived. When he got older, John started to wonder if this process could be used to clean up the messes people were making.

After studying agriculture, medicine, and fisheries in college, John went back to observing nature and asking questions. Why can certain plants trap harmful bacteria (细菌)? Which kinds of fish can eat cancer-causing chemicals? With the right combination of animals and plants, he figured, maybe he could clean up waste the way nature did. He decided to build what he would later call an eco-machine.

The task John set for himself was to remove harmful substances from some sludge (污泥). First, he constructed a series of clear fiberglass tanks connected to each other. Then he went around to local ponds and streams and brought back some plants and animals. He placed them in the tanks and waited. Little by little, these different kinds of life got used to one another and formed their own ecosystem. After a few weeks, John added the sludge.

He was amazed at the results. The plants and animals in the eco-machine took the sludge as food and began to eat it! Within weeks, it had all been digested, and all that was left was pure water.

Over the years, John has taken on many big jobs. He developed a greenhouse — like facility that treated sewage (污水) from 1,600 homes in South Burlington. He also designed an eco-machine to clean canal water in Fuzhou, a city in southeast China.

“Ecological design” is the name John gives to what he does. “Life on Earth is kind of a box of spare parts for the inventor,” he says. “You put organisms in new relationships and observe what’s happening. Then you let these new systems develop their own ways to self-repair.”

1. What can we learn about John from the first two paragraphs?

A．He was fond of traveling.	B．He enjoyed being alone.
C．He had an inquiring mind.	D．He longed to be a doctor.

2. Why did John put the sludge into the tanks?

A．To feed the animals.	B．To build an ecosystem.
C．To protect the plants.	D．To test the eco-machine.

3. What is the author’s purpose in mentioning Fuzhou?

A．To review John’s research plans.	B．To show an application of John’s idea.
C．To compare John’s different jobs.	D．To erase doubts about John’s invention.

4. What is the basis for John’s work?

A．Nature can repair itself.	B．Organisms need water to survive.
C．Life on Earth is diverse.	D．Most tiny creatures live in groups.

6 . Most of us are familiar with carrots.     1     They are a cool-season crop that can tolerate low temperatures. 

    2     Firstly we should ensure that the soil used for deep-rooted types is free of stones. Mix the soil with organic matter, especially during the fall season before sowing. 

Then we should choose a variety of carrots after the soil is prepared.     3    The early ones are usually small, slender and are eaten while they are young; the main crop types are larger and are eaten fresh or stored. 

Early types should be sown in spring as soon as the soil is workable. They may also be sown under covers, though the covers should be removed after a few weeks.     4    Carrot seeds can be sown about 1/2 inch deep. Early carrots should be thinned to 3 inches apart; main crop carrots should be thinned to 1.5 inches. 

Weeds should be removed regularly once the carrots have germinated. Watering is needed every two to three weeks. Watch out for pests and diseases.     5     Protect against carrot rust flies by surrounding the patch of young carrots with a protective barrier 2 to 3 feet high. Use either fine netting or plastic as barriers. 

Early carrots can be harvested about seven to nine weeks after sowing and main crop carrots should be harvested after ten to eleven weeks.

A．There are many varieties.

B．They are good to people’s health.

C．They are usually orange in colour.

D．After about a week, the seeds come out.

E．Carrots are grown in an open site in fertile soil.

F．Carrot rust flies can be a serious problem for carrots.

G．Main crop types can be sown from late spring to early summer.

7 . Mont Kilimaniaro is among Africa’s most breathtaking sites, but hard times have come to the plains below. Death is all around and it’s tragic to behold. The cause is a lack of rainfall in a land where on the contrary there is still plenty of water. Underground springs fed by snowmelt from the mountain, still create swamps(沼泽). The problem is that the absence of rain means grasses and other essential plants are not growing, and the animals that depend on them are dying from a lack of nutrition.

The elephant herds here are among the most successful in the continent. They’re closely monitored and conservationists have given them names. But even these great beasts are dying too, what is for the smaller ones?

A drought induced hunger. Since the start of June almost 60 elephant deaths have been recorded. More than half calves were killed by starvation due to their mothers’ failure to produce milk. Tolstoy, a male, was named after Russian. He was 5-year-old at the time of his death. And he was one of the greatest tuskers like one of the greatest alive.

Very sad story. There are some of the last relatively undisturbed elephants in Africa. While poaching(偷猎)has been destructive elsewhere，these animals have been largely spared. Right now, however, the problem they face here is a drier climate which poses the greatest threat to their survival.

There are plenty of people here who care deeply about these elephants, but the sad truth is that conservationists are powerless to stop the dying. Only fresh rainfall and new plant growth can do that. We are waiting for the rains. If the rains don’t come before the end of the year, the death rate will only increase.

1. What do we know about Mont Kilimaniaro from the passage?

A．Mount Kilimaniaro is the most exciting site in Africa.

B．Due to a lack of rainfall, grasses can’t grow well there.

C．All the animals there are dying from a lack of nutrition.

D．There is little water on the plains of Mont Kilimaniaro.

2. What does the underlined word “induced” mean in paragraph 3?

A．Caused.

B．Distinguished.

C．Guaranteed.

D．Determined.

3. What can be inferred from the sad story of Tolstoy?

A．Elephants all died from poaching.

B．Tolstoy was named after Russian.

C．Animals suffered a lot from hunger.

D．Tolstoy was one of the greatest tuskers alive.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Poaching: A Danger to Animals

B．Elephants: Great Beasts Facing Death

C．Mont Kilimaniaro: A Death Place for Animals

D．Dry Climate: A Great Threat to Plants and Animals

8 . 阅读下面短文, 在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式, 并将答案填写 在答题卡上。

According to the fifth Global Biodiversity Outlook report, biodiversity is declining     1     an alarming rate. As the most biodiverse province in China, southwestern Yunnan is sharing     2     (it)conservation strategy on the international stage.

Seventeen years after the province first     3     (introduce)the concept of Species with Extremely Small Populations(SESP), Yunnan showcased the achievements in conservation on Dec 16 at a side event of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties(COP15)to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal, Canada.

“We will forever lose the opportunity for future development that some species bring if they go extinction,” says Yang Hua,     4     worker with the provincial forestry and grassland administration.

SESP,     5     (bring)forward by the province in 2005, was a concept to represent species       6     were found to be restricted in their geographic distribution and showed weak population     7     (grow).

Ever since then, the province’s conservation efforts     8     (help) the population of Asian elephants reach around 360, and that of black-and-white snub-nosed monkeys is now 3, 800.

Sun Weibang, director of the Kunming Botanical Garden, under the Kunming Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences,     9     (recent) said that, during a decade of continuous development, Plant Species with Extremely Small Populations(PSESP) was applied as a model     10     (conserve)native plants in countries such as Italy, Russia, Mexico, and Iraq.

9 . Animal and plant species are disappearing at frightening rates. The problem has led to efforts to “rewild” places where such life existed before human development, pollution and climate change forced it out. The American city of Detroit is an example of how human actions can increase rewilding, which generally means helping natural systems in damaged locations, removing dams or building tunnels to reconnect animal pathways cut by roads.

Detroit’s population reached a high of 1. 8 million in the 1950s. Then the population began dropping. By 2000, there were fewer than one million people living in the city. Thousands of houses and other buildings were left empty over the years. Some structures were destroyed, leaving empty areas that plants and animals regained as habitats. Nonprofit groups have also planted trees and community gardens in these areas. Bald eagles found their way back as bans on DDT and some other insect poisons were put in place nationwide. Anti-pollution laws and government-supported cleanups made nearby rivers better for fish and native plants.

Now, Detroit is home to 300 bird species and is a busy visiting place for ducks and others during migration. Additionally, this city offers a special way to study plants and animals in urban settings. Unlike most big cities, its population is decreasing but its streets and buildings remain in place. And there are many kinds of habitats, including large lakes, rivers and human neighborhoods. Detroit’s parklands are so quiet that people don’t even know they’re in the city.

“It used to be that you had to go to some remote location to get exposure to nature,” said John Hartig, a professor of University of Windsor. “Now that’s not the case. Like it or not, rewilding will occur. The question is how we can prepare communities and environments to anticipate the presence of more and more wildlife. After all, many city people have lost their tolerance to live with wildlife. To really make a difference in dealing with the biodiversity crisis, you’re going to have to have people on board. ”

1. What might have happened in Detroit at the beginning of 21st century

A．The city was overpopulated.	B．More community gardens were built.
C．Many buildings were deserted.	D．The environment was badly damaged.

2. What does the example of Detroit mainly tell us?

A．It’s government-supported efforts that really matter.

B．Humans’ efforts can make a difference in rewilding.

C．Humans are to blame for the worsening environment.

D．It’s hard to humans and wildlife to live in harmony.

3. What can we infer about current Detroit from the text

A．It is a big city crowded with tourists and bird species.

B．Tourists don’t show any interest in the quiet surroundings.

C．It’s turned into a place where people can get close to nature.

D．It’s become a center for those who study animals and plants.

4. What does the underlined word “anticipate” in the last paragraph mean

A．Protect.

B．Expect.

C．Imagine.

D．Delay.

10 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填写1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Global biodiversity is now facing wide-ranging and often unprecedented challenges, according to Elizabeth Maruma Mrema. Acting Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, a part of the UN Environment Program.

According to Mrema, China     1    (take) practical measures to promote ecological protection and established many effective mechanisms for green development in the past three decades.

Yunnan boasts     2    (impress) biodiversity. In May, the provincial government released a white paper on its biological diversity, the     3    (one) of its kind in China. According to the document,     4     Yunnan accounts for only 4.1 percent of China’s territorial area, it is home     5     more than 50 percent of the country’s flora and fauna species.     6     important white paper says 90 percent of the ecosystems and 85 percent of the important species in the province have been     7     (effective) protected.

The province has adopted a variety of ways to protect biodiversity, including     8    (improve) its research capabilities, according to Gao Zhengwen, a senior official with the Yunnan Environmental Protection Bureau. Now, the development of biodiversity is getting to a stage     9     scientific and technological breakthroughs have been made in the utilization of biological resources in     10    (industry) with important economic value.