1 . What is the kindest thing a pet has done for you? My dog gave her life to save my son. Cindy was the most home-loving and smart dog. When my son was born, she was immediately protective over him. She’d sit beside his bed for hours, popping her front legs up onto the bed every now and then to make sure he was OK.
My son was almost three years old. We lived near a busy road and we were super watchful at child going out of the front door—without exception.
One morning, around 4 a.m., our son somehow managed to “escape” through his bedroom window. Cindy knew that our son wasn’t allowed to go through the front door without us, evidenced by her pushing at him if he reached the front door handle. This day, she followed my son through the window.
At 5 a.m. the police woke us knocking on the door. Their words were—“your son was nearly killed but your dog noticed it”. They then recalled what the lorry (卡车) driver had said…
He told them that he was driving along in the dark and in the distance he could see something “light coloured” moving on the road. As he got closer, he could see a dog at the side of the road barking and barking at the “light coloured” something. At the last moment, he realized that this was a child and was about to swerve (转向). He said he could see the dog, still barking and glancing between the lorry and the child. While the driver was stopping the lorry, the dog ran out into the road, jumped at the child’s back and threw him out of the path of the lorry and at the same time, the lorry hit the dog.
The driver said that he’d never believe what he saw unless it was with his own eyes. The dog definitely knew the danger which was why she was barking so anxiously. She just saved that kid’s life and she knew what she was doing.
That was 39 years ago and I still miss Cindy every day. She was a rough collie (牧羊犬) and I can understand why this kind was chosen for the movies.
1. Why did Cindy push at my son according to Paragraph 3?| A．To play with him and have fun. | B．To warn him not to go outside. |
| C．To lead the way to the outside. | D．To make sure he was awake. |
| A．the dog knew what she was up to | B．the kid saved himself successfully |
| C．the light coloured something was a dog | D．many movies were made for Cindy |
| A．Protective but stupid. | B．Daring and optimistic. |
| C．Patient but aggressive. | D．Devoted and selfless. |
As winter shortens and ice melts on Hudson Bay, a mother polar bear and her two cubs face danger brought on by climate change. Following the bear family, guide Dennis Compare witnesses achievements of survival and adaptability. The two-hour TV special Kingdom of the Polar Bears airs April 22 at 8/7c on Nat Geo WILD.
Series, Book Reveal Whales’ Secrets
National Geographic Explorer Brian Skerry’s breathtaking photographs are at the heart of Secrets of the Whales. That’s the title of Skerry’s new book, on sale April 6, and the name of National Geographic’s documentary series, with filmmaker James Cameron executive producing and actor Sigourney Weaver narrating. It premieres (首映) April 22 on Disney.
Dive Into the Life of Explorer Ballard
Known for finding famous shipwrecks such as the Titanic, Robert Ballard shares not only his expeditions but also his personal challenges in a remarkable memoir. Into the Deep: An Explorer’s Life is available May 11 wherever books are sold.
Neil deGrasse Tyson Fields Cosmic Queries
Curious about your place in the universe? Cosmic Queries: Star Talk’s Guide to Who We Are, How We Got Here, and Where We’re Going offers the wit and wisdom of astrophysicist deGrasst Tyson and physicist James Trefil, illustrated with stellar photos. It’s available wherever books are sold.
1. Which of the following is both a book and a TV series?| A．Secrets of the Whales. | B．Kingdom of the Polar Bears. |
| C．Into the Deep: An Explorer’s Life. | D．Cosmic Queries. |
| A．Secrets of the Whale. | B．Kingdom of the Polar Bears. |
| C．Into the Deep: An Explorer’s Life. | D．Cosmic Queries. |
| A．Education. | B．Business. | C．Health. | D．Entertainment. |
1. 活动目的；
2. 提出建议；
3. 发出呼吁。
注意：
1. 写作词数应为80左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，使行文连贯。
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4 . Ariel Novoplansky, an ecologist in Israel, set up an experiment among pea plants to study how they communicate with each other.
In the experiments Ariel put the pea plants in rows of containers. The center plant in the row was the target. The pea plants had been grown with two main roots. On one side, each pea plant had one root in its own pot and the other reaching into a neighbor’s pot. The central plant connected to its closest neighbor, which connected to another neighbor, and so on down the line. On the other side, all the plants kept their roots in their own pots, unconnected to their neighbors.
With everything ready, the ecologist created a dryness for the central target plant, which had quickly closed up its leaf pores (气孔) to save water. Amazingly, the connected plants on one side gradually closed up their leaf pores, even though only one of them had experienced real dryness. On the other side, with unconnected roots pea chain, all their pores stayed open. This means the warning signal didn’t travel from the stressed plants leaves through the air, but only from its roots through the soil.
It’s possible that plants are just eavesdropping (偷听) even if the damaged plant didn’t mean to send signals to them. Maybe the damaged plant leaks certain chemicals and nearby roots could sense those signals. But the plants with connected roots that weren’t dried out passed on the drought signals to their neighbors too, which means simple eavesdropping probably isn’t the answer. They seem to be having a real conversation, picking up information on one side and sharing it with a neighbor on the other.
The benefit to a plant that receives this information is pretty clear. But what’s the benefit to sending a danger signal to your neighbor? Remember, your neighbor may actually be you.
1. Which aspect of the experiment does Paragraph 2 mainly concern?| A．Its finding. | B．Its application. | C．Its purpose. | D．Its design. |
| A．By connecting their roots. | B．By opening their leaf pores. |
| C．By spreading a special smell. | D．By leaking certain chemicals. |
| A．Confidential. | B．Cooperative. | C．Long-distance. | D．Air-to-air. |
| A．To better its surroundings. | B．To make itself strong. |
| C．To develop its root. | D．To keep itself safe. |
5 . The Japanese have always loved fresh fish. But the
The
To settle this
But today, they get fresh-tasting fish to Japan. How did they
Have you
| A．islands | B．waters | C．towns | D．tanks |
| A．feed | B．enlarge | C．reduce | D．increase |
| A．slower | B．longer | C．farther | D．faster |
| A．wasted | B．spent | C．took | D．saved |
| A．quarrel | B．problem | C．conflict | D．argument |
| A．encouraged | B．advised | C．forced | D．allowed |
| A．However | B．Thus | C．Besides | D．Otherwise |
| A．through | B．between | C．among | D．beyond |
| A．price | B．value | C．cost | D．money |
| A．surprised | B．puzzled | C．tired | D．excited |
| A．stopped | B．avoided | C．built | D．faced |
| A．change | B．follow | C．manage | D．exist |
| A．already | B．even | C．also | D．still |
| A．move | B．march | C．mend | D．rise |
| A．alone | B．sleepy | C．alive | D．alike |
| A．promised | B．realized | C．predicted | D．remembered |
| A．wolves | B．lions | C．tigers | D．sharks |
| A．overcoming | B．collecting | C．obeying | D．searching |
| A．curious | B．independent | C．energetic | D．gentle |
| A．thankfulness | B．sadness | C．stillness | D．weakness |
1. What is the main topic of the conversation?
| A．Weather. |
| B．Clothing. |
| C．Dinner. |
| A．To a hospital. |
| B．To a restaurant. |
| C．To Jim’ s. |
7 . A crowd cheered Kunle Adeyanju as he turned off his motorbike engine after completing a tiring 41-day trip. The 44-year-old left London on April 19 and arrived in Nigeria’s commercial center Lagos on Sunday after travelling more than 8, 000 miles across 13 countries. He started the impressive journey to raise funds for Rotary International to deal with polio(小儿麻痹症）in his native Nigeria.
Accompanied by a dozen bikers for the last stretch of the journey from the Republic of Benin , Adeyanju was welcomed by supporters in Ikeja, in central Lagos. Adeyanju, called “Lion Heart” by fans won popularity among the public by posting daily pictures with comments about his journey on social media. At every stop along the way, he was greeted by enthusiastic supporters.
He did face some challenges, like the one in Mali where one of his wheels broke. “I was standing in the middle of the night, alone in a bush, not knowing what to do,without speaking the language,”he said, explaining he had to walk to the nearest village.“Fortunately, the locals helped me. ”Not all of the challenges he faced were solved smoothly.“Mauritania, a country in northwest Africa, was ‘terrible’, ” he said, after he got robbed of hundreds of euros. “The worst experience,” he added.
The former Shell employee self-funded his trip with $ 20, 400 in savings,hoping to raise up to $ 48million for Rotary International. “I have been suffering from a lack of sleep lately because I slept only three to four hours per night. But I feel proud because I finished this challenge,” Adeyanju said just after he arrived, wiping the sweat off his face. Adeyanju added that he is now planning to have a possible cycling trip to Ghana or a bike ride to Israel to help raise more funds. And he has another dream: to climb Mount Qomolangma.
1. Why did Adeyanju go on the 41-day trip?| A．To challenge himself. | B．To help fight polio. |
| C．To connect with more people. | D．To advertise Rotary International. |
| A．By using the title “Lion Heart”. | B．By commenting on other bikers’ journeys. |
| C．By sharing his experiences online. | D．By showing his deep love for his hometown. |
| A．His getting lost in the bush. | B．His failing to understand the locals. |
| C．His meeting with crime. | D．His motorbike’s breaking down. |
| A．Caring and determined. | B．Generous and sensitive. |
| C．Reliable and enthusiastic. | D．Adventurous and confident. |
8 . Many animals use some kinds of “language”. They use signals and the signals have meanings. For example,
Some animals show
We humans have languages. We have words. These words have meanings of things, actions, feelings, or ideas. We are able to
Languages, like people, live and die. If a language is not used by people, it is called a dead language. This language cannot live and grow because
A living language, of course, is often spoken by people today. It grows and changes with time. New words are created, and some old words have
| A．because | B．since | C．when | D．as |
| A．out of | B．back from | C．away from | D．back to |
| A．It | B．This | C．That | D．He |
| A．each other | B．another | C．the other | D．others |
| A．how long | B．how far away | C．how many | D．how old |
| A．why | B．which | C．how | D．who |
| A．each | B．every | C．all | D．some |
| A．show | B．say | C．talk | D．speak |
| A．everything | B．something | C．nothing | D．anything |
| A．put | B．drop | C．fall | D．set |
| A．give | B．put | C．show | D．take |
| A．that | B．which | C．what | D．why |
| A．send | B．bring | C．push | D．get |
| A．someone | B．no one | C．anyone | D．everyone |
| A．new | B．right | C．real | D．good |
| A．In Oregon. | B．In Alaska. | C．In Washington. |
10 . Any image taken from space confirms that we live on an ocean planet. How strange that we call our planet “Earth,” derived from a Germanic word meaning “the ground,” when more than 70 percent of its surface is covered by ocean.
We need more people to see the sea. Right now, less than 3 percent of the ocean is considered highly protected. Experts urge that at least 30 percent be protected to safeguard marine(海洋的) ecosystems, which in turn will help protect our health and well-being. The ocean supplies more than half our oxygen, absorbs carbon dioxide, regulates our climate, and supports much of the world’s economy. We need it a lot more than it needs us.
Take Florida, for example, one of the United States’ recreational hot spots. It’s bordered by the Florida Reef Tract, North America’s only living coral barrier reef and the third largest in the world. Home to more than 500 species of fish, the reef is also essential to the Sunshine State’s economy, generating an estimated $1.1 billion annually in tourism. The reef buffers(保护) the coastline, too, since health y coral reefs absorb 97 percent of a wave’s energy. Three-quarters of Florida’s 22 million people live along the coast, and the Florida Reef Tract provides more than $650 million in combined economic activity and flood protection.
A November 2022 study from the University of Miami has found that 70 percent of Florida’s coral reefs are experiencing a net loss of reef habitat. Directly facing these concerns is what I mean by seeing the sea—the good, the bad, the important. Knowledge is power, and we can use it to inform our choices, from traveling more mindfully, to examining how we run our businesses, to voting. “No one can do everything, but everyone can do something,” Sylvia Earle, oceanographer and National Geographic Explorer at Large, is fond of saying.
The ocean is a remarkable teacher, and it’s never too late to start learning.
1. What does the sea do for our human?| A．The sea changes our climate. |
| B．The sea controls carbon dioxide for us. |
| C．The sea produces all the oxygen we need. |
| D．The sea provides economical benefits for us. |
| A．Travelling more, learning more. |
| B．Running our business creatively. |
| C．Raising awareness of conservation. |
| D．Doing some voting before actions. |
| A．A scientific fiction. | B．A news report. |
| C．A travel journal. | D．A natural magazine. |
| A．To Hug the Ocean Tightly. |
| B．To Learn the Ocean Devotedly. |
| C．To Clean the Ocean Carefully. |
| D．To Love the Ocean Permanently. |
