The Singing Sands Mountain(鸣沙山)is located in Dunhuang in
The flowing water gathers here along the landform and overflows through a porous(可渗透的) geological layer
The ancient Silk Road once passed by the Crescent Spring. And today, it has become a romantic paradise for
2 . Giant pandas are among the most lovable animals alive today.
Pandas today don’t eat meat. However, they’ve kept much of their meat-eating adaptations from times past. Their digestive systems have not changed much from their meat-eating days.
The giant panda’s shift to a vegetarian diet is in line with the inactivation (失活) of a specific gene—Taslrl, which provides them with the ability to taste certain amino acids (氨基酸) abundant in meat.
Pandas have evolved (进化) to a great degree to cope with their relatively recent bamboo-eating lifestyle. Pandas must seize long and thin pieces of bamboo shoots. To help with this, they have developed a long “fake-thumb” (伪拇指). So giant pandas have six fingers in each paw which provides better support for them to seize objects such as bamboo in one paw quickly.
Time will tell if pandas will adapt and survive, go back to eating meat, or disappear in the wild.
| A．They eat 12.5 kg of bamboo in a single day. |
| B．Bamboo is the healthier diet for captive (圈养的) pandas. |
| C．Its inactivation in pandas would lead to their dietary change. |
| D．The newborn panda is blind and covered with only a thin all-white coat. |
| E．Researchers have found that the surface of the panda’s tongue is different. |
| F．Unlike their relatives, pandas don’t eat meal but survive on a diet of only bamboo. |
| G．Whatever the future holds, we get to share our planet with these adorable animals. |
3 . A bridge is a structure constructed to connect two places without blocking the way beneath it. Below are four famous bridges in the world.
Bridge of Sighs
The Bridge of Sighs is in Venice, Italy, which was designed by Antonio Contino. The bridge’s construction was begun in 1600 and completed in 1603. The bridge was supposed to be the last view for prisoners, who would sigh at the beauty of Venice, before being taken to prison. That is why it is called the Bridge of Sighs.
Tsing Ma Bridge
The bridge is named after the two islands it connects—Ma Wan and Tsing Yi in Hong Kong. It has both a roadway and a railway and is the longest suspension bridge (悬索桥) with two decks. The bridge is 4,518 feet long and 676 feet tall, which was designed by Mott MacDonald. The construction was begun in 1992 and completed in 1997.
Tower Bridge
The Tower Bridge is situated in London, which is a combination of the drawbridge (开合桥) and suspension bridge. Designed by Horace Jones and John Wolfe Barry, it was built between 1886 and 1894. The bridge stretches across the River Thames near the Tower of London. The drawbridge is drawn about 1,000 times a year.
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge joins the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, whose chief designer was Jbseph Strauss. The bridge has been named the most beautiful and most photographed bridge in the world. It is 8,981 feet long, 746 feet tall and 90 feet wide. Construction of the bridge was begun in 1933 and completed in 1937. In 1987, the bridge was named a California historic landmark.
1. What do we know about the Bridge of Sighs?| A．It used to connect a prison. | B．The beauty of Venice can be photographed. |
| C．It was used as a prison. | D．It was the longest bridge. |
| A．The Bridge of Sighs. | B．The Tsing Ma Bridge. |
| C．The Tower Bridge. | D．The Golden Gate Bridge |
| A．It connects two famous oceans. | B．It was designed by two famous architects. |
| C．It gets its name for its beautiful views. | D．It is a historic landmark in California. |
1. What are the speakers talking about?
| A．Rights of animals. | B．Human rights. | C．Tests on animals. |
| A．Delighted. | B．Annoyed. | C．Puzzled. |
| A．He doesn’t like animals at all. |
| B．He thinks the woman’s view unreasonable. |
| C．He can’t bear the woman talking like that. |
1. Which road will stay closed?
| A．M16. | B．M30. | C．M43. |
| A．It is under repair. | B．There is an accident. | C．There is much snow. |
| A．By visiting a website. | B．By reading a magazine. | C．By making a call. |
| A．Snowy. | B．Windy. | C．Sunny. |
6 . Sleep is an important biological process for people and animals. But some mammals(哺乳动物)like the northern elephant seal, survive with much less sleep.
Researchers in a new study described the unusual sleep pattern of these ocean animals. They found that when these mammals go to feed on trips that can last seven months, they sleep just two hours. Those two hours of sleep are made up of short moments of rest lasting only 10 minutes each as they dive deep to avoid predators(天敌).
The seals’ sleep time during ocean trips is different from the 10 hours a day they spend sleeping on the coast during mating season at places like California’s Ano Nuevo beach.
The researchers placed a head covering with sensors(传感器)on the heads of the seals that they studied. The sensors recorded sleep signals created by the seals’ brains and heart rate. The sensors also recorded the animals’ location and depth beneath the sea. The researchers studied female seals because they go out on long open-ocean trips while males feed in coastal waters.
During dives lasting about 30 minutes, the seals went into a deep sleep called slow-wave sleep while keeping a controlled downward movement. When they then experienced rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep, a condition where voluntary movement while sleeping stops, the seals fell into a turning pattern. They sometimes ended up without movement on the seafloor.
Terrie Williams, a scientist at the University of California who helped write the study, said, “It is remarkable that a wild animal will fall into deep REM sleep when there are predators on the hunt.” She added that the seals solve this problem by going into deep sleep in the deep parts of the oceans where predators usually do not hunt them.
1. What is considered unusual for northern elephant seals during feed on trips?| A．Resting for two hours on end every day. | B．Diving deep to escape their predators. |
| C．Having a 10-minute sleep 12 times a day. | D．Spending 10 hours sleeping on the beach. |
| A．What to study in the research. | B．How the research is carried out. |
| C．When to locate seals’ location. | D．Where male seals hunt for food. |
| A．They keep moving downward. | B．They remain still in the ocean. |
| C．They fall into a turning pattern. | D．They move their eyes rapidly. |
| A．Unbelievable. | B．Impractical. | C．Terrible. | D．Admiring. |
The record of the
The record-breaking high tree, called Cupressus torulosa(西藏柏木),
Mainly distributed in southeastern Tibet, Cupressus, torulosa has a narrow distribution area and
The previous China tree height record
8 . Recently, more than 100 Asian elephants made their way across The Mall in front of London’s Buckingham Palace. They weren’t live animals, however, but life-sized elephant sculptures that were handmade by Indigenous community members from the jungles of Tamil Nadu in South India.
The environmental art exhibition is called CoExistence. It was headed by Elephant Family and The Real Elephant Collective, a British Charity and nonprofit socio-environmental enterprise aimed at raising awareness for the Indian elephant. Meant as a response to the increasing conflicts between humans and animals, the campaign’s goal is to start a movement of global empathy (共鸣) for members of the animal kingdom who, like the powerful elephant, have found themselves sharing natural habitats with fast-growing human populations.
The sculptures were made using an invasive(侵入式的) weed called lantana, whose removal coincides with benefits to wildlife in protected areas, where the elephants began their migration. Flying alongside the elephant are sculpted flocks of bird species that have been declared extinct or endangered in the UK.
The project helps demonstrate this unique time in history where the worldwide reduction in human activity from COVID-19 has had an overall positive effect on certain pockets of wildlife species around the planet.
“Today marks the first significant step on the herd’s 13,000 miles migration around the world. Over the past 18 months, many countries have gone into lockdown,” said Ruth Ganesh, Creative at The Real Elephant Collective and Elephant Family Trustee. “Brought about by sad circumstances, this great pause is providing crucial guidance on how to best share space with animals in our crowded planet. The elephants are here to tell their story about the inspiring ways we can coexist with all the other living beings that make our world magical—from tigers and monkeys, to nightingales and elephants.”
1. What’s Paragraph 1 mainly about?| A．Life-sized elephant sculptures in London. |
| B．The Mall before London’s Buckingham Palace. |
| C．An analysis of the effect of COVID-19 on wildlife. |
| D．Caring for London’s elephants during COVID-19. |
| A．To warn people not to kill elephants. |
| B．To call on humans to live peacefully with animals. |
| C．To solve the problem about the extinction of wildlife. |
| D．To raise the awareness of protecting wildlife during COVID-19. |
| A．Some birds and kites. | B．Some live animals. |
| C．Some sculptured birds. | D．Some volunteers saving endangered wildlife. |
| A．COVID-19 has a negative effect on wildlife. |
| B．Elephants are loved more than other living beings. |
| C．The lockdown helps people realize how to coexist with wildlife. |
| D．He is confused about the worrying circumstances during the lockdown. |
9 . Plenty of businesses have suffered during the novel coronavirus pandemic, but business for Laura Stone is booming.
Laura is the founder of Sydney by Kayak, a company that offers guided kayak (皮艇) tours of Sydney Harbor (海港) in Australia. Not only did their business not decrease during the pandemic, but one of their tours is actually more popular than ever.
A few years ago, Laura was paddling in the harbor when she noticed trash (垃圾) floating in the water. For reference, the United Nations Environment Programme estimates that about 8 million tons of plastic end up in our oceans each year, causing big problems for wildlife.
Laura was so appalled by the garbage in the water that she decided to dedicate a few paddles each week to trash cleanup. Incredibly, her clients were immediately on board with the idea, so Sydney by Kayak now leads four to five garbage-collecting tours every week!
At the start of the pandemic, Laura assumed her business would drop off as many others had. Instead, desperate for purpose and a way to get outdoors, people went to her “Clean Up Kayak” tours. They now routinely take about 441 pounds of garbage out of the harbor each week!
“We’ve been quite surprised, even through the pandemic, we’ve been very busy,” Laura said. “Because they can’t travel, people are looking for something to do, that is not just good for them, but also good for the environment.”
Each tour begins with participants preparing a paddle, bucket, picker stick, and sieve (筛子). Some people come back multiple times for the satisfaction of collecting trash from the harbor. Julie Greening, for example, has done about 10 tours so far and says “every little bit is worth it”.
“There’re 7 billion people on this planet, so everyone does a little, and of course it’s going to help,” she says.
Fresh air, sunshine, exercise, good company, and a great cause: What else do you need? Laura has found on an incredible, pandemic-proof business idea that helps the earth as much as it helps participants.
1. Why is Laura’s business more popular during lockdown?| A．Because her business is related to guided kayak tours. |
| B．Because she helps tackle the litter problem in the oceans. |
| C．Because she deals with the food problem for ocean wildlife. |
| D．Because she has unique business skills compared to other businessmen. |
| A．Shocked. | B．Curious. | C．Satisfied. | D．Excited. |
| A．Caring and devoted. | B．Active and gifted. |
| C．Creative but selfish. | D．Hard-working but mean. |
| A．Sea Kayak Adventure Group |
| B．Properly Maintain Your Kayak |
| C．How to Clean the Outside of Your Kayak |
| D．Kayakers Remove Trash from Sydney Harbor |
1. What are the kids doing?
| A．Putting up a poster. |
| B．Cleaning up the road. |
| C．Emptying the trash can. |
| A．Serious. | B．Helpful. | C．Confident. |
