1 . Thor Vikstrom bought his island in the 1960s for $5,000. His goal was to protect and preserve its 7 acres. He could see the island, Ile Ronde, across a narrow river from his home near Montreal. He and his family explored it often — at one point they even built a cable ferry across. But the rules were clear: Leave the environment as untouched as possible.

“My dad would get mad at us because we left a Coke bottle on the island,” son Hans Vikstrom told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

Over the years the surrounding area became built-up and expensive. Developers came calling,offering increasingly high bids for lle Ronde. Mr. Vikström rebuffed them all, saying nature was more valuable than money in his pocket. In December he donated the island to the Nature Conservancy of Canada so the urban area would have a guaranteed spot of green.

In the spring, flocks of wood ducks and other waterfowl land near the island and raise chicks in its cover, Mr. Vikström said when announcing his gift. Turtles sun themselves on the shore. The forests are full of shagbark hickories, an impressive tree whose bark appears to be falling off like old clothes. Moreover, the Ile Ronde is also home to a unique tree species called the shagbark hickory, as well as to a number of migratory birds and other game bird species such as the gadwall,widgeon, and wood ducks.

According to project manager for the Montreal Greenbelt at the Nature Conservancy of Canada, Annie Ferland, “The Vikström family has taken great care of it, and with this very meaningful act we are protecting the natural diversity of this unique habitat for the benefit of the animal and plant species that live there, but also for future generations.”

1. What can we learn about Ile Ronde?

A．It is worth $5,000 at present.	B．It goes up increasingly in value.
C．It is filled with Coke bottles.	D．It is far from Vikström’s home.

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

A．Doubted.

B．Recommended.

C．Accepted.

D．Refused.

3. According to the text, the wildlife on lle Ronde________.

A．decline sharply

B．are dying out

C．live in harmony

D．are native to the island

4. What does Annie Ferland seem to convey in the text?

A．Eco-diversity is based on animal and plant species.

B．The Vikström family live far away from crowds.

C．The Vikströms contribute greatly to the environment.

D．Kind acts will be passed down to future generations.

2 . Chimps design and use tools. That is well-known. But is it possible that they also use medicines to treat their own and others’ injuries? A new report suggests they do.

Since 2005, researchers have been studying a community of 45 chimps in the Loango National Parkin Gabon, on the west coast of Africa. Over a period of 15 months, from November 2019 to February2021, the researchers saw 76 open wounds on 22 different chimps. In 19 instances they watched a chimp performing what looked like self-treatment of the wound using an insect as a salve.

The procedure was similar each time. First, the chimps caught a flying insect; then they immobilized it by squeezing it between their lips. They placed the insect on the wound, moving it around with their fingertips. Finally, they took the insect out, using either their mouths or their fingers. Often, they put the insect in the wound and took it out several times.

Aaron Sandel, an anthropologist at the University of Texas, Austin, found the work valuable, but at the same time expressed some doubts. “They don’t offer an alternative explanation for the behavior, and they make no connection to what insect it might be,” he said. “The jump to a potential medical function? That’s a stretch at this point.”

In some forms of ape social behavior, it is clear that there is an exchange of value. For example, grooming another chimp provides relief from parasites for the groomed animal, but also an insect snack for the groomer. But in the instances she observed, Dr. Pika said, the chimp gets nothing practical in return. To her, this shows the apes are engaging in an act that increases "the welfare of another being,” and teaches us more about the primates’ social relationships.

1. How did the researchers draw their conclusions?

A．They interviewed some chimp experts.	B．They carried out continuous observations.
C．They compared chimps with other animals.	D．They came up with doubts and solved them.

2. What is the fourth step of chimps’ treatment for injures?

A．Removing medicine.	B．Obtaining a salve.
C．Squeezing their lips.	D．Catching an insect.

3. What does Dr. Pika highlight about apes?

A．An exchange of interest.	B．Their behavior of less value.
C．A need of insect snack.	D．Their concern for social relationships.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Chimps’ Life Habits Remain a Puzzle	B．Researchers Got New Evidence about Apes
C．Chimps Put Insects on Wounds as Cures	D．Apes Are Expert at Exploring the Unknown

3 . Researchers from The University of Queensland(UQ)have helped design a new app to protect birds at risk of extinction across the world by eliminating language barriers among scientists. The Bird Language Diversity web app will help provide a “birds eye view”, ensuring vital information is shared to improve worldwide conservation.

UQ’s Dr Pablo Negret said the research team analysed more than 10,000 bird species, and found that 1,587 species have 10 languages or more spoken within their distributions. “Scientific information on species can be spread across different languages, but valuable information can go missing or get lost in translation,” Dr Negret said. “Without enough sharing of information, this can affect the effectiveness of conservation measures.”

Take the common bird Pochard for example. It is classified as vulnerable species(易危种)and crosses 108 countries in Europe, Asia and north Africa, where a total of 75 official languages are spoken. The survival of the common Pochard, and so many other species, depends on effective cooperation and policy agreements among people with diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

This app reveals where threatened and migratory birds exist geographically, in relation to the language spoken in those regions. ”We hope the app will encourage researchers and conservation organisations to interact with their peers in other regions, especially if they speak different languages, and be a starting point to allow everyone to work together to protect threatened species,” Dr Negret said.

Dr Tatsuya Amano, a researcher and the co-author of the paper, said this work could extend further than bird species. “Any species, whether they’re mammals, amphibians(两栖动物), or plants, with a range crossing multiple countries will be impacted by language barriers, as well as species that migrate across different countries, such as marine species and butterflies,” he said. ”The significance of the impact of poor communication on such an important issue is evident, and is the reason why we’re working hard to improve science communication across languages.”

1. What does the underlined word “eliminating“ in paragraph 1 mean?

A．Giving in to.

B．Coming across.

C．Putting up with.

D．Breaking down.

2. What is the function of adequate sharing of information?

A．Ensuring the effectiveness of protective measures.

B．Helping people know more about scientists’ efforts.

C．Spreading knowledge of the diversity of birds worldwide.

D．Compromising the effectiveness of conservation measures.

3. What is shown on the app?

A．The producer of the app.	B．The organizations involved.
C．The location of endangered birds.	D．The information of new geographers.

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

A．Birds Protection Is an Urgency	B．A New Bird App Spreads Its Wings
C．A New Bird App Helps Learn Languages	D．Poor Communication Impacts Cooperation

4 . Some intelligent African giant rats are helping humans save lives through search and rescue missions while wearing tiny backpacks.

A British research scientist, Dr. Kean is training 170 rats to be sent into earthquake ruins to do vital work in finding earthquake survivors. These rescue rats are equipped with tiny backpacks that contain microphones, video cameras, and location trackers. These tools will allow the rescue teams to communicate with earthquake survivors in real-time.

Dr. Kean expressed how the rescue rats are ideal for this type of work, saying, “Rats would be able to get into small spaces to get victims buried in the ruins.” The highly clever rats are skillful at surviving in different environments and their natural agility (敏捷) makes them ideal for use in hard-to-navigate disaster zones. The rescue rats are even being trained to respond to the sound that call them back.

Dr. Kean’s team work together with the non-profit organization APOPO for their “Hero Rats” project. These “Hero Rats” are set to start working with a search and rescue team in Turkey, joining earthquake rescue efforts in the high-risk area, The group of 170 rats is being trained for additional projects involving landmines, tuberculosis (结核病), and even smelling out Brucellosis, an infectious disease that impacts farm animals. Dr. Kean feels hopeful about her project’s promising results and is excited that her team is the only organization in this field working with this species.

1. What can the rescue rats do?

A．Give response to victims.	B．Operate devices and tools.
C．Seek those trapped in ruins.	D．Communicate with survivors.

2. What is the third paragraph mainly about?

A．The wide use of the rescue rats.	B．The advantages of the rescue rats.
C．The danger that the rescue rats face.	D．The living environments of the rescue rats.

3. What is Dr. Kean’s attitude to the “Hero Rats” project?

A．Uncaring.

B．Positive.

C．Cautious.

D．Doubtful.

4. What is the purpose of the project?

A．To train hero rats for rescue tasks.	B．To present the nature of giant rats.
C．To prove the intelligence of African rats.	D．To try out new equipment on specific rats.

7 . Batik is a traditional Indonesian coloring method used to make designs and drawings, usually on cloth and finished textiles. Batik makers use dyes(染料)—colors added to cloth and other materials—to create the colorful designs.

In central Indonesia, many batik makers are using natural dyes instead of manufactured ones. The natural dyes used come from mangrove (红树林) forests that grow along the coast. The trees grow in salty water on a complex system of tall roots.

Mangrove forests serve an important purpose. They provide a barrier against destructive ocean waves called tsunamis. They also are important to water life like fish and crabs. And the forests are more effective in taking in carbon dioxide gas, a gas linked to climate change, than rainforests or similar environments.

Erwin Ardli is a mangrove ecologist at Indonesia’s Jenderal Soedirman University. He says the natural dyes may not be as bright as manufactured ones. But they are better for the environment.

Ardli said, “We’ve seen the interest for natural dyes increasing, and especially for middle-to upper-class people, they seem proud to wear clothes using these natural dyes rather than synthetic (合成的) ones.”

Iiting Budiarti, who owns an art gallery that shows Batik designs, agreed with Ardli, adding that objects with natural dyes can cost two or three times more than the synthetic ones.

Forty-eight-year-old Sodikin is a batik maker. Over the past four years, he and his group of batik makers have changed from using chemical materials for dyes to mangrove-based products. The change has reduced their costs and helped the environment. Harvesting involves gathering a handful of what looks like string beans—seeds within a covering. Sodikin then takes the mangrove fruit home to make natural dye from them.

“We use natural materials so as to preserve the mangrove forest at the same time,” Sodikin said, “We do not cut down the trees,” he added, “and we only take fruits or leaves that have fallen.”

1. What does “batik” in paragraph 1 refer to?

A．A traditional Indonesian color.	B．A way of coloring.
C．A kind of cloth.	D．A material for designs.

2. Why does the author introduce the mangrove forests in Paragraph 3?

A．To research the source of the natural dyes.

B．To explain why mangrove are there.

C．To show the importance of mangrove.

D．To compare mangrove with other trees.

3. What can we say about the natural dyes in Indonesia?

A．They are bright enough.	B．They are expensive.
C．They are hard to get.	D．They are environmental-friendly.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Natural Colors for Cloth Design Help Coastal Forests

B．The Mangrove Forest in Indonesia

C．A New Dyeing Method

D．The Natural Dyes and Synthetic ones

10 . 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。

With    1    area of more than 397 square kilometers, Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area sits in Central China’s Hunan Province. It    2    (include) three sections: the Zhangjiajie National Forest Reserve, the Suoxi Brook area and the Tianzi Mountain area. The major topography (地形) consists of sandstone hills, gradually    3    (develop) into more than 3,103 amazing peaks, many of    4    are over 400 meters high. Between the peaks lie valleys with streams, pools and waterfalls, and some 40 caves, as well as two large natural bridges. Remote    5    the modern cities, the site is 85 percent covered with trees. The Wulingyuan is known for five    6    (wonder): splendid peaks, unique rocks, quiet valleys, still waters and deep caves. It    7    (list) as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site in 1992. The entire area is covered with towering cliffs of sandstone and many forests which cover fantastic caves. The sandstone hills in Wulingyuan are unique in their large number. With the change of seasons and the weather, they     8     (constant) present different views to visitors. One of the     9    (high) mountains in this area is Tuerwangyue Feng or Rabbit Watching the Moon Peak, and Tianzi Mountain is particularly recommended for    10    (it) good view.