1 . Question: Recently I heard the news that about 5,000 people die in fires a year, and 80 percent of these deaths occur in house fires. Fires kill more people per year in the United States than all the other natural disasters.     1     Could you help me?

Answer: Don’t worry. In fact, most fires can be avoidable and easily prevented. Here are some tips for preventing a fire in your own home.

◆Dispose of all cigarette butts (烟头). Never leave them out where babies or children can reach them.     2     Keep ashtrays clean and safe by promptly disposing of the ash.

◆Avoid smoking in bed. In case you fall asleep on the couch while watching television, do not smoke while lying on the couch.

◆Keep all lighters safely out of reach of babies and children.

◆Do not overload electrical circuits, and check electrical appliances regularly for loose connections or damaged cords.

◆    3     These would include the kitchen, near the furnace and fireplace, and the garage. Examine the extinguishers (灭火器) yearly for pressure and expiration date (有效期).

◆Install smoke detectors. Make sure that there is a detector on every level of the house. Also, make sure that there is a smoke detector near every bedroom.     4    

◆Install a rope ladder or fire escape in selected windows upstairs. Make sure that all family members know how to use the ladder.

◆Come up with an emergency escape plan.     5    

A．However, I don’t know how to prevent house fires.

B．Have a designated meeting area outside the home.

C．Have fire extinguishers in high-risk areas of your home.

D．Keep candles where they will not be accidentally knocked over.

E．Discuss it with the family and have everyone practice using the escape routes.

F．If you smoke, get into the habit of properly disposing of your butts immediately.

G．Check your smoke detectors monthly and replace the batteries at least once a year.

2 . Over the course of 16 months, the family of 16 Asian elephants crop-destroyed, mud-bathed, and road-tripped 300 miles north to the provincial capital of Kunming. Along the way they became global celebrities --- and presented a conundrum for government officials. The elephants caused about a half million dollars worth of damage.

The simple answer would be to tranquilize (使镇定)the elephants and transport them back to the reserve.

But that would be risky for this group, especially the three little ones. Instead, officials took measures --- providing tons of corn and bananas, setting up road barriers, and making new pathways --- which ultimately involved tens of thousands of people at a cost equal to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In a year torn by climate change, conflict, and COVID -19, some might argue that going to extremes to keep a family of elephants safe was wasteful. They might say the same about searching for an undiscovered species of frog or building new museums.

But conserving our natural and human heritage --- like efforts to cure disease and stop war --- is about doing good in the world. We need wildlife and ancient objects, just as we need health and peace. They’re our past, present, and future.

Conservation efforts have been bright spots in an otherwise dark year. That’s not to say the biodiversity crisis has passed. Plant and animal species are still disappearing at an alarming rate.

“I am scared about the state of nature because the threats are increasing ,” says Gladys Kalema -Zikusoka, founder of Conservation Through Public Health , but “I am hopeful because the extreme weather patterns we are experiencing and the shock of COVID -19 are leading to a heightened awareness about these risks and the need to do something about them .”

It’s still not clear why the elephants left their home, but one theory is that as elephant numbers in Yunnan Province have increased, the animals have needed to expand their territory.

That could be considered good news for this endangered species. But the story of the elephants demonstrates something else too: that the world we created and the world nature created are closely bound, for better or for worse.

1. What does the underlined part “a conundrum ” in paragraph 1 mean?

A．A tough problem.	B．A terrible accident.
C．A difficult decision.	D．A serious mistake.

2. What does the author say about keeping the elephants safe?

A．It’s a waste of time and money.

B．It’s significant for humankind.

C．It obviously goes to extremes.

D．It sets an example for the world.

3. Why does Gladys Kalema - Zikusoka voice hope?

A．Plant and animal species are growing.

B．Public awareness of key issues has increased.

C．Endangered animals face declining threats.

D．People are more experienced in handling risks.

4. What does the author mainly intend to tell us?

A．Mankind and nature face a shared future.

B．We should remember our past, present, and future.

C．Nature reflects who we are.

D．Mankind should give way to nature.

5 . Chongqing, a city of more than 32 million people, faced an unheard-of test this summer with a heat wave and drought causing a series of large wildfires since Aug 17.

Local residents have safeguarded their hometown in every way possible, with thousands of volunteers from all walks of life fighting the fires with professionals.

Under a very hot sun, some residents used chain saws(锯) to fell trees to make fire barriers. Others rode motorcycles on newly formed paths to take firefighters and supplies up a mountain, while some volunteers carried food and drinks on their backs by foot. Women and children helped organize supplies and clear the ground, and performed other essential tasks.

On Thursday night, as wildfires approached a man-made barrier on Jinyun Mountain in Beibei district, a total of more than 1000 firefighters and volunteers stood alongside the barrier with fire extinguishers. Seen from overhead, their lights formed a silver wall against the raging fire.

The residents’ stories have touched many people.

“Chongqing people are really amazing.“ said Du Hailang, head of the Beijing Emergency Rescue Association, an NGO founded in 2007 that has taken part in many overseas rescue operations. Du and 10 other members of the association joined the fire rescue team in Chongqing last week.

“The man-made wall was unbelievable, but shocking. It really showed Chinese people’s determination to defend their homeland.” Du said.

The outstanding work of the volunteers and the hospitality of local residents impressed the firefighters, too···

Bai Xueguang, from Gansu Forest Fire Brigade, said, “I never imagined that I would have ice cream and cold drinks at a fire rescue site.”

Zhou Hongyu, from Yunnan Forest Fire Brigade, said every volunteer he met at the scene asked him if he needed anything “It was the first time I had taken a motorcycle to reach a fire scene. We really appreciate the locals’ hospitality. Their support has been wonderful.” Zhou said.

1. What test that never had happened before did Chongqing face this summer?

A．A heat wave.

B．Drought.

C．Wildfires

D．Flood.

2. Why did the local residents actively participate in fighting the fires?

A．To show their enthusiasm.	B．To impress professional firefighters.
C．To get paid from it.	D．To protect their homeland.

3. Which of the following best describes the volunteers in the fight against wildfires?

A．Responsible and helpful	B．Enthusiastic and faithful
C．Reliable and honest	D．Ambitious and determined

4. What can we learn from the report?

A．No pains, no gains.	B．Hard work pays off.
C．Love breaks down barriers.	D．Many hands make light work.

6 . A new study discovers that sharks do sleep, and they often sleep with their eyes open. Since some sharks have to swim constantly to keep oxygen-rich water flowing over their gills (鱼鳃), people have long thought that they don’t sleep at all.

Researchers from Australia have now recorded a species of shark sleeping for the first time, finishing the long-standing debate about whether sharks sleep. To see if sharks were in fact asleep, the team analyzed the metabolism (新陈代谢) and pose of seven draughtsboard sharks (猫鲨) over 24 hours. When the sharks were resting for five minutes or longer, their oxygen consumption dropped, which suggested the animals were sleeping. And the researchers also noticed that the sharks changed their posture by lying flat and closer to the ground.

The sharks sometimes slept with their eyes shut as well, though, mostly during the day. At night, they tended to keep their eyes open more often, leading researchers to suspect that the sharks’ eye closure might have more to do with light than the sleep state itself. “Not only are sleeping sharks less responsive to their surroundings, but they also have lower metabolic rate,” said Michael Kelly, an ecophysiologist at La Trobe University.

“Sharks are an important group as they are the oldest living jawed vertebrates (颌类脊椎动物) — a character they share with us,” Michael Kelly said. “Sharks have been swimming in the sea for over 400 million years and have evolved very little in that time. Understanding how and why these animals sleep will provide important understanding into the function of sleep and how the animal has evolved over time.”

The team points out that more research will be needed to see if other species sleep like the draughtsboard sharks. Next they plan to continue to analyze the sharks’ brain activity while they sleep, to learn more about their waking and resting states.

1. What is the previous misunderstanding about sharks?

A．They sleep with their eyes closed.

B．They breathe in flowing water.

C．They swim frequently at night.

D．They always stay awake.

2. What do researchers find about draughtsboard sharks?

A．They need to rest every five minutes in the sea.

B．They consume much less oxygen during the day.

C．They have the same pose when awake and when asleep.

D．They might close their eyes not to sleep but to avoid light.

3. What does paragraph 4 talk about?

A．The process of the research.

B．The negation of the research.

C．The significance of the research.

D．The introduction of the researchers.

4. What do the researchers think of their research in the last paragraph?

A．Insufficient.

B．Unrealistic.

C．Meaningless.

D．Inefficient.

7 . Lillian, 17, had just started working as a lifesaver at a beach in Australia on New Year’s Eve when beach-goers started to point and shout at the water. The workers quickly examined the situation and saw that a kangaroo had jumped out of the bushes (灌木丛) — straight into the sea.

The animal seemed confused by the fishermen standing on the rocks. So instead of turning back and heading back into the bushes, it jumped right into the water! The poor thing bobbed(摆动)around in the waves and went underwater several times before Lillian decided to take action.

As with any other animal rescue, it’s important to approach the situation with prudence. Wild animals that are stressed can become dangerous to their rescuers, and Lillian was aware of the risks as she took her rescue board and hit the water at a run. “It just didn’t want to come on to the beach because it was kind of scared,” she said. “I was trying to figure out how to get it on the board. But considering that it’s a wild animal, even though I was helping, I wouldn’t want to be hurt by it or make it more stressed out.”

As beach-goers recorded the rescue on their phones,Lillian paddled (用浆划船) behind the animal carefully and guided the kangaroo onto the beach. As soon as Lillian’s feet touched the sand, the beach erupted in cheers for her!“It was quite special. As people there were cheering and clapping, the kangaroo was just sitting there up in the bushes staring at me, as if it was conveying something with its shining eyes,” Lillian said. “I didn’t think that was going to ever be my first rescue, I may have more rescues in the future, but none would be as memorable as this one.”

1. What happened to the kangaroo?

A．It jumped off the rocks by mistake,

B．It jumped into the sea by accident,

C．It was forced to leave the bushes.

D．It was washed away into the sea.

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

A．Inspiration.

B．Hope.

C．Care.

D．Shock.

3. How did the kangaroo react to its rescuer?

A．It couldn’t wait to leave her.

B．It was worried about her safety.

C．It was confused about her action.

D．It seemed grateful for her help.

4. Which of the followings can best describe Lillian?

A．Far-sighted and independent.	B．Talented and positive.
C．Brave and cautious.	D．Determined and ambitious.

8 . 假如你是李华，你的笔友小明暑假要来你的家乡旅游，请你写一封邮件向他简要介绍你的家乡，要点如下：
1．介绍地理位置、气候、景点、家乡变化等；
2．对小明的到来表示欢迎。
注意：
1．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
2．词数80—100词；
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