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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2 . Humans are not the only ones adapting to the effects of global climate change. Animals are also adapting to the environmental changes—as some warm-blooded animals are beginning to “shapeshift” their bodies in response to shifts in climate, according to a recent study in Trends in Ecology & Evolution led by Sara Ryding, a researcher at Deakin University in Australia.
In the study, researchers identified new evidence that supports the theory that some warm-blooded animals are experiencing changes to their bodies due to the rising temperatures, resulting in larger legs, ears and beaks in some cases. The researchers noted that according to a principle known as “Allen’s Rule,” warm-blooded animals living in colder climates tend to have smaller appendages (like beaks or legs) than animals of the same species living in warmer climates.
Some of the most convincing evidence of shapeshifting was found in birds in Australia and North America, according to researchers. Certain species of Australian parrots have demonstrated about 4%-10% increase in the size of their beaks since 1871, which researchers attribute to rising temperatures. In North America, the dark-eyed junco (暗眼灯草雀) also has been seen an increase in beak size. Larger beaks help birds dissipate additional body heat more effectively, the study said, which is a useful feature as global temperatures rise.
“A lot of the time when climate change is discussed in mainstream media, people are asking ‘can humans overcome this?’ or ‘what technology can solve this?’” Ryding said in a news release from Cell Press. She said that just like humans, animals also had to adapt to climate changes. Ryding added, “The climate change that we have created is putting a whole lot of pressure on them, and while some species will adapt, others will not.” “Shapeshifting does not mean that animals are coping with climate change and that all is ‘fine,’” Ryding said, “It just means they are evolving to survive it.”
1. What do we know from the recent study led by Sara Ryding?| A．All species will not adapt to climate change. |
| B．Animals are dealing with climate change well. |
| C．The junco has been seen an increase in beak size in Australia. |
| D．Animals living in warmer climates tend to have smaller beaks. |
| A．Take in. | B．Turn off. | C．Build up. | D．Get rid of. |
| A．Concerned. | B．Confused. | C．Indifferent. | D．Amazed. |
| A．Animals Are Coping with Climate Change. |
| B．Rising Temperatures Are Threatening Animals. |
| C．Humans Are To Blame for Animals Shapeshift. |
| D．Climate Change Is Making Some Species Shapeshift. |
3 . Ah, earth’s oceans. They are beautiful, inspiring and life-sustaining. They are also, as you’re probably quite aware, more or less screwed. In the Seychelles, for example, human activities and climate change have left corals bleached. Over fishing has caused fish stocks to drop. Biodiversity is in danger. Some form of protection is needed, obviously. When marine areas are strategically protected, the entire ecosystems can bounce back.
What exactly does smart ocean conservation look like? I want to share with you a brilliant idea from The Nature Conservancy (TNC). They’ve realized debt held by island and coastal nations is the key to achieving their conservation goals. TNC’s idea is to restructure this debt to generate the funds and political will to protect corals and fisheries.
This is how the work gets done. Step one: negotiate the deal. A coastal nation commits to protect at least 30% of its ocean areas. In exchange, TNC brings investors, public funders and international development organizations to the table to restructure a portion of the nation’s debt, leading to lower interest rates and longer repayment periods. Step two: create a marine plan. TNC works with marine scientists, government leaders and local stakeholders to create a detailed conservation plan that integrates the needs of the ocean with the needs of the people. Step three: activate for longevity. TNC establishes an independently operated conservation trust fund. The savings from the debt restructure goes into it to support new marine protected areas. The trust guarantees the government is responsible.
Could this plan work? It already has. In 2016, TNC helped create a national conservation plan in the Seychelles by restructuring $22 million of the government’s debt. And in exchange, the government agreed to protect 30% of its marine areas. Today, the Seychelles is on track to protect 400,000 square kilometers of ocean. That’s an area roughly the size of Germany. This success is making other governments take note. Many want to be part of this. Undeniably, with this approach, everyone wins. Government, local citizens, funders and most importantly, our oceans. So in fact, we all win.
1. What does the underlined word “screwed” probably mean in paragraph 1?| A．Protected. | B．Maintained. | C．Destroyed. | D．Ignored. |
| A．The governments can use the funds freely. |
| B．TNC only takes into account how the idea profits coastal nations. |
| C．Many coastal nations can afford ocean conservation independently. |
| D．The restructured debt will greatly help achieve marine conservation goals. |
| A．To show the effectiveness of TNC’s idea. |
| B．To promote TNC’s idea of restructuring debt. |
| C．To stress the importance of marine protection. |
| D．To explain the influence of marine protection. |
| A．Ah, earth’s oceans | B．An all-win idea for coral protection |
| C．A practical proposal for Marine Protection | D．Harm caused by human activities to oceans |
4 . English is the most widely spoken language in the world. And of the roughly 1.5 billion speakers globally, the vast majority speak it as a second language. So where are the world’s best non-native English speakers? According to a new report by EF Education First, an international education company, Northern Europeans are the most fluent. Middle Easterners are the least proficient (精通的).
The index (指数) is based on the results of a free online test taken by 2.3 million volunteers in 100 countries. Nearly six in ten of this year’s test-takers were female. Women have always performed better than men, but this year men closed the gap somewhat.
In Europe, the powerhouse economies perform surprisingly badly: only Germany makes the top place of “very high proficiency” countries. France is next, while Spain and Italy are continuously falling behind. A study by a Spanish research institute reported the bad news: 60% of adults say they speak no English at all. The fact that Spanish is a global language in its own right (the language declares 400 million native speakers) is probably the cause. If you speak Danish, you need another language to take part in global culture; speaking French or Spanish (or Arabic) means hundreds of millions of people to talk to without English.
Asia is the region of greatest diversity (多样性). Only Singapore makes the top level, but the Philippines, Malaysia, and India are not far behind. China is further back but still in the second level, a few places ahead of Japan. Struggling in the bottom places are a group of South-East and Central Asian countries like Cambodia and Kyrgyzstan. This relates with another factor: the company repeatedly finds that English skills are highly related with connections and openness to the rest of the world.
1. Which is the best title for the text?| A．Where are the world’s most non-native English speakers? |
| B．Where are the fewest non-native English speakers? |
| C．Where are the world’s best non-native English speakers? |
| D．Where are the last non-native English speakers? |
| A．Half of this year’s test-takers were female. |
| B．Nearly 1.38 million of this year’s test-takers were female. |
| C．Women and men equally performed this year. |
| D．The gap between female and male is getting close year by year. |
| A．Spanish is a global language itself. | B．400 million Spanish speak English. |
| C．Spanish is easy to understand. | D．English fails to attract them. |
| A．Asia is the region with the best non-native English speakers. |
| B．China is the second place with the best non-native English speakers. |
| C．Countries in South-East and Central Asian are less open in Asia. |
| D．Countries in South-West and Central Asian line in the bottom places. |
5 . The human race shares this planet with millions of other species and forms of life. In recognizing that, it is always important to remember that our rapid rise of the urban civilization(城市文明) has unavoidably impacted the planet and life on it.
In the long run, however, the civilization risks destroying well balanced ecosystems, which could potentially have serious results for humanity itself. As such,we must eventually find a balance between development and nature which can maintain the ecology, beauty and harmony(和谐) of the earth.
The word “harmony” is an important concept in China. Chinese society and culture are built on the idea that relationships between people should be harmonious, which means avoiding conflict, highlighting a common good and balancing uncontrollable desires with the needs of society as a whole. However, this idea does not just apply to people, it also applies to our relationships with the world and nature. Never has this been more meaningful than the view of how China handles its rapid development, which has lastingly changed the country’s landscape and created new challenges regarding nature and the environment.
Actually, over the past few years China has been working hard to protect biodiversity and has drawn “red lines” for ecological protection, established a national park system, and undertaken major projects for biodiversity protection.
One example of China’s success in this area is in its reversing(逆转) of the decrease of its giant panda population to the point that it is no longer endangered. This effort included creating a giant panda national park in 2016 and doubling the number of births. Pandas have become “a global symbol of conservation success”—something in which China has played a key part.
Likewise, China is also taking its efforts overseas. It recently announced a $232 million fund to promote biodiversity protection in developing countries. The effort is a part of its “community of shared future for mankind”, meaning that we share one world, one planet and one future, and so we human beings must work together. Now it is the time to act.
1. Which potential risk along with the urban civilization is mentioned?| A．Loss of the natural scenery. |
| B．Breaking the ecosystem balance. |
| C．The disappearance of all species. |
| D．Ruining our human health. |
| A．The word “harmony” refers to good interpersonal relationship. |
| B．Human’s uncontrolled desires aren’t connected with harmony. |
| C．Keeping in harmony makes a difference to China’s development. |
| D．Balancing development and nature isn’t complicated as imagined. |
| A．China has completed the task of protecting biodiversity. |
| B．China has made some achievements of protecting biodiversity. |
| C．The population of giant panda is gradually decreasing recently. |
| D．Pandas have become the most successful representative of China。 |
| A．Fundamental. | B．Unique. | C．Indirect. | D．Mysterious. |
| sorry; better; lived; looking; friendly; cats; dead; because; but; dangerous |
Alice likes cats
When she was a child, she
Now Alice has four
7 . People today are not unfamiliar with term such as "going eco-friendly" and "sustainable lifestyle". However, there exists a group of sceptics（怀疑论者）who believe that going eco-friendly is merely a fad（一时的风尚）. I disagree with this viewpoint, Going eco-friendly is not merely a fad and it does, in fact, change the beliefs and attitudes of people.
The long-term presence of environmental organisations shows the efforts that people have made towards going eco-friendly. Organisations such as World Wildlife Fund advocate people to go eco-friendly. The high involvement of the organisations and the participants is thus a strong indicator that going eco-friendly is not merely a fad but a trend that can last decades.
Another strong indicator is the emergence of sustainable products in many industries, such as organic produce and electric vehicles. The consumer demand, coupled with eco-conscious（环保意识的）businesses, is behind the sharp increase in such products. This shows a shift in the beliefs and attitudes of people towards adopting a sustainable lifestyle. Thus, it seems quite certain that going eco-friendly is not merely a fad.
While some people who broadcast their eco-friendly practices are criticised for just hoping to project an eco-conscious image, there are a number of celebrities who have been practising the zero-waste lifestyle for years. For those who do so for years, and not mere days or months, it is indeed a commitment that can only come with a true change in beliefs and attitudes towards caring for the earth.
The call to save the earth looks set to stay. With the development of technology and the appearance of many platforms advocating going green, people are more willing to change their beliefs and attitudes when they can learn about and appreciate the positive impact of the work of different environmental organisations and individuals. It is hoped that these effects will go a long way in ensuring that our planet will remain a suitable place to live in.
1. Why does the author mention World Wildlife Fund?| A．To appreciate its environmental efforts. |
| B．To encourage people to go eco-friendly. |
| C．To evidence the universal recognition of going green. |
| D．To highlight the difficulty in changing people's attitudes. |
| A．Sudden disappearance. | B．Sharp increase. |
| C．Gradual development. | D．Limited application. |
| A．It may discourage people from sustainable lifestyle. |
| B．It may boost the business of organic produce. |
| C．It will be used to project an eco-conscious image. |
| D．It will promote environmental awareness. |
| A．To prove going eco-friendly a lasting trend. |
| B．To popularize the eco-friendly products. |
| C．To offer strategies to go eco-friendly. |
| D．To advertise for eco-friendly platforms. |
8 . When it comes to sharks, many people think of their pointy fins and violent nature. But there is more to sharks than their sharp teeth: The creature appeared on earth 410 million years ago, before dinosaurs.
However, sharks are now at the edge of extinction. Numbers of sharks have decreased by 71% over the past 50 years, according to the research published in Nature. “Such sharp decreases are shocking even to experts, especially when compared to land animal statistics,” Sonja Fordham at Shark Advocates International told New Scientist magazine. “This data(数据) may be an underestimate(低估) of reality because of unreported fish catches,” noted Nathan Pacoureau, a researcher of the study team.
The study included 31 species; 24 now risk extinction, and 3 shark species are now classified as highly endangered. The study found the decrease hit the largest species first before influencing smaller ones over time, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It also said that shark finning and fishing worldwide have driven the decrease. “The Indian Ocean is the worst. There is almost no fishery management at all,” said Pacoureau.
“Overfishing of sharks destroys the health of entire ocean ecosystems as well as food safety for some countries,” said Nicholas Dulvy, a professor of Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada. “The researchers are calling on immediate action to ensure a brighter future for these animals,” according to the BBC.
Although the situation looks depressing, the future of sharks is not doomed(注定)yet. 25 species have recovered because of long-term protection campaigns in the past decades. A couple of shark species have started to recover through science-based fishing limits. These examples provide living evidence that the world can set and meet biodiversity goals.
1. What can we know about sharks from the text?| A．They are faced with a bad situation. |
| B．They began to exist later than dinosaurs. |
| C．They are well preserved in the Indian Ocean. |
| D．They became an extinct species 5 decades ago. |
| A．They just focus on the largest species. |
| B．They may leave out unreported situations. |
| C．They disagree with some experts’ judgements. |
| D．They are only compared with those of land animals. |
| A．Overfishing. | B．Natural disasters. |
| C．The ocean pollution. | D．Food source shortage. |
| A．Hopeless. | B．Bright. | C．Dark. | D．Unclear. |
How much do you know about the Amazon rainforest? It is without doubt one of the true
The Amazon rainforest is in South America,
