1 . Banff National Park is home to an amazing wildlife population. But the busy Trans Canada Highway that cuts through the park is a hazard to the lovely animals. To address the problem, Banff first put-up wildlife fencing on either side of the highway to discourage animals from entering the busy road. Then, since 1996, they’ve opened six wildlife overpasses and 38 underpasses to help the animals cross the highway in safety. I was fortunate to visit Banff’s Red Earth Overpass with Trevor Kinley, the project manager with Parks Canada. He told me that so far, they have documented 10, 000 safe animal crossings on this overpass alone. “ Some animals have learned how to use the crossings much more quickly than others. Black bears are the fastest learners, followed by deer. Wolves and lions take the longest to work out how to use them, ” Kinley said, laughing. “ But those animals that are slower to adapt are usually more capable and determined at figuring out the safest way to cross those overpasses and underpasses. ”

There is some criticism (批评) that channeling so much wildlife into a few bridges and tunnels is like making a trap for the animals, offering big animals an easy meal on either side. “ But research has shown that this is not the case, ” Kinley assured me. “ There are no more killings around the crossings than there are anywhere else in the park. ”

Walking over the Trans Canada and then walking underneath through one of the tunnels, I was amazed to see the fresh tracks of black bears, wolves, deer and many kinds of smaller animals. Somehow, all these animal footprints made me so happy, knowing that all this wildlife was passing safely under and over the longest road in Canada.

Hopefully, the success of the wildlife crossings in Banff will continue to inspire similar solutions around the world, where human pressure on wildlife continues to grow.

1. Which of the following best explains “ hazard ” underlined in paragraph 1?

A．Shelter.

B．Message.

C．Answer.

D．Danger.

2. What does Trevor Kinley say about those wolves and lions?

A．They are stupid animals.	B．They are cautious learners.
C．They are very dangerous.	D．They are good at adapting.

3. What are the critics worried about?

A．There are too many bridges and tunnels.	B．Many animals will not use the crossings.
C．More killings might happen at the crossings.	D．Illegal hunting might be encouraged in the park.

4. How does the author feel at the end of the visit?

A．Concerned.

B．Disappointed.

C．Shocked.

D．Delighted.

2 . 假设你是李华，上周末你班分为两组进行了一项了解珍稀动物金丝猴（golden monkeys）的活动，请根据表格所提供的内容，给你的笔友Linda写封信，向她介绍此次活动的过程和体会。

第一组	第二组
*到动物园观察金丝猴的特征（feature） *去图书馆查阅金丝猴的习性（behavior）	*上网了解金丝猴的现有数量 *听专家介绍对金丝猴的保护措施
*汇总信息，完成报告 *活动体会（至少写两点）

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。

A Weather Report in Australia

New South Wales	There is a warning in place as     1     spread.
Queensland	At least     2     inches of rain are expected to fall over the next 24 hours.
Northern Territory	Residents should only experience light showers, and it will remain     3     until Friday evening.
Perth	There will be     4     that may become stronger towards the end of the week.
Geraldton	Rain showers will come in from the     5     but should disappear later.

4 . On a September night almost anywhere in southern Europe, you might see beech trees rustle (发出沙沙声) with activity. If you shine a light into the branches，you may see animals with large eyes and bushy tails.

They are called fat dormice. Despite their name, all types of dormice are more closely related to squirrels than mice. That explains their bushy tails and why they hang out in trees and bushes. But most squirrels are active during the day. Like other dormice, fat dormice come out at night.

Once the sun sets, fat dormice go to work filling themselves with beech seeds until they grow fat. These animals add at least half their body weight in just a few weeks. They’re preparing for a winter sleep. Lots of animals hibernate (冬眠),but fat dormice do so for seven or eight months. After putting on plenty of eight, a fat dormouse makes a nest. There it will spend the winter. Its body uses the stored fat for energy while it hibernates. But seven months is a long time,so the dormouse needs to use its energy slowly.

Everything in a fat dormouse’s body slows down when it hibernates. That’s true of all hibernating animals. They breathe more slowly and their hearts beat less often. Those changes help the animals survive several months without eating. But in fat dormice, the bodies slow down even more than the bodies of other hibernating animals that live in similar environments. At temperatures well above freezing (15℃), hibernating fat dormice may breathe only once every 10 minutes. During a midwinter freeze, they breathe only once an hour. Hibernators such as little brown bats and squirrels breathe more often. Their hearts beat more often, too. But those animals hibernate for only five or six months. Fat dormice have to stretch their energy supply for two or three months longer.

Over seven or eight months, the fat dormouse slowly uses up the fat it stored in the fall. In May, it finally wakes up. It is much thinner, very hungry, and ready to make the most of its short summer before it is time to hibernate again.

1. What is a characteristic of fat dormice?

A．They feed on insects.	B．They look the same as mice.
C．They enjoy staying underground.	D．They are active during the night.

2. Why do fat dormice add half their body weight quickly?

A．To fight against enemies.	B．To protect their families.
C．To survive during the winter.	D．To feed baby fat dormice.

3. What can we infer from the figures in Paragraph 4?

A．Fat dormice are super energy savers.

B．Fat dormice are good food searchers.

C．Fat dormice store more energy than other hibernators.

D．Fat dormice breathe more quickly in midwinter than in summer.

4. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To compare several kinds of animals.

B．To introduce a champion of hibernation.

C．To explain how fat dormice earned their name.

D．To show how hibernating animals spend the winter.

5 . In the wild, monkeys need to watch out for all sorts of dangers，like leopards (豹），eagles and snakes. But the green monkeys studied by Julia Fischer of the German Primate Center have an additional challenge: they also have to scan the skies for drones (无人机). "Why do we fly a drone over green monkeys?" one may ask. The answer is that Fischer and her colleagues are interested in how monkeys communicate.

In a classic study back in the 1980s, scientists showed that African vervet monkeys (长尾黑频猴) produce alarm calls that are specific to the hunters they meet. For example，vervet monkeys hearing a leopard alarm might climb up a tree hurriedly, whereas the eagle call sends them running for cover under the closest bush.

Now，the green monkeys that live in Senegal share a similar system to warn of leopards and snakes. But they aren’t known to raise much noise in response to bird hunters. Therefore，the researchers decided to fly a drone over them. They treated 80 green monkeys to a show of drones. How did the animals react to these unfamiliar drones?   “These monkeys did respond. And they responded with alarm calls，and they responded by running away,” Fischer said.

Here’s where things get really interesting: the calls the green monkeys made after spotting the drones were different from the ones they used to signal leopards or snakes. But what's even more interesting is that when the researchers did an analysis of the sound，they found that these alarm calls were almost strangely similar to the ones of the African vervets. And the findings are described in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.

The fact that the two monkey species seem to speak similar language, even though they separated from their last common ancestor some 3 million years ago，suggests that this kind of warning system is unchanged. So if you hear a monkey make alarm calls like that, watch out for a hungry bird, or check to see if your drone has delivered your package.

1. What did the study in the 1980s find about vervet monkeys?

A．They could meet a variety of hunters in Africa.

B．They separated from their very close cousins early.

C．They could hide themselves very well from the hunters.

D．They made particular alarm calls according to the hunters.

2. How did the green monkeys respond to unfamiliar drones?

A．By shouting and climbing up trees.	B．By making noises and playing dead
C．By sending alarms and running away.	D．By hiding themselves under shelters.

3. What does the underlined part “the sound” in the fourth paragraph refer to?

A．The alarm calls green monkeys made after spotting the drones.

B．The alarm calls the African vervets made after spotting the drones.

C．The alarm calls green monkeys used to signal leopards or snakes.

D．The alarm calls the African vervets used to signal leopards or snakes.

4. What’s the best title for the passage?

A．Survival of the Fittest— the Choice of Nature

B．The Application of Drones in Scientific Studies

C．Green Monkeys and Their Habits Are Back to Nature Finally

D．Green Monkeys and Their Cousins May Share Similar Language

6 . Record-breaking. Abnormal. Dangerous. That’s how the National Weather Service described the heat wave hitting much of North America.

The heat wave has already broken all-time high temperature records in places unaccustomed to such extreme heat. For example, Oregon’s capital city, Salem, recorded the highest temperature in its history on Sunday: 130F, breaking the old mark by 4 degrees. The temperature hit 104F in Seattle. It was an all-time record for the city better known for rain than heat and was the first time the area reached such a high temperature since records began being kept in 1894.

Weather forecasters said the heat wave was caused by an extended “heat dome”which allowed hot air from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic to stream northward over much of North America.

This current heat wave was yet more evidence of the impact of human-caused climate change. “When it comes to record-breaking heat events, the study has been run for event after event in region after region in year after year. And the answer is almost always the same,” said Kristie Ebi, a professor at the University of Washington “The days-long heat wave is a taste of the future as climate change reshapes global weather patterns.”

“Another aspect that we see connected to climate change but that we don’t hear about as much is the fact that there is also a lot more water in the atmosphere now. As we warm the oceans and warm the air, there is more evaporation（蒸发）and that wetter air makes us feel hotter,” added weather forecaster, Jennifer Francis. “A combination of high temperature and moisture（湿度）in the air means dangerous conditions for the young, elderly or others who are not healthy. Please drink plenty of water; stay out of the sun and in air-conditioned rooms.”

1. What was the previous temperature record in Salem?

A．104F.

B．126F.

C．130F.

D．134F.

2. What is the root cause of the present heat wave in North America?

A．The climate change.	B．The northward air streams.
C．The extended "heat dome".	D．The moisture in the atmosphere.

3. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．The Dangerous Heat Wave Will Last Long

B．A Heat Wave Roasts Much of North America

C．Measures Must Be Taken to Protect the Young and Elderly

D．The "Heat Dome" Is Expected to Cover the Pacific Northwest

4. Where can the text be found?

A．In a first aid guidebook.	B．In a weather forecast.
C．In a news report.	D．In a professor's lecture.

7 . Lapland's reindeer (驯鹿) grow well in winters of -30℃ and even colder. So when rain falls instead of snow during the coldest months in the Arctic,it makes food hard to get for them. Now one of the best-loved symbols of Christmas is probably dying out. Numbers have fallen by over half in the last two decades as the place warms at four times the global average rate.

The animals are used to pull sleigh (雪橇) rides for tourists. The rides are part of Lapland winter wonderland experiences in thousands of British tourists each year. But this year the working herd had to be moved 60 miles further north due to the absence of snow. As a result, they can't be provided in some areas, making it hard for people to earn a living.

Lapland is often described as Europe's last great wilderness, home to lynxes, brown bears, wolverines and golden eagles. Tourism is a big part of the economy, and the town of Rovaniemi is also the "official home of Santa Claus". But changing climate (气候) is threatening its tourism industry. A report by The Finnish Climate Change Panel warns of flooding and increased rainfall, with Rovaniemi most at risk. Firms that rely on snow "will have great effects on visit levels" and these industries may be forced further north.

Erkkila of the Arctic Husky Park in Rovaniemi says: "Tourists see pictures of the Santa Claus village covered in snow and when they get here they think, 'Is this the winter wonderland?'." The Husky Park bought a wheeled cart (车) six years ago as a replacement for sleigh rides when the snow fails.

In the past it was thought the Arctic was warming twice as fast as the rest of the world. But a report published last week by scientists showed the rate is actually four times the global average.

1. What causes the drop in Lapland's reindeer population?

A．Cold winter.	B．Polluted habitats.
C．Heavy snow.	D．Rising temperatures.

2. What does the underlined word "they" in paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Rides.

B．Animals.

C．Experiences.

D．Tourists.

3. What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A．Lapland is home to various wildlife.

B．Increased rainfall threatens Rovaniemi.

C．Rovaniemi is official home of Santa Claus.

D．Changing climate affects Lapland's tourism.

4. What does Erkkila say about tourists to Rovaniemi?

A．They feel excited.	B．They are disappointed.
C．They enjoy themselves.	D．They prefer wheeled carts.

8 . Planting more breadfruit trees could help make food supplies more stable (稳定) as the planet warms. Climate models suggest they will grow well across the tropics. There is an especially big opportunity in tropical Africa, where large areas are suitable for growing breadfruit trees and will remain so until the end of the century.

Breadfruit is a bit like a potato that grows on a tree, says Lucy Yang at Northwestern University in Illinois. The fruits can be cooked in many ways and also turned into a flour. “They are highly productive and very valuable to the body as food,” she says. “In addition, once a tree is planted, it is quite resilient (适应力强的).”

Yang and Daniel Horton, also at Northwestern, worked together to look at where in the tropics breadfruit grows now and to identify the climatic (气候的) conditions the trees require. Next, they used climate models to see where breadfruit could still be grown between 2060 and 2080. They found that the crop will not be affected, with reduction of the overall suitable area by just 4 % globally.

This is important because some studies suggest the production of main crops such as rice could be hard hit by rising temperatures and more extreme weather. There are expected to be many more food shocks like that of 2010, when Russia stopped exporting wheat because of a serious heatwave.

The team’s findings also made known a big opportunity in tropical Africa, where only a little breadfruit is now grown. “There’s possibility there to develop breadfruit production,” says Horton. “This tree may be able to have really positive effect on food resilience and safety.”

1. What can we learn about breadfruit trees?

A．Their fruits are very delicious.	B．They can be planted anywhere.
C．Their fruits grows underground.	D．They will help solve food problems.

2. What is the possible factor that affects the growth of breadfruit trees?

A．Scientific farming.	B．Production methods.
C．Climatic conditions.	D．Reduction of suitable area.

3. Why does the writer mention what happened in 2010?

A．To stress the growing risk of heatwaves.

B．To show the result extreme weather may cause.

C．To tell the difficulty Russians once experienced.

D．To explain why Russia stopped exporting wheat.

4. What can we infer from Horton’s words?

A．People will still worry about food shocks.

B．More Breadfruit trees might grow in Africa.

C．Breadfruit growing areas may remain the same.

D．The production of rice will become impossible.

9 . Early last summer, I bought some yam（山药）roots for food but days later, a tuber （块茎）left was sprouting（发芽）. Thinking it was a waste of money to throw it away, I _____ the tuber into a flower pot hoping that it might take root and ______ something that could be put on the dinner table.

In the following months, I ____ the tuber regularly. Thankfully, the _____ yam grew well. Soon it was autumn, and I decided to ______ .

I pulled out the leaves of the yam and began to dig with my fingers carefully for I knew the yam could ______easily. Suddenly my fingers __ the yam root. When almost no __ was left, I tried to pull the root but failed.

In ______   , I turned the pot over. Half of the yam root had grown through one of the three holes ______

The whole tuber, _____ two parts, one in and one out of the pot, was in the _____ of a handwritten L. Unlike ordinary yam roots, the part outside the pot was not round—it was _____ , looking like a hand of an old farmer who works hard to make a ______ . The very end of the part outside the pot was _____ . Obviously, the skin must have been rubbed off during its __ with the heavy pot. The very tip of the unusual part seemed to be bleeding.

The sight filled me with ______ . Then and there my opinion of the plant _____ . I came to understand that the tuber, though ______ wounded, had struggled hard. Such was a yam, an ordinary-looking plant with ________characteristics.

1.

A．cooked

B．ruined

C．buried

D．cut

2.

A．remove

B．produce

C．replace

D．protect

3.

A．bought

B．threw

C．watered

D．ate

4.

A．abandoned

B．forgotten

C．injured

D．potted

5.

A．perform

B．attempt

C．harvest

D．withdraw

6.

A．stand

B．grow

C．fall

D．break

7.

A．touched

B．pulled

C．crashed

D．killed

8.

A．earth

B．root

C．air

D．plant

9.

A．excitement

B．shame

C．puzzlement

D．terror

10.

A．in the sky

B．on the top

C．in the bottom

D．under the ground

11.

A．picking out

B．consisting of

C．giving away

D．taking down

12.

A．color

B．form

C．voice

D．size

13.

A．flat

B．long

C．rough

D．weak

14.

A．choice

B．contribution

C．wish

D．living

15.

A．skinless

B．endless

C．useless

D．stainless

16.

A．negotiation

B．struggle

C．cooperation

D．relationship

17.

A．victory

B．regret

C．envy

D．respect

18.

A．strengthened

B．changed

C．disappeared

D．remained

19.

A．barely

B．temporarily

C．purposefully

D．seriously

20.

A．tough

B．steady

C．common

D．gentle

10 . Winter can usually kill most wildfires. But in the far North，some forest fires just don’t die. They are thought of as “zombie (僵尸) fires”.

“Zombie fires” usually sleep underground in winter. Covered by snow, they smoke through the cold. Fueled by carbon-rich peat (泥炭) and soil in the North, most of these hidden fires spread slowly for less than 500 meters during the winter. When spring comes, the flames (火焰) of the fires appear near sites that they burned in winter, and they turn to burning fresh fuels around. This may happen well before the traditional fire season in the far North.

“Zombie fires” had been known mostly from firefighters’ stories. Few scientists studied them until details in some satellite images attracted one research team. Rebecca Scholten, a member of the team, studies earth systems at Vrije University Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Her team noticed an unusual thing. “New fires have been starting very close to the former years’ fires in recent years，and we wonder how often the fires might survive the winter,” Scholten explains.

These “zombie fires” are rarely seen before, according to a new study from Nature. But in recent years, they are becoming more common, the study warns. It is believed that the “zombie fires” are even on the road of being a threat. Forests in the far North are warming faster than the globe’s average (平均数). Scholten says, “We’re seeing more hot summers and more large fires and strong burning. That could set the stage for the fires to become a bigger problem,” she worries. And the region’s soils hold a lot of carbon—maybe twice as much as earth’s atmosphere. More fires here could give off huge amounts of greenhouse gases. That would drive a cycle of more warming and even higher risk of fires.

1. What do we know about the “zombies fires” in the far North?

A．They will completely die out in winter.

B．Carbon-rich peat helps them burn slowly in winter.

C．They often happen after the traditional fire season.

D．Their flames can only appear in spring.

2. What can we infer from Scholten’s words in paragraph 3?

A．“Zombie fires” appear earlier than the years before.

B．“Zombie fires” happen far from former years’ fires.

C．“Zombie fires” happen more frequently than before.

D．“Zombie fires” appear in different shapes every year.

3. What was a cause of being a threat for the “zombie fires”?

A．The global warming is slowing down.

B．The hot summers are less and less seen.

C．The area’s soils are short of carbon.

D．More greenhouse gases are given off.

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

A．Where Are “Zombie Fires” From?

B．Are “Zombie Fires” Frightening?

C．Pay Attention To “Zombie Fires”!

D．“Zombie Fires” Are Caused By Humans!