1 . My kitchen may be the best kitchen on the planet. That is because when I look out of its window can see the west side of Grandeur Peak. Grandeur Peak is one of the most attractive mountains in central Wasatch, with its animals, trees, morning clouds, evening sunset, and the mountain’s paragliders (滑翔伞运动员).

The number of paragliders flying above Grandeur Peak has grown over the past 15 years, so much so that they have become part of the mountain. But during the past year they have largely disappeared. Some paragliders told me that the wind became too strong to fly in. The wind is too strong! Is this another character of our changing climate (气候)? Will paragliding be a sport affected by a warming planet? Utah has been much windier in the past few years. For me, a scientist who studies living things, it is easy to believe that our future will be windier. This year it’s getting super-hot, and the planet is warming faster than scientists expected. I can’t help but worry that the future of paragliding in Utah is not bright.

I’m writing to the brave people who fly from Grandeur Peak with beautiful wings. I want you to join Clean The Dam Air, a group that’ s working hard to fight climate change and air pollution — I’m part of it too. We are introducing a measure, which aims to remove the state sales tax (税) on grocery store food and put a carbon tax on fossil fuels (化石燃料) in its place: gas, electricity produced from fossil fuels, and natural gas. The goal isn’t to make taxes higher. The idea is to encourage everyone to reduce their use of fossil fuels. So, paragliders, join us. Now is the time to take care of our planet. If we succeed, then Utah can be an example to others in fighting climate change.

1. Why does the author mention his kitchen?

A．To share his love of cooking dishes.

B．To bring back his memories of paragliding.

C．To introduce Grandeur Peak’s paragliding.

D．To describe his adventures around Grandeur Peak.

2. What happened in the past year?

A．The author saw less paragliding.	B．Few people visited Grandeur Peak.
C．Air pollution became serious in Utah.	D．Strong winds stopped people going outside.

3. What is the author’s attitude towards the future of paragliding in Utah?

A．Uncaring.

B．Supportive.

C．Positive.

D．Worried.

4. What did the author call on paragliders to do?

A．Buy those foods that are taxed less.

B．Reduce flying with wings in Grandeur Peak.

C．Join him to support a program about taxing.

D．Join a group to improve their paragliding skills.

2 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

A few years ago when I was looking for a small dog to add to our family, I contacted the local SPCA(Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and got the name of a woman who was fostering(领养，代养) some rescued Maltese dogs for them. I called the woman, and my husband and I drove to her home. As I looked around, I noticed a cute Maltese named Casper. My husband and I decided we would like to adopt him.

The foster mom asked us if there were any way we would open our hearts to Casper’s friend, Kato, as well. She told us that the two boys, who had only each other for comfort, had recently been rescued from a puppy farm, where they had spent the first seven years of their lives. When the local SPCA shut down the puppy farm and seized all the dogs, Kato and Casper had been put in her foster home.

She told us that when she first picked them up, their fur was in such terrible shape that they hardly looked like Maltese dogs. They were brown, whose fur was wet and dirty, and their paws were swollen. For seven years, they were locked in a dark doghouse and the only human contact these boys had was when they were thrown their food.

Hearing all this, I turned and looked down at the little Maltese named Kato. But he’s so ugly, I thought. And he isn’t even friendly. He barked angrily when we looked at him. When I reached for him, he pushed himself against the back wall of his doghouse, whispering. Still, I felt a tig at my heart and agreed to take Kato also. As we drove home, my husband and I worried that maybe we’d taken on too much. We’d never had dogs that had been so abused(虐待) for such a longtime.

注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

The first day at our home was very difficult for the two dogs.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Though difficult, I did everything I could think of to help these dogs.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号中单词的正确形式。

Hangzhou, located in the north of Zhejiang province, is one of the seven ancient     1     (capital) of China. As a core city of the Yangtze River Delta, Hangzhou     2     (be)one of the most prosperous cities in China for more than 1, 000 years, and is home     3     a lot of natural attractions.

The West Lake is definitely a place people can never miss when visiting Hangzhou. The lake itself cowers 6 square kilometres, and some of Hangzhou’s most famous scenic places     4     (include). You can just walk along the Nanshan and Beishan roads, take a ferry on the boat to the islands on the lake,     5     simply sit in a lakeside teahouse.

Hefang Street is where you can experience how Hangzhou     6     (look) when it was the capital of China. The emperors’ palace was once located on the street,     7     (make) it the economic and political center of the city. Most of the shops there have     8     history of more than 100 years.

The Xixi wetland is not only China’s first national wetland park, but also a natural haven from the busy city life,     9     is listed as a cultural treasure.

As UNESCO says on its     10     (office) website, “With its famous natural beauty and cultural heritage, Hangzhou has already become one of the most important tourist venues in China.”

4 . For Cruz, who grew up in Peru’s mountainous region of Cuzco, fog represents a massive opportunity. As a boy, he had to hike for more than an hour every day across hills to collect water from the nearest source. But over time, he realized that during the rainy season, droplets of water would gather in the large leaves of banana trees. So one day he and his father tried to build a canal system with the leaves to collect water and it turned out a success. But afterwards, he moved to Lima at the age of 25.

There, shocked by the water shortages and expensive water supply that some of the city’s poorest residents were faced with, Cruz set up El Movimiento Peruanos sin Agua in 2005. The idea was to deploy the method he learned in his hometown on a larger scale, which would provide free, independently sourced and easily accessible water to those who needed it most. He began installing (安装) a traditional fog catcher model developed in the 1980s.

At the highest point of Los Tres Miradores, there is a curious set of large structures that resemble a fleet of ships in the sky. They are so-called “fog catchers”. Netted devices, made of high density Raschel polyethylene and spanning several meters wide, are lined up at the top of a misty mound and linked by a network of tubes that lead to storage containers. The 40 fog catchers there provide enough water for 180 families, whether to bathe, clean, drink or to irrigate crops on small garden patches.

Supporters believe that fog catchers have the potential to improve water supply for communities around the world among the ever-challenging circumstances. German researcher Lummerich says, “They are cheap, easy to construct.” In a world searching for water supply systems, it is one important puzzle piece that can make an essential difference locally.

However, there are some issues. For one, fog catchers require space, which is not always easy to come by in cities, let alone urban slums. At the same time, fog catchers must be properly cleaned and maintained to stay effective. Most crucially, appropriate climate conditions are required. Fog isn’t everywhere.

1. What does the underlined word “deploy” probably mean in paragraph 2?

A．Employ.

B．Adjust.

C．Design.

D．Study.

2. What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A．The reason why Cruz installed fog catchers.

B．The difficulties of constructing a canal system.

C．The installation and benefits of fog catchers.

D．The inspiration Cruz gained to build a canal system.

3. What is the biggest challenge associated with the use of fog catchers?

A．High costs.	B．Public opposition.
C．Space limitation.	D．Climate conditions.

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

A．Urban Areas: A Struggle for Sufficient Water

B．Innovative Water Collection Techniques in Peru

C．The Global Water Crisis and Possible Solutions

D．Fog Catchers: A Local Solution with Global Potential

5 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. When did the Kobe earthquake happen?

A．At dawn on January 17th, 1995

B．At noon on January 17th, 1995

C．At dawn on January 17th, 1996

2. How many people died in the Kobe earthquake?

A．75,000 .

B．Nearly 310,000.

C．More than 6,000.

3. Which of the following way is mentioned?

A．Walls should be built to protect towns on the coast from large waves.

B．Emergency services should control all.

C．Lectures should be encouraged to arouse the public’s attention.

4. What is the major barrier (困难) in doing more to reduce the earthquake damage?

A．Engineers do not have the knowledge.

B．Protection is too costly (昂贵的) at present.

C．No one takes earthquakes seriously.

6 . In the northernmost edge of Colombia sits the coastal town of Acandí. Access to the town is only by water or air; there is no road that leads there. The residents there are faced with the struggles of balancing livelihoods while protecting biodiversity.

In the past, traditional community fishing methods, passed down by the elders, focused on the reasonable fishing and management of resources. However, the introduction of large-scale trawling vessels(拖网渔船) decades ago gradually depleted the area’s fishing resources, leading to damage to marine(海洋的) life seriously.

Jesús Antonio Julio Cuestas, who serves in the region’s conservation and management of marine resources, stresses the bad impact of these developments and calls for new fishing techniques. “Fishing and conservation co-exist as long as we have good management practices and reasonable use of our fishing resources,” says Cuestas. He and other officials actively monitor fishing activities in Acandí. Each morning, they visit the fish markets to gather data on fishery resources—including prices and sizes—to monitor the state of the local fishing industry.

Along with Cuestas, the fishers work to reduce their impact on the marine ecosystem. By changing fishing methods and adopting new practices, they aim for a more balanced approach to fishing. “This year the local fishermen have not used the trawl net s that were causing the death of the leatherback sea turtles,” explains Cuestas proudly. Changes include the efforts of boats to protect the seagrass that serves as feeding grounds for marine life and an end to fishers throwing net s where turtles lay their eggs.

This marine reserve in Acandí, Cuestas believes, is their greatest treasure. He attaches great importance to working together with local residents to improve the quality of life while preserving the marine ecosystem. By doing so, he imagines a picture where individuals from the fishing community can pursue various careers, such as engineers or lawyers, proudly stating that they are the products of the fishing tradition in Acandí.

1. What does the underlined word “depleted” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Reused.	B．Restored.
C．Explored.	D．Reduced.

2. Why does Julio Cuestas call for new fishing techniques?

A．To cut down on the costs of fishing.

B．To improve the income of local residents.

C．To promote the well-being of marine wildlife.

D．To spread traditional community fishing methods.

3. What is paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．The aim of the changes to fishing methods.

B．The efforts to preserve marine ecosystem.

C．The results the trawl net s have brought about.

D．The impact of fishers on the local environment.

4. What is Julio Cuestas’s attitude towards Acandí’s future?

A．Confident.	B．Uncaring.
C．Concerned.	D．Doubtful.

7 . Have you ever wondered what happens to your mobile phones and laptops after you throw them out to make way for a newer model? According to its latest Global E-Waste Monitor, India is the third top producer of e-waste in the world. E-waste in Indian landfill goes on to pollute soil and groundwater, affecting food supply systems and water sources.

Thankfully, the country has a new group of artists who are changing these thrown mechanical items-from mobile phones to old televisions- into large murals (壁画) and artworks to creatively show their concern for the waste problem.

Over the past quarter of a century, Mumbai’s Haribaabu Naatesan has transformed hundreds of tonnes of e-waste into art, integrating elements from nature and industry. “I get my waste material from friends, relatives and neighbours who know my interest in e-art and send me bags of thrown electronic appliances,” says Naatesan. Over his career, he has created huge murals for several companies. He has also showed his work at the India Art Fair, as well as several other national displays.

Another artist Vishwanath Davangere has also long worked with e-waste. He likes to take apart old laptops and reassemble (重新组装) them into birds, animals and plants. After retirement, he started pursuing this hobby more seriously and started selling his creations across the world. His most outstanding works include a robotic Egyptian statue with glowing red eyes and a Milky Way made from keyboard keys. He hopes to enable others to reconsider their own consumption habits and make more environmentally conscious choices.

“By giving e-waste a second chance, I aim to raise awareness about the environmental impact of electronic waste.” says Davangare, who today has a collection of more than 600 eco-art objects.

1. Why do the artists create artworks from E-waste?

A．To promote their artistic career.	B．To update electronic appliances.
C．To make profits for several companies.	D．To express their environmental concern.

2. What can we learn about Naatesan from paragraph 3?

A．His creations are displayed globally.	B．He gains support from people around.
C．He has been creating e-art for 10 years.	D．His works integrate technology and history.

3. Which of the following best describes Davangere?

A．Reliable.

B．Confident.

C．Devoted.

D．Generous.

4. Which can be a suitable title for the text?

A．E-waste Recycling Sweeping the World	B．Environmental Problems Worrying Indians
C．An Art Movement Turning Trash into Cash	D．Indian Creatives Transforming E-waste into Art

8 . A hero sheep dog became the guiding light of hope for three trapped sheep as it swam across dangerous flooded fields to _________ them to safety.

Llyr Derwydd, a 44-year-old farmer coming from the area of Ruthin, _________ himself in a dangerous situation on a Friday afternoon. While _________ his sheep in Flints hire as usual, he realized a sad fact — three sheep were helplessly trapped on a small piece of land within the field, cut off by the _________ .

Considering the dangerous conditions that the flood caused, the _________ required a special hero. In this serious moment, _________ that hero was none other than the quick-thinking sheep dog, Patsy.

Mr. Derwydd talked about the sad experience, stating, “We realized we needed to act _________to ensure the safety of the trapped sheep. The piece of land they were on was _________ very fast, and the great danger was increasing.”

In order to rescue the sheep, he made a _________. With a sense of urgency (紧急) in the air, he wondered whether Patsy, his clever sheep dog, would deal with the problem. A silent __________was made, and Patsy, with strong determination, took a brave try.

It was a moment filled with __________ , as the true depth of the water remained unknown. Yet, Patsy’s born swimming __________ and strong determination pushed her forward. Without hesitation (犹豫), she braved the dangerous waters to __________ the trapped sheep.

Mr. Derwydd shared his __________ , saying, “I knew she was a good swimmer, or I wouldn’t take the __________. However, I was quite surprised by her courage and skill.”

1.

A．force

B．carry

C．guide

D．attract

2.

A．hid

B．found

C．imagined

D．reminded

3.

A．checking

B．describing

C．comparing

D．selling

4.

A．snow

B．water

C．fire

D．smoke

5.

A．lecture

B．recovery

C．rescue

D．experiment

6.

A．equally

B．suddenly

C．luckily

D．obviously

7.

A．in return

B．in time

C．in person

D．in secret

8.

A．reducing

B．improving

C．rising

D．sliding

9.

A．call

B．promise

C．decision

D．comment

10.

A．wish

B．order

C．warning

D．suggestion

11.

A．danger

B．regret

C．hope

D．fun

12.

A．goals

B．curiosity

C．ways

D．ability

13.

A．catch

B．feed

C．reach

D．stop

14.

A．responsibility

B．amazement

C．confidence

D．awkwardness

15.

A．risk

B．time

C．lead

D．place

9 . 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。

Anji, a small county in East China’s Zhejiang Province,     1     (receive) over 28 million tourists every year. There are more than 300 coffee shops there,     2     in terms of population density has surpassed that of Shanghai. “A cup of coffee bridges the gap between the big city and the small county,” said Han Jie, a Shanghai tourist who     3     (temporary) escaped the large city and came to Anji over the weekend. In Zhejiang,     4     increasing number of coffeehouse owners are venturing into rural areas to meet the demands of a growing population of young and adventurous coffee enthusiasts.

    5     (locate) in the bamboo forests of Penghu Village in Anji , a café called Waterfall Coffee has gained popularity     6     social media influencers. Visitors can not only taste coffee on the cliff halfway up the mountain, admiring waterfalls in the distance,     7     enjoy boating on the lake with an excellent view.

The outdoor café, the Deep Blue Coffeehouse, has received 350,000 tourists in less than a year, with the highest daily number of visitors     8     (reach) 8,000 people. By far, the small coffee shop has fueled the rural economy of Hongmiao Village in some way, causing university students     9     (cooperate) with the local government in organizing a start-up fair, with the aim of attracting more university     10     (graduate) to start business in the village.

10 . Each year, the discovery of new shark species underlines how little we know about ocean biodiversity. In a recent report conducted by Sibert and Rubin, they reported an unexpected finding: a large-scale extinction of sharks in the pelagic ocean, the largest ecosystem on Earth, about 19 million years ago. Their discovery suggests that some extinctions in the open sea of the past may have been mysterious.

The study of Sibert and Rubin takes advantage of a system by using tiny, hard bits of shark skin and bony fish teeth that naturally fall from their bodies to the seafloor. These extremely small fossils provide a rich record of ancient oceanic sharks and their abundance for thousands of years. By studying fossils from many regions, the diversity patterns can give major insights into evolution (进化) of the open sea that would be otherwise unknown.

Sibert and Rubin quantified(量化)a past extinction of sharks, reporting a 90% decline in number and >70% drop in diversity. They found that nearer-shore sharks appear to survive, but migratory ones go extinct. The finding of this study is that sharks had undergone a widespread extinction that reorganized their communities from 16 million to 20 million years ago.

Sibert and Rubin narrowed the disappearance of sharks to a window of time under 100,000 years around 19 million years ago, but the causes of this event remain unclear. Because this time period does not stand out as a period of major climatic change, the authors do not attribute(归因于) environmental factors as an extinction driver. As for other causes, the loss of shark diversity is directly linked to overfishing.

The loss of sharks from the oceans has profound, complex, and unavoidable ecological consequences because their presence reflects the stability of marine ecosystems. Yet, one-quarter of the global diversity of sharks is currently threatened with extinction. Despite recent improvements in conservation actions, shark communities never recovered from a mysterious extinction event 19 million years ago; the ecological fate of what remains is now in our hands.

1. What did Sibert and Rubin find?

A．The negative impact of the extinction of sharks.

B．The mysterious reasons behind the disappearance of sharks.

C．The most recent advances in the study of the largest ecosystem.

D．The large-scale decline in the number of sharks about 19 million years ago.

2. How did Sibert and Rubin conduct their study?

A．By collecting and analyzing shark fossils worldwide.

B．By quantifying the movement of near-shore sharks.

C．By using a system to study the naturally fallen bits from sharks.

D．By keeping track of ancient oceanic sharks and their activities.

3. According to the passage, which of the following statement is true?

A．Overfishing is partly to blame for the loss of shark diversity.

B．The number of sharks has recovered to its previous level.

C．Scientist have figured out the exact causes of sharks’ extinction.

D．Sharks had undergone a widespread extinction due to the climate change.

4. Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A．Sharks: The Stories behind Them	B．Sharks: The Marine Masters
C．Sharks: Killers or Misunderstood?	D．Sharks: The Mysterious Extinction