1 . The Healing Power of Water

It has been a rough few years. Many of us are finding ourselves exhausted, burned out, struggling to build balance back into our lives.     1     Neuro scientists say that spending time near oceans, lakes, rivers and other blue spaces can provide a range of benefits including reducing anxiety, easing mental fatigue and refreshing us.

Participating in water activities such as swimming or surfing can help us enter a “flow state,” where we become fully immersed in what we’re doing.     2     When we become skilled at an activity, our brain changes, making it even easier to enter a state of flow in the future.

Bodies of water also can produce a glorious sense of awe—the emotional response to something vast that expands and challenges how we see the world.     3    

Water has special properties that may boost nature’s positive impact.     4     Its smell can provoke positive memories and associations. When we are near water, there is often less visual and auditory information to process. Our mind can rest. When we’re floating in water, our bodies can rest too, in a way we never can on land.

    5     It moves rhythmically, producing a play of light, color and sound that is spellbinding. It holds our attention, but not in an overly demanding way. Researchers call this soft fascination. It gives our brains a break from the intense, focused attention that much of daily life requires.

A．Most important: Water is dynamic.

B．We need to recharge and water can help.

C．The sound of water, typically steady and soft, soothes us.

D．We can spend time on the water anywhere, anytime in our mind.

E．This calms the mind, which is often absorbed by worry and anxiety.

F．It’s not just our bodies that need the element of life—it’s our minds too.

G．Such sense of awe can decrease stress and help us put things into perspective.

2 . How to get kids to respect wildlife

Children who respect wildlife as something worthy of care and protection usually grow up kinder and more considerate and often generate the same positive feelings in those around them.     1     .

Respect their wildness

    2    . And this isn’t always the best thing for the animals — or kids as well. Show kids that animals in their natural habitats are living their best life — and should respect their own qualities.

Respect all the animals

It’s easy for kids to respect those cute and adorable mammals.     3     . Habitats need all sorts of animals to stay healthy, so show kids why every insect is important. (For instance, worms keep soil healthy by digging through the dirt.) Kids can learn about those not-so-cute animals by browsing online galleries or photos of insects and bugs.

    4    

Out of curiosity, young kids want to chase after a squirrel, or pet a wild rabbit. But human interactions with wildlife can negatively affect animals by changing their natural behavior. Teach children to leave animals alone and observe them from a distance.

Respect their homes

You have taught your child to leave those cute animals alone, but other choices can still harm wildlife. Try to keep kids from taking ‘souvenirs’ that actually are some animals’ home (like shells, nests, or logs).     5    . That trash includes our leftover food, which can be harmful to some animals. Instead, teach kids about proper animal food by helping them make feeders.

A．Throw trash away, since animals can mistake it for food

B．Let’s bring out kindness in your kids with these simple and positive ideas

C．Respect endangered animals

D．Children tend to project human qualities on animals

E．Keeping art in kids’ lives also helps them understand different animals

F．Respect their privacy

G．But what about all those “scary-looking” ones, such as bees, worms and snakes?

3 . New York’s Central Park has a statue dedicated to him, and there’s even been a movie about him: a sled dog named Balto. Now he is the focus of a DNA study, 90 years after he died, to see what made the dog so famously tough (坚韧).

In 1925, this Siberian husky was part of an expedition in Alaska called the serum run, the goal of which was to bring life-saving medicine to young people that were threatened by a deadly disease in the remote town of Nome, over 600 miles away. Balto led the long-distance stretch, and wound up getting most of the honor.

After Balto’s death in 1933, his remains were preserved and put on display at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

“Balto’s fame and the fact that he was taxidermized gave us this cool opportunity 100 years later to see what that population of sled dogs would have looked like genetically and to compare him to modern dogs,” said Katherine Moon, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California.

Her team took skin samples from the dog’s belly and reconstructed its genome — the complete set of genes in an organism. They compared this genetic material with that of 680 contemporary dogs from 135 breeds.

Contrary to a legend that thought that Balto was half wolf — as suggested in an animated Universal Pictures film that came out in 1995 — this analysis found no evidence he had wolf blood. It turned out Balto shared ancestors with modern day Siberian Huskies and the sled dogs of Alaska and Greenland.

Moon’s team also compared Balto’s genes with the genomes of 240 other species of mammals.

This allowed researchers to determine which DNA fragments (片段) were common across all those species and have not therefore changed over the course of millions of years of evolution. This stability suggests that these fragments of DNA are associated with important functions in the animal, and that mutations (基因突变) there could be dangerous.

The bottom line from the research was that Balto had fewer potentially dangerous mutations than modern breeds of dogs did, suggesting he was healthier.

1. Why did Moon and her team study the DNA of Balto?

A．Balto saved the lives of many people.	B．Balto achieved a long-distance transport.
C．Balto was a focus of the Central Park.	D．Balto was amazingly tougher than others.

2. What does the underlined word “stability” in Paragraph 8 probably mean?

A．Gene.

B．Evolution.

C．Toughness.

D．Changelessness.

3. What did the research into the gene of Balto suggest?

A．Balto had blood of wolves.	B．Balto had fewer harmful mutations.
C．Balto was a modern husky.	D．Balto was a special mammal species.

4. What is this passage mainly about?

A．A dog’s heroic act.	B．A great honor to a dog.
C．A DNA study of a tough dog.	D．A new research into DNA.

4 . When John Todd was a child, he loved to explore the woods around his house, observing how nature solved problems. A dirty stream, for example, often became clear after flowing through plants and along rocks where tiny creatures lived. When he got older, John started to wonder if this process could be used to clean up the messes people were making.

After studying agriculture, medicine, and fisheries in college, John went back to observing nature and asking questions. Why can certain plants trap harmful bacteria (细菌)? Which kinds of fish can eat cancer-causing chemicals? With the right combination of animals and plants, he figured, maybe he could clean up waste the way nature did. He decided to build what he would later call an eco-machine.

The task John set for himself was to remove harmful substances from some sludge (污泥). First, he constructed a series of clear fiberglass tanks connected to each other. Then he went around to local ponds and streams and brought back some plants and animals. He placed them in the tanks and waited. Little by little, these different kinds of life got used to one another and formed their own ecosystem. After a few weeks, John added the sludge.

He was amazed at the results. The plants and animals in the eco-machine took the sludge as food and began to eat it! Within weeks, it had all been digested, and all that was left was pure water.

Over the years, John has taken on many big jobs. He developed a greenhouse — like facility that treated sewage (污水) from 1,600 homes in South Burlington. He also designed an eco-machine to clean canal water in Fuzhou, a city in southeast China.

“Ecological design” is the name John gives to what he does. “Life on Earth is kind of a box of spare parts for the inventor,” he says. “You put organisms in new relationships and observe what’s happening. Then you let these new systems develop their own ways to self-repair.”

1. What can we learn about John from the first two paragraphs?

A．He was fond of traveling.	B．He enjoyed being alone.
C．He had an inquiring mind.	D．He longed to be a doctor.

2. Why did John put the sludge into the tanks?

A．To feed the animals.	B．To build an ecosystem.
C．To protect the plants.	D．To test the eco-machine.

3. What is the author’s purpose in mentioning Fuzhou?

A．To review John’s research plans.	B．To show an application of John’s idea.
C．To compare John’s different jobs.	D．To erase doubts about John’s invention.

4. What is the basis for John’s work?

A．Nature can repair itself.	B．Organisms need water to survive.
C．Life on Earth is diverse.	D．Most tiny creatures live in groups.

5 . Recycling is good for our planet, but it can be confusing. Can I recycle plastic bags? What about pizza cartons? Toothpaste tubes? Which bin should I use? There are so many questions, and more than half of Americans are unsure about how to recycle.     1     Here’s a handy four-step guide on how to recycle effectively:

Know what to put in the recycling bin. Keep it simple and focus on the most commonly recycled items, such as paper, glass, aluminum and plastic.     2     Don’t use the recycled symbol as a guide. “The number on the container is really for people to identify the type of resin (树脂). That’s not helpful for the common consumer,” said Cody Marshall, a strategist at nonprofit Recycling Partnership.

    3     It is really important to know what you cannot put in your bin. You can always check with your city or at BeRecycled.org. If you live in the US, just plug in your postcode to search. Recycling companies struggle with the same problem items: hoses (软管), cords, needles and clothing, according to Marshall, so don’t put those items in your bin.

Wash or clean items. Do a quick clean to make sure there is no food left in containers before you put them in the bin.     4     Save food for composting (堆肥) in your garden.

Don’t bag it. Unless you live in a place that requires it, like New York City, keep the recyclables lost in the bin. “A lot of the time, it’s not safe for our employees to tear those bags open, or it takes too much time,” said Keller. “    5    ”

A．Know what is not recyclable.

B．The answers are not hard to find.

C．A lot of bagged stuff goes right to the landfill.

D．Plastic bags can be used again or returned to grocery stores.

E．If you really don’t know if an item is recyclable, then just throw it in the garbage.

F．This is really important if you only use one bin because food items could ruin paper.

G．Hard plastics like water and soft drink bottles or anything like these can be recycled.

6 . Indoor plants might look as if they just sit around not doing much, but in many ways they are the unsung heroes of the home.     1    , but studies have shown that they can promote people’s wellbeing by improving their mood (心情), reducing stress and helping their memory. What’s more, indoor plants are easy to look after and are not very expensive.

What are indoor plants?

Indoor plants, also known as houseplants or pot plants, are plants that like to grow indoors. Many of these species (物种) are not ideally suited to growing outside in the UK, especially in the winter.     2    .

Why are indoor plants good for you?

Will Spoelstra, who works at the Royal Botanic Gardens, says, “    3    . I find during the winter months, plants around the house can really lift your mood.” Several studies have backed this up and found that indoor plants can improve creativity, focus and memory. There is also research showing that pot plants can clean the air around them by removing harmful gases, such as carbon dioxide. They also remove some harmful chemicals from paints or cooking.     4    .

Which plants can you grow?

Aloe vera, peace lilies and spider plants are some of the species that are easy to grow indoors. You can buy plants from supermarkets, garden centres or online. Younger plants are often cheaper than fully grown ones, and you get to care for them as they mature — which is part of the joy of owning plants. “    5    ,” Spoelstra says. “It can bring a new interest and focus into people’s lives and help to make the link between home and nature.”

A．All plants are different

B．Not only do they look beautiful

C．There are many benefits to growing plants indoors

D．Instead, they grow better inside, where it is warmer

E．Plants like peace lilies and devil’s ivy are among the best

F．Changing the pot of your plant from time to time will also help

G．Learning about the requirements of each plant can be very rewarding

7 . As cities balloon with growth, access to nature for people living in urban areas is becoming harder to find. If you’re lucky, there might be a pocket park near where you live, but it’s unusual to find places in a city that are relatively wild.

Past research has found health and wellness benefits of nature for humans, but a new study shows that wildness in urban areas is extremely important for human well-being.

The research team focused on a large urban park. They surveyed several hundred park-goers, asking them to submit a written summary online of a meaningful interaction they had with nature in the park. The researchers then examined these submissions, coding (编码) experiences into different categories. For example, one participant’s experience of “We sat and listened to the waves at the beach for a while” was assigned the categories “sitting at beach” and “listening to waves.”

Across the 320 submissions, a pattern of categories the researchers call a “nature language” began to emerge. After the coding of all submissions, half a dozen categories were noted most often as important to visitors. These include encountering wildlife, walking along the edge of water, and following an established trail.

Naming each nature experience creates a usable language, which helps people recognize and take part in the activities that are most satisfying and meaningful to them. For example, the experience of walking along the edge of water might be satisfying for a young professional on a weekend hike in the park. Back downtown during a workday, they can enjoy a more domestic form of this interaction by walking along a fountain on their lunch break.

“We’re trying to generate a language that helps bring the human-nature interactions back into our daily lives. And for that to happen, we also need to protect nature so that we can interact with it,” said Peter Kahn, a senior author of the study.

1. What phenomenon does the author describe at the beginning of the text?

A．Pocket parks are now popular.	B．Wild nature is hard to find in cities.
C．Many cities are overpopulated.	D．People enjoy living close to nature.

2. Why did the researchers code participant submissions into categories?

A．To compare different types of park-goers.	B．To explain why the park attracts tourists.
C．To analyze the main features of the park.	D．To find patterns in the visitors’ summaries.

3. What can we learn from the example given in paragraph 5?

A．Walking is the best way to gain access to nature.

B．Young people are too busy to interact with nature.

C．The same nature experience takes different forms.

D．The nature language enhances work performance.

4. What should be done before we can interact with nature according to Kahn?

A．Language study.	B．Environmental conservation.
C．Public education.	D．Intercultural communication.

8 . In the early 1990s, Eric Domb, a highly successful lawyer, came up with the idea of building a bird park. His father-in-law ________ the idea in the beginning, but when the ________ started to make shape he backed out. Domb thus had to ________ money from former clients, his two brothers and father as well as a bank to build a zoological park known as Pairi Daiza.

After the park opened in 1994, his inexperience led to many ________, but he pushed on with his venture (冒险). By 2000, the park was turning a profit, and Domb’s ambitions were ________. The park needed more than birds, he believed, and other creatures and cultural gardens would help turn it into something ________.

Since his childhood he has been fascinated by Chinese ________. In 2006, he built the first Chinese garden, Dream of Han Wu Di in his zoo. It was said to be the largest Chinese garden in Europe. Domb kept ________ new elements. It finally took more than six years to complete the project.

Domb felt ________ by the joint panda breeding program. Domb and his people spent the following months ________ building giant panda houses with no guarantee that Pairi Daiza would be fortunate enough to ________ giant pandas. The huge enclosure built includes a pool, cave and ________ plantation.

Now, Domb is eager to tell how he ________ a pair of giant pandas, Xing Hui and Hao Hao in February 2014. The sense of ________ is all the more profound in that Pairi Daiza is one of the few private zoos outside China to ________ giant pandas.

1.

A．rejected

B．supported

C．doubted

D．raised

2.

A．project

B．rule

C．law

D．document

3.

A．steal

B．win

C．earn

D．borrow

4.

A．rewards

B．wonders

C．mistakes

D．regrets

5.

A．missing

B．spreading

C．shaking

D．growing

6.

A．extreme

B．unusual

C．irregular

D．essential

7.

A．culture

B．food

C．poetry

D．dream

8.

A．containing

B．changing

C．adding

D．removing

9.

A．embarrassed

B．surprised

C．confused

D．inspired

10.

A．willingly

B．enthusiastically

C．automatically

D．confidently

11.

A．take charge of

B．pay attention to

C．get hold of

D．gain knowledge of

12.

A．grass

B．tea

C．coffee

D．bamboo

13.

A．bought

B．protected

C．received

D．tracked

14.

A．pride

B．humor

C．security

D．duty

15.

A．hide

B．house

C．train

D．save

9 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填写1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Global biodiversity is now facing wide-ranging and often unprecedented challenges, according to Elizabeth Maruma Mrema. Acting Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, a part of the UN Environment Program.

According to Mrema, China     1    (take) practical measures to promote ecological protection and established many effective mechanisms for green development in the past three decades.

Yunnan boasts     2    (impress) biodiversity. In May, the provincial government released a white paper on its biological diversity, the     3    (one) of its kind in China. According to the document,     4     Yunnan accounts for only 4.1 percent of China’s territorial area, it is home     5     more than 50 percent of the country’s flora and fauna species.     6     important white paper says 90 percent of the ecosystems and 85 percent of the important species in the province have been     7     (effective) protected.

The province has adopted a variety of ways to protect biodiversity, including     8    (improve) its research capabilities, according to Gao Zhengwen, a senior official with the Yunnan Environmental Protection Bureau. Now, the development of biodiversity is getting to a stage     9     scientific and technological breakthroughs have been made in the utilization of biological resources in     10    (industry) with important economic value.

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。

The Hainan gibbons (长臂猿), who live in rainforest trees over 10 meters tall, rarely set foot on the ground.     1     (know) as the world’s rarest primate(灵长类动物), the Hainan gibbons have been listed as     2     (critical) endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Fortunately, conservation efforts have seen positive results in recent years. According to the latest     3       (office) figures, the gibbon population in Hainan     4       (estimate) at 36individuals living in five family groups, from 30 in four groups in 2019. The increase in gibbon population comes as China enhances efforts     5     (construct) the National Park of Hainan Tropical Rainforest.

This national park,     6     covers 4,269 km², is home to China’s most concentrated and well-preserved tropical rainforests. Many wildlife that     7       (disappear) previously are returning to their homes thanks to the park. In recent years, Hainan has promoted the construction of the park, strengthened the restoration of tropical rainforests,     8       carried out ecological relocation projects in core protected     9     (area), such as planting more trees to provide food for the Hainan gibbons.

A research center has also been established,     10       experts from home and overseas jointly providing suggestions for their protection. The population of the gibbons is expected to hit between 60 and 70 in 2035, as long as current protection efforts and environmental stability can be sustained.