1 . When humans are feeling lonely, we can call or video chat with friends and family who live far away. But, scientists asked, what about pet parrots? New research suggests that these chatty creatures may also benefit from virtually connecting with their peers.

The idea for this study was not random: In the wild, parrots tend to live in large flocks. But when kept in captivity, these social birds are often on their own. Feeling bored and isolated, they may develop psychological issues.

During the first two weeks of the study, owners taught their birds to ring a bell, then touch an image of another pet parrot on a tablet screen to initiate a video call. Though 18 parrots began the experiment, three dropped out. Once the birds had learned how to make video interactions, the second phase of the experiment could begin. In this “open call” period, the 15 participating birds could make calls freely; they also got to choose which bird to dial up. Over the next two months, pet parrots made 147 deliberate video calls. Their owners took detailed notes about the calls and recorded more than 1,000 hours of video footage.

Some of the parrots learned new skills from their virtual companions. The birds also forged strong friendships, which researchers measured by how frequently they chose to call the same individual. Some birds were even reported to have developed attachments to the human caretakers of their virtual friends.

As for other parrot owners, the researchers caution it might not be wise to suddenly begin launching chats on behalf of their pets. “We were really careful about training the birds’ caregivers thoroughly to ensure that they could offer an appropriate level of support to empower their parrots but also help them avoid any negative experiences,” says study co-author Rebecca Kleinberger.

1. What does the underlined word “initiate” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Cancel.

B．Answer.

C．Start.

D．Delay.

2. What can we learn about the study?

A．18 parrots took part in the entire experiment.

B．The participating birds enjoyed making video calls.

C．Some parrots were attached to their own caretakers.

D．The birds learnt to dial in the “opening call” period.

3. Where is the text probably taken from?

A．A health report.	B．A science magazine.
C．An academic article.	D．An official document.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．A Guide to Pet Parrots Training.	B．The Impact of Technology on Parrots.
C．Parrots: Social Creatures by Nature.	D．Parrot Socialization: A Video Chat Solution.

2 . Mars is truly a fascinating planet for those of us here on Earth.     1     It is about half as big as Earth and is often referred to as the Red Planet because of its red surface.

The Red Planet has the largest volcano in the solar system-Olympus Mons.     2     That’s about three times the height of Mount Qomolangma.

Mars also has an atmosphere, but it is very thin and made up mostly of carbon dioxide. Because of its thin atmosphere and greater distance from the Sun, Mars is much colder than Earth.     3     The dust storms of Mars can grow so big that sometimes they blanket the entire planet and last for months. The poles on Mars are a lot like Antarctica, capped by ice, but much of Mars’s ice is made from carbon dioxide, not water.

Scientists believe that studying Mars can help answer some of the key questions about our planet Earth, or even the universe.

    4     Since 1960, more than half of all attempted Mars missions have failed. The USA, Russia, the European Space Agency, and several other countries have lost many spacecraft in their quest to explore the Red Planet. Nevertheless, they will still continue their explorations. Chinese experts are confident about their plan to explore Mars, in spite of the many challenges. The first Mars unmanned spacecraft was launched from Wenchang around 2020. But it is only the beginning of deep voyages into outer space.     5    

A．It is roughly 27 kilometres high.

B．Missions to Mars have never been easy.

C．Mars, however, today has no active volcanoes.

D．The temperature at the planet’s surface varies widely.

E．However, Mars does have weather, with clouds and winds.

F．China will continue to explore the mysteries of the universe.

G．It is one of the few planets that we can see with our own eyes.

3 . 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。

Rising sea levels are threatening coastlines in China, for example in     1     (city) such as Shanghai, Tianjin and Guangzhou. If sea levels rise by one meter, more than 92,000 square kilometers of China’s coast could be flooded. This could potentially force 67 million people     2     (move) away. Almost two-thirds of the ice in Asia’s glaciers (冰川) could disappear if average global temperature rises beyond 1.5℃ by the end of the century. If that happens, the impacts     3     China will be felt in multiple areas, from water availability, to agriculture, and to biodiversity.

The good news is     4     China is becoming a global leader on climate action. For example, over the last five years, China     5     (use) more solar and wind energy than any other country in the world. China is also the largest clean energy investor in the world —     6     (spend) some $130 billion in new energy in recent years.

The development of electric vehicles is particularly     7     (inspire) in China. More than 50 percent of electric vehicles in the world     8     (sell) in China every year. And China is now a world leader in the     9     (promote) of clean energy technologies.

Ecological civilization has become the cornerstone (基石) of China’s long-term development strategy, much like climate action is     10     important part of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

4 . Contrary to the long­held belief that plants in natural world are always in competition, new research has found in bad environments mature (成熟的) plants help smaller ones — and thrive as a result. The research team, led by Dr.Rocio Pérez­Barrales studied adult and young plants in the “ecological desert” of soil in the south­east of Spain.

The findings could have significance for those managing bad environments like coastal areas. Dr.Pérez­Barrales said, “What we have found surprising is that a strong large plant, called a ‘nurse’， shields a young one, and it also produces more flowers than those of similar size growing on their own.” Dr.Pérez­Barrales and her team studied plant growth in southern Spain for over three months during summer and found that the young and “nurse” are more likely to thrive when grown together, compared to either plant growing alone.

The young plants benefit from shade, more moisture and more nutrients, from the leaf litter (落叶层) of the “nurse” plants, and probably higher bacteria and fungus (真菌) in the soil. As it matures, the “nurse” plant grows more flowers than those similar ones nearby growing alone, greatly increasing its chances of producing seeds and reproducing. Besides, vegetation of “nurse” and facilitated plants with more flowers might be able to attract a greater number and variety of pollinators (传粉昆虫) in an area. In turn, it supports insect and soil life, and even provides a larger range of different fruit types for birds and mammals. This is the greatest achievement of the ecosystem.

The research is likely to be of value to those who manage to protect plants in hostile and harsh environments, such as shingle and sand­dune (沙丘) ecosystems, which are considered at high risk due to human action and climate change. Most home gardeners and farmers are happy with the research as well, but the findings might be of more value to those who garden in harsh places.

1. What's the finding of the study?

A．The mature and smaller plants benefit each other when growing together.

B．Large plants sacrifice themselves for the smaller ones.

C．Young plants compete with the adults for larger space.

D．Young plants struggle to survive in harsh environments.

2. Why is a plant called a “nurse”？

A．Because it produces more flowers.

B．Because it competes with a larger one.

C．Because it protects and helps the young.

D．Because it grows well in bad environments.

3. What does the underlined word “This” in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A．The natural selection.

B．The biodiversity (生物多样性) in an area.

C．The improvement of the soil.

D．The high rate of animal reproduction (繁殖).

4. What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?

A．The effects of the research on agriculture.

B．The shortcomings of the research at present.

C．The influence of the research on climate change.

D．The significance of the research findings in some fields.

5 . McDonald’s sells about one billion Happy Meals every year in more than 100 countries, including a lot of little, plastic toys. As the climate crisis heats up, plastic has been targeted as a major factor. McDonald’s is trying its best to be part of the solution, announcing the roll of “more sustainable”. Happy Meal toys made from recycled or certified materials by 2025.

The process of adopting sustainable Happy Meal toys has been underway for the past few years and has been strong cooperation between the marketing and supply chain teams. The announcement, however, marks Happy Meals’ first sustainability makeover and their joining a number of other recent sustainability initiatives from McDonald’s.

McDonald’s claimed to be the first global restaurant company to invest in solar and wind energy to expand the amount of renewable energy available in the U.S. McDonald’s also recently completed its first net-zero energy restaurant, located in Florida, designed to create enough renewable energy on-site to cover 100% of its energy needs annually. The company is using the restaurant to test additional solutions to reducing energy and water use.

All these efforts have the potential to provide a model not just for the system of McDonald’s, but for the entire restaurant industry, given the chain’s scale. They’ re also likely to generate some closeness from younger consumers, who are demanding more social responsibility from major corporations.

The toy makeover won’t affect the price of Happy Meals, because the company has designed their cost to be neutral (适中的). This likely means the effort won’t affect sales much, if at all. Happy Meal sales are “stronger than ever”.

“We have listened to our customers and have heard not just from parents, but from kids themselves,” said Sam, one of the officials of McDonald’s. “They’ re worried about the planet. We want to grow and be relevant to our customers and are now making bigger changes because we know this is what they wanted us to do.”

1. What can be inferred about Happy Meal toys of McDonald’s?

A．Their production will be expanded in a few years.

B．Their sales have declined due to the climate crisis.

C．They’ ll be improved to be environmentally friendly.

D．They’ re made from newly developed plastic materials.

2. Why does the author mention the restaurants of McDonald’s in Florida?

A．To show its rapid expansion.

B．To stress its strong economic strength.

C．To prove the cost of green products is higher.

D．To tell its attempts at the use of renewable energy.

3. What may happen after the action of McDonald’s according to Paragraph 4?

A．The employees of McDonald’s will get a pay rise.

B．McDonald’s will earn both fame and fortune in the field.

C．The price of McDonald’s products tends to be reasonable.

D．McDonald’s restaurants will be environmentally themed.

4. What can be concluded from Sam’s words about McDonald’s?

A．It always puts customers first.

B．It cares about children’s health.

C．It boosts the family relationship.

D．It has a strong crisis awareness.

6 . Padraig ó Dubhlaoidh,an Irish master violin maker，has created the world’s first-ever vegan violin,valued at 8, 000.

An amateur violinist himself, Padraig ó Dubhlaoidh has long held the belief that animal body parts aren’t needed to create the instrument.“With our planet facing crises on almost every front, the collective voice of people wanting a fairer future grows stronger every day, ”he said.“ Ethical(合乎道德的)musicians are part of this movement and have long wished for a violin that is fully vegan yet retains all the qualities of the classic instrument.”

Traditional instruments are tightly connected to animal products.Like other wood-based instruments, violins use hide glue-a product obtained from the skins and bones of animals-as a primary adhesive(黏合剂).Violin strings and bows have also been known to contain ivory and horse tail hair. Using traditional tools and methods, Padraig chose natural replacements such as steamed pears, berries, and spring water to create the instrument. His adhesive, composed in part of spring water gathered from the hills behind his home, is 100%natural.

More than just an ethical step in the right direction, Padraig says his natural adhesive has other advantages.He said, ”During my experiments, I discovered that the vegan violin has unexpected advantages.Apart from the benefit to animals, society, and our environment, it has become very clear that animal-based glues have harmful effects on violins, inducing powerful tension on wooden components.The adhesive used in my vegan violin, however, has no such effect.This is an acoustic(声音的)improvement.”

While Padraig doesn’t think everyone will switch to the vegan violin immediately, he does think there’s a bright future ahead for his instrument and the concept of vegan instruments. He continues to make both vegan and non-vegan violins in his workshops. However, he said, “Just as petrol cars are gradually being replaced with more eco-friendly options, the same progression may happen to violins gradually, and even many other handicrafts.”

1. What’s Padraig’s original purpose in making the vegan violin?

A．To help protect the earth.

B．To have a stronger violin body.

C．To enhance the qualities of violins.

D．To inspire more musicians to play classical music.

2. What does Paragraph 3 mainly focus on?

A．The process of making instruments.

B．The features of traditional instruments.

C．The reasons for instruments’ containing animal products.

D．The comparison between traditional instruments and the new violin.

3. What makes Padraig surprised at his violin?

A．It does no harm to animals.

B．It produces even better sounds.

C．It needs further improvements.

D．It has many unknown functions.

4. What does Padraig think of the future of vegan violins?

A．They will face great challenges.

B．They will experience ups and downs.

C．They will be acknowledged gradually.

D．They will be sold at affordable prices soon.

7 . Scientists have discovered how plants manage to live alongside each other in places that are dark and shady. Plants in the deep darkness of a thick forest, where natural supplies are not very great in amount, won’t attempt to top their neighbors in growth as those in moderate (中度的) shade do. In deep shade conditions, it would be a waste of energy and harmful to survival because green shoots would never be able to top their larger neighbors in growth.

So how do plants prevent such growth in deep shade conditions? The secret lies in the clocks insides them, say scientists from the John Ines Centre and the University of Bristol.

They have discovered that when plants notice deep shade, this changes the expression of genes parts of the circadian clock (昼夜节律时钟) — the inner daily timer found in plants and other things. These clock parts perform an additional role in preventing plants from lengthening and overtopping neighbors.

The work identifies a previously unknown role of the circadian clock in controlling plant development and the findings may have possible effects on both natural plant populations and crops. Professor Antony Dodd of the John Innes Centre said, “The biological clock of plants plays a big part in their development and fitness. This work casts new light on a new role of the circadian clock in adapting plants to competition with other plants in their environments.” “It also gives us new insights into how plants adapt to very deep shade, where resources are very limited,” said Professor Kerry Franklin at the University of Bristol.

This work provides evidence for the firmness of the circadian clock in stressful environments, and information that may be useful in developing new generations of crops in a challenging climate.

1. What do plants normally do in moderate shade?

A．Struggle to preserve energy.	B．Compete for limited resources.
C．Try to outgrow their neighbors.	D．Depend on each other to survive.

2. How does the circadian clock affect plants?

A．By changing their gene expression.	B．By making them realize light change.
C．By helping them adapt to the darkness.	D．By controlling their growth in deep shade.

3. Why does the author write the text?

A．To share a new discovery about plants.	B．To introduce the role of the circadian clock.
C．To explain plants secret of living in forests.	D．To compare plants living in certain condition.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．How plants face a challenging climate

B．Why plants respond to different shade levels

C．Why the circadian clock is vital to plants' growth

D．How plants become good neighbors in times of stress

8 . British sculptor Taylor has made it his mission to protect our ecosystems (生态系统) by creating underwater museums. He's made over 850 artworks worldwide. On February 1, 2021, Taylor presented his latest work — the Underwater Museum of Cannes.

Located half a mile off the coast of Cannes, France — the permanent museum is the artist's first attempt into the Mediterranean Sea. "The main goal is to draw more people underwater to see the fact that our oceans need our help," the sculptor said. "Ocean ecosystems have been badly damaged by human activity, and it's not obvious what is happening when observing the sea from apart."

The museum is made up of 6 huge face sculptures, featuring local residents of various ages, ranging from Maurice, an 80—year—old fisherman, to Anouk, a 9—year—old student." Being directly linked to the sculptures encourages communities to get involved in the protection of our oceans," explained Taylor. Each face sculpture is divided into two different—sized parts, showing the state of the world's oceans: powerful on the outside but weak below the surface.

To make the museum easily approachable to divers, the sculptures have been positioned at shallow depths of between 6 to 10 feet. They are placed in the pockets of white sand between the seagrass, preventing boats from stopping close.

Though the waters surrounding the sculptures now appear blue, the seabed was filled with old boat engines, pipes and other rubbish: when the project began four years ago. "This is happening every day in our surrounding waters but it largely goes unnoticed. I like the idea of replacing the rubbish with artworks and achieving two goals at the same time," Taylor said. He also wants to restore the area's seagrass: the lungs of the Mediterranean. Just one square meter of the seagrass can produce up to 10 liters of oxygen daily. At the same time, the folds (褶皱) of the sculptures can provide perfect places for fishes and other creatures to avoid attacks.

1. What is special about the sculptures in the Underwater Museum of Cannes?

A．Each of them has two different faces.

B．They are modeled on the local people.

C．They will be moved away before long.

D．They are Taylor's first underwater artworks.

2. Which is a function of the newly—built museum?

A．It serves as a warning mark for boats.

B．It breaks down the waste on the seabed.

C．It offers ideal shelter for the sea animals.

D．It makes the seagrass produce more oxygen.

3. What does the underlined part "two goals" refer to in the last paragraph?

A．To present unique artworks and to gain widespread recognition.

B．To show the artist's talent and to attract more tourists underwater.

C．To clean the surrounding waters and to criticize irresponsible human activity.

D．To entertain people with artworks and to raise their awareness of sea protection.

4. In which section of a newspaper may this text appear?

A．Environment.

B．Technology.

C．Geography.

D．Discovery.

9 . When the explorers first set foot upon the continent of North America, the skies and lands were alive with an astonishing variety of wildlife. Native Americans had taken care of these precious natural resources wisely. Unfortunately, it took the explorers and the settlers who followed only a few decades to decimate a large part of these resources. Millions of waterfowl (水禽) were killed at the hands of market hunters and a handful of overly ambitious sportsmen. Millions of acres of wetlands were dried to feed and house the ever-increasing populations, greatly reducing waterfowl habitat.

In 1934, with the passage of the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act (Act), an increasingly concerned nation took firm action to stop the destruction of migratory (迁徙的) waterfowl and the wetlands so vital to their survival. Under this Act, all waterfowl hunters 16 years of age and over must annually purchase and carry a Federal Duck Stamp. The very first Federal Duck Stamp was designed by J.N. “Ding” Darling, a political cartoonist from Des Moines, lowa, who at that time was appointed by President Franklin Roosevelt as Director of the Bureau of Biological Survey. Hunters willingly pay the stamp price to ensure the survival of our natural resources.

About 98 cents of every duck stamp dollar goes directly into the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund to purchase wetlands and wildlife habitat for inclusion into the National Wildlife Refuge System — a fact that ensures this land will be protected and available for all generations to come. Since 1934, better than half a billion dollars has gone into that Fund to purchase more than 5 million acres of habitat. Little wonder the Federal Duck Stamp Program has been called one of the most successful conservation programs ever initiated.

1. What was a cause of the waterfowl population decline in North America?

A．Loss of wetlands.	B．Popularity of water sports.
C．Pollution of rivers.	D．Arrival of other wild animals.

2. What does the underlined word “decimate” mean in the first paragraph?

A．Acquire.	B．Export.
C．Destroy.	D．Distribute.

3. What is a direct result of the Act passed in 1934?

A．The stamp price has gone down.	B．The migratory birds have flown away.
C．The hunters have stopped hunting.	D．The government has collected money.

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

A．The Federal Duck Stamp Story	B．The National Wildlife Refuge System
C．The Benefits of Saving Waterfowl	D．The History of Migratory Bird Hunting