1 . The world’s coral reefs do more for the planet than provide underwater beauty. They protect shorelines from the effects of hurricanes. An estimated 500 million people earn their livelihood from the fishing stocks and tourism opportunities reefs provide. The tiny animals that give rise to reefs are even offering hope for new drugs to treat cancer and other diseases.

Despite their importance, warming waters, pollution, ocean acidification, overfishing, and physical destruction are killing coral reefs around the world. So now scientists around the world are looking for all kinds of ways to protect and maybe even revive(复苏) corals. In the Bahamas, Ross Cunning, a research biologist at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, is focusing on corals with genes that could make them natural candidates for restoration projects. He recently published a study of two Bahamian reefs, one that seemed to survive an intense 2015 heat wave, and one that didn’t.“It sets the stage to find out which genes are responsible for thermal tolerance,” says Cunning, adding that he hopes discovering those genes will help scientists one day breed more heat-tolerant coral.

In Massachusetts, Cohen’s research has found two key elements that seem to protect corals. The first: internal(内部的) waves beneath the ocean’s surface that bring cooler currents to heat-struck corals, essentially air-conditioning them as temperatures rise. The second: adaptation, a quality that corals found in Palau’s warm lagoons(环礁湖) seem to display.On average, these lagoons submerge(淹没) coral in water that is two degrees Celsius warmer than the water outside the lagoons. “We think the fact that they can deal with these higher temperatures is built into their genetics and allows them to deal with the heat waves.”

She’s also found evidence of corals evolving more quickly in the past two decades to withstand rapidly warming temperatures. The big question scientists are now enquiring into, says Cohen, is whether there’s a cap on how much more heat corals can adapt to. Cohen calls these regions with heat-adapted corals as “super reefs,” and like Friendlander, advocates for using marine reserves to protect them.

1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?

A．The protection for coral reefs

B．The great value of coral reefs.

C．The benefits for tourism from coral reefs.

D．The relationship between animals and coral reefs.

2. What can be inferred from Cunning’s coral research?

A．Cooling down the waters is the key to their success.

B．Some corals have been genetically improved successfully.

C．He expects to identify the genes of the heat-tolerant corals.

D．Some corals that survived 2015 heat wave surprised people.

3. What is the focus of the study to save corals according to Cohen?

A．How corals survive in the warm lagoons.

B．What are the key elements to protect corals.

C．How they can use natural reserves to protect corals.

D．What is the high temperature limit of the surviving corals.

4. Which section is the text probably taken from?

A．Science.

B．Environment.

C．Animal.

D．Climate.

2 . Five years ago, I was a trail ride leader at a holiday farm in Victoria. My favourite horse was a warmblooded called Holly, a chestnut mare. Aged seven, she was _________, sweet-natured and well-trained; the only _________with Holly was her vivid imagination. I was constantly surprised by Holly’ s ability to be_________ by rabbits, the wind or even shadows - sometimes her own shadow!

One day, as we headed back from a ride on the beach, Holly and I were_________the way over the hilly area. When we got to one particularly long, steep hill, Holly began to twitch (抽动) her ears and step in place. So, when she_________ to sniff(嗅) and give all the _________that she believed the ‘horse-eating monsters’ were close, I became a little worried.

At the bottom of the hill as we rounded a corner, Holly_________with caution, and so I followed her gaze to the path ahead. There, sunning itself in the middle of the track, was a brown_________. This time it was my _________to get scared; I was on a nervous horse, leading a group of eight inexperienced pre-teen riders. Unexpectedly, Holly was firmly__________, ears forward. With the snake in her sight, she was no longer worried.

I have heard that horses have a better sense of__________ than dogs. I hadn't seen it __________ before that moment.__________, while we waited in reality for just a second or two - but for what felt like a century - the snake awoke and glided calmly off into the bush.

Holly then__________, leading the horses with caution and care. She had been alert to danger and had been __________for the safety of us all. Following in the footsteps or their lead mare, not one of the other horses showed any fear.

1.

A．negative

B．graceful

C．pitiful

D．aggressive

2.

A．solution

B．reaction

C．problem

D．difficulty

3.

A．frightened

B．delighted

C．touched

D．attracted

4.

A．chasing

B．leading

C．following

D．pushing

5.

A．proceeded

B．preferred

C．hesitated

D．refused

6.

A．evidence

B．truth

C．signals

D．symbols

7.

A．sped

B．rushed

C．escaped

D．slowed

8.

A．rabbit

B．horse

C．monster

D．snake

9.

A．turn

B．case

C．chance

D．rule

10.

A．sealed

B．planted

C．fastened

D．frozen

11.

A．vision

B．direction

C．smell

D．hearing

12.

A．proved

B．denied

C．ignored

D．demonstrated

13.

A．Unfortunately

B．Undoubtedly

C．Thankfully

D．Instantly

14.

A．fell off

B．went back

C．came out

D．stepped forward

15.

A．responsible

B．regretful

C．grateful

D．available

3 . 读后续写

In a coastal village named Seaford, lived a courageous young woman named Amelia. Amelia was known throughout Seaford for her adventurous nature. From the moment she could walk, she would eagerly run towards the crashing waves, feeling the sand between her toes and the cool spray of the ocean mist on her face. She was a woman with a strong will and possessed a heart full of kindness. Amelia’s love for the ocean was intense, and she spent most of her days exploring the beautiful beaches and sparkling waters that surrounded her house.

One sunny morning, while Amelia was walking along the shore, she noticed a group of restless seagulls abnormally circling above the crashing waves. Their unusual calls echoed (回) through the air. Concerned for their well-being, she followed their flight pattern, her instincts guiding her toward danger.

As she approached a towering cliff, Amelia gasped in horror. On a narrow ledge (岩架), high above the violent waves, was a young dolphin trapped in a thick fishing net. Its shiny body shone under the golden rays of the sun, but its freedom was cruelly limited by the trap. With each struggle, the net tightened around its delicate body, leaving painful marks on its skin. Its tail flapped helplessly, each movement a request for help, while its desperate cries for assistance echoed through the air.

A sense of urgency filled her, pushing her forward with determination and resolve. Realizing that time was tight, Amelia knew she had to act instantly to free this innocent creature from its difficult position before it submitted to exhaustion or the force of the tides.

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。
Paragraph 1: Without hesitation, Amelia rushed back to the village.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2: As the dolphin was released into the waters, it hesitated for a moment.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4 . 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.