1 . Humans have sailed the oceans’ surfaces for thousands of years, but their depths remain effectively uncharted. Only about a quarter of the seafloor has been mapped at high resolution (清晰度). Maps of most regions display only estimated depths and often miss entire underwater mountains or canyons (峡谷). So a group of researchers have turned to some deep-diving experts: Elephant Seals and Weddell Seals. Scientists have been placing trackers on these blubber y marine mammals around Antarctica for years, gathering data on ocean temperature and salinity (盐度).

For a new study, the researchers compared these dives’ location and depth data with some of the less detailed seafloor maps. They spotted places where the seals dove deeper than should have been possible according to the maps.

In eastern Antarctica’s Vincennes Bay, the diving seals helped the scientists find a large, hidden underwater canyon suddenly descending (下降) to depths of more than a mile. “The seals discovered the canyon, and the ship confirmed it,” says Clive McMahon, a researcher at the Integrated Marine Observing System in Australia and a co-author of the new study.

But seals can’t map the entire ocean floor. The trackers used in the study could pinpoint (为……准确定位) a seal’s geographical location only within about 1.5 miles, which allows for useful but not exactly high-resolution data. Plus, because the seals don’t always dive to the bottom of the ocean, they can reveal only where the bottom is deeper than in existing maps — not shallower. McMahon notes that scientists could improve on these data by using more precise GPS trackers and analyzing the seals’ diving patterns to determine whether they have reached the seafloor or simply stopped descending.

The current seal-dive data can still be valuable for an important task, says Anna Wåhlin, an oceanographer at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. The deep ocean around Antarctica is warmer than the extremely cold waters at the surface, and seafloor canyons can allow that warmer water to flow to the ice along the continent’s coast, Wåhlin explains. To predict how Antarctica’s ice will melt, scientists will need to know where those canyons are and how deep they go.

1. What’s the initial function of the device carried by the seals?

A．Collecting data about seawater.

B．Filming the images of the seafloor.

C．Recording the seals’ travelling routes.

D．Leading researchers to some remote areas.

2. What does the new study’s discovery prove?

A．It is impossible to fully uncover the secrets of the sea.

B．The existing depth estimates for the sea are inaccurate.

C．Seals’ ability to dive is worth further scientific studies.

D．It is urgent for scientists to map detailed seafloor maps.

3. What does paragraph 4 mainly talk about?

A．The creative methods adopted in the study.

B．Major technical challenges faced by scientists.

C．New research directions inspired by the study.

D．The shortcomings of the approaches to the study.

4. Which of the following will Anna Wåhlin most probably agree with?

A．The new study is potentially beneficial to other scientific fields.

B．The deep waters of Antarctica are colder than the surface waters.

C．Seafloor canyons slow down the speed of ice melting in Antarctica.

D．The seal-dive practice is valuable for mapping the entire ocean floor.

2 . 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。

Liulichang Cultural Street is known throughout China and the world for its ancient books, calligraphy, paintings, rubbings, ink stones and ink. The street, which is only 750 meters long,     1     (locate) south of Hepingmen Gate within walking distance of the Hepingmen Ouanjude Peking Duck Restaurant. It is     2     must-see for visitors traveling in Beijing.

Liulichang’s history can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty,     3     it was part of Jixian County. During the Liao Dynasty, it was known     4     Haiwangcun (Village of the Sea King). The kiln (窑) which made glazed tiles (琉璃瓦) was first built in the Yuan Dynasty. When Ming rulers began to build     5     (they) palaces in Beijing, the kiln was enlarged. Most glazed structural     6     (component) of the Ming halls and palaces were produced in the kiln. In Ming and Qing times , Liulichang was a favorite place for scholars, painters and calligraphers who gathered there     7     (write) and read books, as well as to paint and compose poetry.

In 1979, the Chinese government     8     (approve) a recommendation to restore and expand Liulichang. The     9     (origin) shops have been restored and the road broadened into a 15-meter-wide pedestrian mall. A museum     10     (display)classical paintings, calligraphy and other antiquities tells the story of the old street.

4 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What will the woman’s speech mainly be about?

A．Greenhouse gas.

B．Wind power.

C．Coal resources.

2. What is the woman worried about?

A．Expressing wrong facts.

B．Forgetting her speech.

C．Missing the bus to the Wolf Hall.

3. When will the speech begin?

A．At 3:30 p.m.

B．At 4:00 p.m.

C．At 6:00 p.m.

5 . 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。

The four mountain climbers were still breathing heavily as they looked out into the distance. The views from the top of the mountain were breathtaking. In all directions, valleys, forests and other mountains were laid out before them. They could even see the small wooden houses of the village where they had spent the night and the route they had taken to reach the top of this small but dangerous mountain. Laughing loudly, they were surprised at their courage in climbing such a steep and rocky mountain slope. Filled with an enormous sense of achievement, the four young climbers patted each other on the back.

As the other three continued to enjoy the views, Jason, the leader of the group, stared at the horizon with a troubled look on his face.

“What is it, Jason?” Sofia, the youngest of the group, asked.

“Those dark clouds in the distance mean a heavy storm is fast on the way,” Jason replied. He remembered the villagers had warned him of the unpredictable weather conditions on top of the mountain and that a terrible storm could appear from nowhere.

“But it's so warm and sunny here. I don't think the storm is coming this way,” Sofia said, more in hope than expectation.

However, Jason feared the worst and knew only too well what would happen if the storm caught them in the open. He addressed the group in a calm but serious tone, “If the storm hits us, the temperature will fall dramatically. The rain and mist will make it difficult for us to see where we are going and we could easily get lost or fall off a cliff. The wind will take our strength, so we need to get moving fast.”

The four mountain climbers packed up their facilities and immediately started back down the mountain. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, the storm was upon them sooner than expected. The wind screamed in their ears, the driving rain stung (刺痛) their eyes and the mist made it impossible for them to see clearly.

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。

With it getting dark, Jason decided that it was just too dangerous to continue.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Finally, the storm showed signs of stopping and the climbers decided to continue their way down the mountain.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7 . There are many birds that visit our leafy garden. But it’s the pair of orange frogmouths (蟆口鸱) that have been returning for years to ________ their young that bring the most excitement. It’s been wonderful to ________ how both parents take on the serious duty of caring for their young.

Last summer the frogmouth family, parents and two babies, was ________ sitting in a tall tree close to our backyard enjoying the late afternoon sunshine. With little ________, a light rain began to fall.

At first the birds seemed to ________ the rain and moved out along the branch, loosing their ________ to take advantage of the wet weather. But within minutes, day turned to night. ________ clouds gathered. Crashing thunder and blinding lightning, wild winds and driving rain ________ the small garden into a(n) ________ place for the little family.

Through the flashes of lightning, we watched in ________ as the parents guided their little ones back along the branch to the tree trunk, both parents ________ their wings over the young to protect them from the powerful rain. When the ________ passed, the family moved back out along the ________, bathed in the sunshine.

When I look up at the pair of yellow frogmouths who continue to visit our ________, I know I’m not just looking at devoted parents, but very ________ ones.

1.

A．raise

B．train

C．adopt

D．entertain

2.

A．evaluate

B．observe

C．predict

D．realize

3.

A．cautiously

B．secretly

C．happily

D．carelessly

4.

A．urgency

B．fortune

C．relief

D．warning

5.

A．take delight in

B．put up with

C．keep away from

D．lose sight of

6.

A．tails

B．feathers

C．heads

D．paws

7.

A．Soft

B．Furry

C．Dark

D．Thin

8.

A．expanded

B．divided

C．extended

D．transformed

9.

A．unsafe

B．cool

C．ideal

D．private

10.

A．silence

B．amazement

C．peace

D．despair

11.

A．folding

B．examining

C．pressing

D．spreading

12.

A．eruption

B．test

C．storm

D．flood

13.

A．branch

B．corridor

C．pipe

D．beach

14.

A．zoo

B．garden

C．school

D．farm

15.

A．honest

B．polite

C．wise

D．generous

8 . With a number of rivers globally in crisis due to pollution, damming, and reduced rainfall, there’s never been a better opportunity to appreciate everything that rivers give to the world.

Rivers provide drinking water

Two thirds of the UK’s tap water is either from a river or from a river-fed body of water.     1    . For example, the Colorado River alone supports nearly 40 million Americans. That’s why it is vital to keep rivers clean and free of pollutants.

    2    

Ancient farming depended on these life-giving waters, so does modern agriculture. During the rainy season, many rivers overflow their banks, nourishing the soil with minerals and nutrients. Besides, rivers act as water sources for irrigation.

A good source of food comes from rivers

A fifth of the fish that are fished globally come from rivers and other freshwater sources. Another two thirds of fish that people eat rely on rivers for breeding, nutrients, or other reasons.     3    .

Human culture is tied to rivers

    4    . The names of the rivers in England including Thames, Leith, and Taff, disclose the island’s history. Other examples are the religious connections to the Ganges in India or the Jordan River in Israel.

Rivers provide leisure activities

    5    . River sports, boating, fishing, swimming, braving rapids, and visiting waterfalls are all ways that rivers add value and entertainment. It’s essential to work to conserve rivers for generations to come.

A．Rivers are important for agriculture

B．Rivers are more than just water under the bridge

C．Rivers are closely connected to ancient civilizations

D．A large part of our modern life is involved with rivers

E．The organization American Rivers gives a similar figure for the US

F．Consequently, rivers can provide homes for a diversity of plants and animals

G．Protecting rivers and their biodiversity is a good way to protect this valuable source of food

9 . Think of a monarch butterfly (帝王蝶), and a unique image pops up: black-and-orange wings, with some white spots around the black edges. Those white spots may actually help monarchs complete their long-distance migration by changing the airflow around their wings. This is the new idea of a team of researchers that has analyzed hundreds of monarch wings collected along their migration routes.

“If you have larger white spots, you’re simply more successful at reaching Mexico,” says Andy Davis, a researcher. He and his colleagues believe that the pattern of color could interact with sunlight to create some temperature differences on the wing that can change airflow, easing the butterflies’ flight.

Monarch butterflies definitely need to fly well to complete their annual fall migration of up to 3,000 miles. Monarchs from as far north as Canada fly south every fall all the way to some mountain top sites in central Mexico. Most research on butterfly coloring focuses on its use as a warning to predators (捕食者). Since monarchs eat milkweed that contains poisons, their bright orange color serves as a signal that they’re unpleasant prey (猎物).

Andy Davis had studied the black-and-white patterns on migrating birds, and concluded that black coloring could affect temperature and airflow in ways that might improve their flight performance. So the researchers decided to look at the black-and-white pattern in the edge of monarch wings. What they found is that the wings of the summer monarchs that aren’t migrating have less white, while those that are migrating but haven’t made it all the way to Mexico have more. And monarchs that successfully reached Mexico have even more white.

“It is a totally new idea,” says Marcus Kronforst, a biologist. “I’ve worked on butterfly color patterns my whole life, but it’s never crossed my mind that it might influence how the butterflies fly. I do think that this aerodynamic (空气动力学) explanation is exciting. It’s definitely different. But I just think there are potentially some other explanations that could be explored.”

1. What is the new idea of monarch butterflies’ white spots?

A．They serve as a warning to predators.

B．They improve butterflies’ flying performance.

C．They attract the attention of butterfies’ mates.

D．They help butterflies hide in their surroundings.

2. How does Davis think white spots help monarch butterflies?

A．By changing the flow of air.

B．By making butterflieslighter.

C．By guiding migratingbutterflies.

D．By turning sunshine into energy.

3. What’s Kronforst’s atitude towards Davis newy finding?

A．Unconcerned.	B．Supportive.
C．Skeptical.	D．Disappointed.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Monarch butterflies migrate the longest distance

B．Monarch butterflies use airflow to help their flights

C．Monarch butterflies have more white spots than others

D．Monarch butterflies’ white spots may help them fly farther