1. How many people died in a landslide in 2003?
| A．About two hundred. | B．Over one thousand. | C．About two thousand. |
| A．Growing grass. | B．Cutting down trees. | C．Growing population. |
| A．Growing more forests. |
| B．Chopping down the old forests. |
| C．Getting busy in protecting our country. |
2 . A sheep in Scotland, known as the “loneliest sheep”, was stuck at the bottom of a cliff for over two years. A group of farmers made it their
Wilson explained that it was too
The Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was present to
Wilson
| A．way | B．destination | C．burden | D．mission |
| A．discovered | B．witnessed | C．employed | D．followed |
| A．base | B．form | C．spot | D．extent |
| A．hesitating | B．urgent | C．optimistic | D．sympathetic |
| A．accounts | B．updates | C．benefits | D．identities |
| A．illegal | B．expensive | C．risky | D．complex |
| A．reaching | B．finding | C．defending | D．caring |
| A．identifying | B．planning | C．disguising | D．defining |
| A．substance | B．material | C．hand | D．equipment |
| A．frequently | B．physically | C．safely | D．openly |
| A．provide | B．ensure | C．guide | D．promote |
| A．condition | B．potential | C．mood | D．fashion |
| A．charity | B．protection | C．rescue | D．cheering |
| A．reflected on | B．brought in | C．broke down | D．called up |
| A．incident | B．scene | C．barrier | D．outcome |
3 . At first glance the sea turtles look as if they were dead because they hardly move. But if you look closely enough, they show a slow glimpse of life. These turtles are all washed up in Massachusetts every December, on the windy beaches of Cape Cod Bay.
Shaver, chief of the Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery at Padre Island National Seashore in Texas, said, “If we don’t help save this species, we will lose a piece that enriches us. There’s a whole variety of things that can harm them: oil spills, boat strikes, red tides, and so on.” That is why all the urgent care they’re getting back up North is more important than ever.
Saving could never happen unless hundreds of pilots were willing to volunteer their time, their planes, and their fuel to rush the rescued turtles to willing rehab facilities (康复中心) all around the country.
On this particular mission, Andrews, vice president of a unique nonprofit called Turtles Fly Too, with his dad as a co-pilot, will fly more than 2,000 miles, from Boston, to Atlanta, then on to Gulfport and finally Dallas, dropping off 44 sick sea turtles along the way, in hopes that one day they’ll be well enough to be released. It is worth mentioning that the pilots that are flying these missions are pulling $1 million out of their pocket to fly these missions every year.
With good care and the help of volunteers, these turtles were finally ready to go home again. According to Andrews, “90% of the turtles that we’ve moved to the rehab facilities have ended up back in the ocean.”
“We humans have not always been kind to the sea and those that live in it. But on this day, it was humans—not me, but the hundreds of veterinarians, biologists, volunteers, and pilots—who all came together to give these critically-endangered sea turtles a second chance that they rarely got,” Andrews added.
1. What happens to the turtles on the beaches of Cape Cod Bay?| A．They are dying out. | B．They adapt to living onshore. |
| C．They are in danger. | D．They are caught by humans. |
| A．Thrilled. | B．Concerned. | C．Annoyed. | D．Moved. |
| A．The pilots’ generous devotion. | B．The division’s urgent care. |
| C．The rehab facilities’ willingness to help. | D．The improvement of the turtles’ habitats. |
| A．It is unsatisfactory. | B．It is less effective. | C．It is controversial. | D．It quite pays off. |
4 . The beauty industry produces many units of one-time use containers every year. More and more consumers are asking how they can keep themselves clean and beautiful without trashing the planet.
It’s a question Women of the Future winner, Natassia Nicolao, considered during her years working in product development for beauty and wellness companies. Raised by a strong and supportive mother, Natassia used her skills and passion to make a difference. In 2021, she created her waterless beauty brand.
She said, “Water is involved in every stage of a product life cycle. Everything we use, buy, sell and make has a huge water footprint. On top of that, the beauty industry adds water as the main ingredients in its products, despite it having no direct benefit to our skin.”
Having lived through water restrictions in drought-ridden Australia, Natassia felt it necessary to stop the overuse of water in the beauty industry. Natassia has always loved beauty. Her company tries to be sustainable in every step of the way, but at its core, it is about removing water from our beauty routines.
“It’s really rooted in water conservation first, and then managing your water footprint, your carbon footprint and your waste footprint,” Natassia said. “We create waterless beauty products to help conserve water.” The glass bottles and jars of her products can be recycled. The oils and wipes are formulated without any water, requiring no water to use. The company also has a piece of game-changing beauty technology: face-wipes and masks that completely dissolve in water.
“The company is still in its beginning,” Natassia said. With the prize money from Women of the Future, she plans to purchase a machine to simplify the creation of the wipes and masks. The publicity, meanwhile, will help her spread the message central to the company’s existence that beauty must do better. Natassia believes that, with a little courage and innovation, it can do.
1. What does the underlined word “trashing” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Studying. | B．Damaging. | C．Exploding. | D．Supporting. |
| A．Her pursuit of profit. | B．Her best beauty skills. |
| C．Her growth environment. | D．Her love of extreme beauty. |
| A．Environmentally friendly. | B．Relatively cheap. |
| C．Elegant. | D．World-famous. |
| A．It has died out. | B．It’s promising. | C．It develops well. | D．It’s worth analysis. |
5 . Catherine Krestyn furnished (布置家具)her home mainly with hard rubbish, such as the chairs, doors and lamps, which have been collected from the street where she lives. And it’s a way of life she’s sharing with her community in the hope of making a difference.
Catherine leads a 6,000-strong online group called Boroondara Hard Rubbish Rehome, where members upload pictures of their hard rubbish piles for eager locals to find. She started the group in 2022 with her childhood friend Jennie Irving, hoping to build a community of thrift (节俭)where they lived. The pair have stopped more than 7,000 kg of hard rubbish going to landfill since they founded the group.
Some items are ready as they are, like chairs and lamps, and others take a bit of effort to clean up, like the old, wooden doors.
Local teacher Ruth Polgar discovered the group while surfing the Internet and has since decorated her classroom with second-hand items, including artwork she has rehomed from a neighbour. “We regularly take unneeded items from the group and use them for our school projects,” she says.
Running the group can be really challenging for Catherine. But she doesn’t resent those who have to let go of their possessions because of stressful circumstances. “If you’re downsizing or if you’re clearing an old house, quite often you’re desperate for access to easy options,” she says. “Hard rubbish piles are often that option.”
All Catherine wants to do is give her community a way to reduce their waste, and to send a message to those in charge that things need to urgently change.
“The government has big targets around sustainable development leading into 2030. We want to start speeding that up even sooner,” she says. “We’re suffering from our own waste really, so anything that we can all do on a practical level helps. We should first make lifestyle choices and be prepared to go second-hand.”
1. Why did Catherine set up Boroondara Hard Rubbish Rehome?| A．To create a community of thrift. | B．To donate her collection to charity. |
| C．To collect hard rubbish for locals. | D．To decorate the houses for the homeless. |
| A．She prefers second-hand items. | B．She buys items on the Internet. |
| C．She supports Catherine’s cause. | D．She teaches art at a local school. |
| A．Feel angry about. | B．Feel pleased with. |
| C．Show sympathy for. | D．Show interest in. |
| A．Setting ourselves a big goal. | B．Giving throwaways a second life. |
| C．Meeting the government’s requirements. | D．Replacing old furniture regularly. |
1. What causes the party to be put off?
| A．An unexpected meeting. | B．The terrible weather. | C．A changed plan. |
| A．This Saturday. | B．This Sunday. | C．Next weekend. |
Samuel, aged 49, was resting on the glass wall which encircled the tiger at the time. After a long wait, the opportunity to face the tiger arrived. Samuel was uncertain if the large cat could recognize him after his five-year absence because of his wife’s new job in another city.
Samuel has had a lifelong craziness with animals. Born and raised in a forest-surrounded area, he often brought home animals he had not seen before. Thus, when Samuel announced to everybody that he had been planning to become an animal keeper, nobody was shocked.
Nothing pleased Samuel more than being employed by someone close to his birthplace, who was a zookeeper. He finally did something that made him happy each day. Furthermore, this job paid well enough for Samuel! This made the situation even better!
Luna, the zoo’s sole (唯一的) female white tiger, liked Samuel. Samuel liked it too. Nobody could comprehend their extraordinary relationship. Luna seldom approached humans. When Luna was younger, it was mistreated at the hotel’s tourist attractions. When the zoo rescued Luna, it made no attempt to interact with anyone. Samuel was able to break through Luna’s fearful shell with a lot of support and patience.
Luna was going to have a baby as part of a plan to save white tigers. Luna had a rough pregnancy (怀孕), but its delivery was terrible. As Luna struggled, Samuel looked after it for hours. Unfortunately, Luna died during her delivery. Samuel was not able to stop crying over its death, but he needed Luna’s children out as quickly as possible!
Luna was taken to a veterinary hospital (兽医院). Samuel wandered outside, waiting for word. The veterinarian soon presented Samuel with a baby tiger. But who would look after it? As its mother passed away, Samuel took on the responsibility. He had been caring for the baby’s mum all along, and now the baby, which Samuel named Blanca.
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。
However, things did not go well as expected.
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Five years later, Samuel persuaded his wife to return home.
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8 . Because of a record drought, the Amazon River drops to the lowest level ever recorded. Smaller river systems that feed into the Amazon River have been drying up, leaving boats stranded (搁浅) and people in remote villages with very little food and water. The port of Manaus, where the Amazon River meets with the smaller river Rio Negro in Brazil, recorded 13.59 m of water on Monday compared to 17.60 m a year ago. That was the lowest level since records began in 1902. It was said the drought had affected 481,000 people so far.
The Brazilian government has blamed the drought on the El Nino climate pattern, which has brought hotter and drier weather. The government said it was expected the drought would last until at least December, when El Nino’s effects are forecast to reach the highest point.
The drought has made it hard to access food, drinking water and medicines, which are usually transported by river. After months without rain, some rainforest villagers were relieved when a Brazilian charity delivered supplies to their community. Some areas could still be reached by canoe, but many boats hadn’t been able to bring supplies along the river and a lot of supplies were being delivered by tractor. The drought also affected the cleanliness of the village’s drinking water. As a result, many children were getting ill and often having fever. Villagers said it wasn’t very good for them because they were practically isolated (隔绝).
El Nino has also affected the animals of the river. More than 100 endangered river dolphins are thought to have died because of high water temperatures. The Amazon rainforest represents about half of the remaining rainforest left on Earth and is home to more than one million species, or a third of all known land plants, animals and insects. About 150—200 billion tons of carbon is stored in the Amazon rainforest, making it important for the health of the whole planet.
1. What can we learn from paragraph 1?| A．Water level in Manaus hit its lowest in over a century. |
| B．The Amazon River has been drying up and disappearing. |
| C．It is important for the global fight against climate change. |
| D．It forces villagers living in the rainforest to leave their homes. |
| A．Optimistic. | B．Concerned. | C．Content. | D．Uncaring. |
| A．It contains almost all of the world’s fresh， flowing water. |
| B．It will cause the widespread droughts around the world. |
| C．It is important for the global fight against climate change. |
| D．It forces villagers living in the rainforest to leave their homes. |
| A．The Ecosystem of the Amazon Rainforest |
| B．The Importance of the Amazon River |
| C．The Amazon River and Its Rainforest |
| D．The Lowest Level of the Amazon River |
9 . Joy is a Teacher Naturalist Assistant at the Audubon Center, a non-profit connecting people with nature. A big part of her
Joy values most the
“Miss, ” he said, “It was
It wasn’t how Joy would normally refer to the specimens (标本) of animal fur, but she knew what the boy meant. He looked over the river banks,
“This place is really amazing, he
Joy grew up in a little village in England. She fondly remembers
| A．life | B．dream | C．challenge | D．job |
| A．appreciation | B．taste | C．wealth | D．control |
| A．amazed | B．scared | C．attracted | D．bored |
| A．carelessly | B．unwillingly | C．happily | D．seriously |
| A．creatures | B．images | C．spirits | D．shadows |
| A．stories | B．moments | C．honors | D．rewards |
| A．ruins | B．names | C．recalls | D．imagines |
| A．casually | B．sadly | C．gratefully | D．suddenly |
| A．harmful | B．great | C．terrible | D．lucky |
| A．glad | B．quiet | C．running | D．smiling |
| A．finally | B．honestly | C．openly | D．smoothly |
| A．living through | B．talking about | C．arranging | D．taking |
| A．discuss | B．spare | C．understand | D．discover |
| A．hope | B．gift | C．reason | D．need |
| A．spoil | B．adjust | C．last | D．save |
10 . Scientists have recently discovered the world’s largest known field of sea grass. They did it using videos shot by some extraordinary helpers. The work should help protect the sea grass, and also shows off a powerful way to explore the ocean.
As a shelter for many sea creatures, sea grasses are flowering plants that normally grow in shallow waters near coasts. They grow in thick fields, known as seagrass meadows (海草床), which help clean the ocean water. More importantly, they are called “ocean lung”. They help in the fight against the climate crisis. That’s because they store huge amounts of carbon — the major source of global warming.
Considering the urgent need to protect seagrass meadows and the challenges to spot them, scientists decided to have tiger sharks help the research.
Tiger sharks are inborn fast swimmers, and spend a lot of time in seagrass meadows. Between 2016 and 2020, the researchers attached cameras and other trackers to the fins of seven tiger sharks, and then let them go again. The cameras were designed to fall off after hours and float to the surface. Tracking signals helped find the floating cameras and collect the videos the sharks had taken while traveling for miles. Moreover, other tools were used, including satellite images, as well as images taken by divers and boats.
Putting all this information together, the scientists learned that the waters around the Bahamas are home to the largest seagrass meadow ever discovered. Different from previous studies, the program discovers how useful large underwater animals can be in helping to learn more about life under the sea. Oliver Shipley, a scientist from the team, says animals like tiger sharks are going to take us to new places that we didn’t know existed.
1. Why do seagrass meadows urgently need protection?| A．Damaging them will worsen climate crisis. |
| B．They determine the cleanliness of ocean water. |
| C．Sea creatures can’t survive without their shelter. |
| D．Their existence balances the underwater ecosystem. |
| A．By tracking signals scientists sent. |
| B．By bringing back cameras with videos. |
| C．By carrying the recording equipment around. |
| D．By spending a lot of time in seagrass meadows. |
| A．Leading scientists. | B．Unusual research assistants. |
| C．Multiple experimental tools. | D．Advanced theories. |
| A．The Cooperation between Man and Animals |
| B．The key to protecting the Sea—Tiger Sharks |
| C．Sea Grass: An Undervalued Plant |
| D．Ocean Lung Monitored in a New Way |
