1 . Bonobos often form friendly relationships with other bonobo s in separate social groups — the first time this has been seen in non-human primates (灵长类). This is in line with humans, but in contrast to chimpanzees, another primate, which frequently kill chimps in other groups. The findings challenge the idea that humans evolved (进化) from violent apes, says Surbeck at Harvard University. “This potential to form cooperative links between different groups is not uniquely human and it might have occurred earlier than we thought,” he says.

Many animals cooperate, but they seem to do so only with those within their social circle, or in-group. Hostile (敌对的 ) interactions between groups are common among animals, including chimpanzees, so scientists have often assumed that hostility towards other social groups in humans is natural, says Samuni, also at Harvard. However, humans also often cooperate with people in different social circles, for example, by trading or teaching.

Bonobos are one of our closest living relatives. They are less studied than chimpanzees, but are known to be more peaceful, says Surbeck. To learn more about interactions between groups, Surbeck and Samuni observed 31 adult bonobo s from two social groups in Congo over a two-year period. The pair documented 95 encounters between the groups, which represented about 20% of their total observation time. Unlike chimpanzees observed in previous studies, they showed cooperation with out-group members. In fact,10% of all mutual grooming (梳毛) and 6% of all food sharing occurred among members of different social groups.

While bonobo s that groomed others usually got an immediate benefit, food sharing rarely resulted in a gift in return. This suggests that their actions were “not just motivated by selfish interests or immediate rewards”, Surbeck and Samuni report.

Otten, a researcher from the Netherlands, finds the study “exciting”, especially as it “challenges the idea of human exceptionalism” with regard to out-group cooperation. Otten says the bonobo s that were most cooperative within their groups were the same ones that cooperated more with out-group members. This agrees with findings from humans. “Scholars used to believe that in-group ‘love’ goes together with out-group ‘hate’, but recent research suggests that often in-group cooperators are also out-group cooperators,” he says.

1. What is the focus of the study on bonobos?

A．Their social behavior.	B．Their survival skills.
C．Their evolutionary process.	D．Their intelligence level.

2. What can be learnt about the bonobos?

A．They are humans’ closest relatives.	B．They can be taught to cooperate.
C．They interact friendly beyond groups.	D．They share food for immediate rewards.

3. How was the study conducted?

A．By comparing different primates.	B．By observing bonobos’ interactions.
C．By listing group members’ motivations.	D．By analysing statistics of previous studies.

4. How does Otten find the study?

A．Forward-looking.	B．Groundbreaking.
C．Controversial.	D．One-sided.

2 . Mary thought she had seen it all when it came to horse behavior, but Stardust made her ______. The horse was always sniffing (嗅) her behind. No matter what she did, Stardust just wouldn’t ______. Her husband Jason finally ______ her confusion when he figured out the reason behind Stardust’s sniffing her ______. He knew there must be something wrong. But what could it be? ______, Jason drove Mary to the doctor for a checkup.

After a brief ______ with Jason, the doctor decided to do some tests ______ Mary to see what was really going on inside her body.

As Jason sat there, ______ waiting for the result, Mary couldn’t help but wonder what was causing him to be so on edge. She had asked him several times ______ everything was alright, but Jason had been ______. He wished he could tell her what was going on, but the ______ was that he didn’t want to scare her-the news would come soon enough.

A doctor rushed back into the room out of breath. Jason shot Mary a ______ look. As it tuned out, his guess was ______ justified-the doctor had found something! Mary was diagnosed with skin cancer! The couple couldn’t ______ it-Stardust had done something ______. They knew that Stardust’s efforts would never be forgotten.

1.

A．confused

B．bored

C．addicted

D．excited

2.

A．bother

B．quit

C．run

D．struggle

3.

A．lost interest in

B．thought little of

C．got used to

D．put an end to

4.

A．backside

B．forehead

C．shoulders

D．hands

5.

A．Out of control

B．By chance

C．Without hesitation

D．For no reason

6.

A．handshake

B．encounter

C．stay

D．talk

7.

A．in

B．with

C．for

D．on

8.

A．sincerely

B．anxiously

C．awkwardly

D．desperately

9.

A．since

B．when

C．if

D．although

10.

A．tight-lipped

B．short-sighted

C．cold-blooded

D．absent-minded

11.

A．truth

B．trick

C．story

D．news

12.

A．questioning

B．knowing

C．threatening

D．disapproving

13.

A．barely

B．totally

C．immediately

D．unexpectedly

14.

A．help

B．accept

C．believe

D．make

15.

A．adorable

B．generous

C．complicated

D．extraordinary

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。

The Ancient City of Pingyao, originally named “Gu Tao”,     1    (construct) during the Western Zhou Dynasty. In order to defend from invaders (入侵者), a wall was built     2     the city in 1370. More than 300 years later, gate towers were built     3    (celebrate) a visit by Kangxi Emperor.

The three most historic sites in Pingyao, often referred to as the city’s Three Historic Treasures,     4    (be) the ancient brick-made city wall and the Zhenguo and Shuanglin temples.

The first of these historic treasures, the ancient city wall is 6,163 meters long and separates the city into two parts — an old city enclosed within the walls     5     the newer modern section of the city. The old town still looks as it     6    (do) during the Qing Dynasty, with antique streets and buildings along     7    (age) roads. Walking along the alleyways, one can appreciate the symmetrical (对称的) design of the city and     8    (it) stylish man-made cave houses. In the northeast corner of the city is the second treasure: Zhenguo Temple. Its Wan Fo Hall is the third oldest wooden building in China and houses numerous     9    (value) painted sculptures. The third treasure is Shuanglin Temple. Built during the Qi Dynasty, the temple boasts more than 2,000 painted clay statues     10     were created during the Yuan and Ming dynasties.

4 . A week ago, in search of an extremely _________ flower called the tagimoucia, I travelled to Taveuni, where the plant only grows.

My host Vagoni told me that many locals may have only seen the flower in pictures. He also told me that I’d be _________ to climb the mountain without a _________. “You’ll be on the steep (陡峭的) service road before you _________ the rainforest on an unmarked track to have any chance of finding the tagimoucia. There’s thick _________ and it’s always raining,” he said. “At best, you don’t find the _________. At worst, you get completely _________.”

I asked Vagoni _________ this worst case had happened before. “_________!” he said. “Just two weeks ago, a group of seven locals went up without a guide and got lost in the cloud. There was a search-and-rescue mission. What a __________!”

Soon, we set out up the service road with a guide. I’d hiked Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, and made it __________ the Everest Base Camp. __________, I quickly discovered that Taveuni’s extreme humidity and the trail’s steepness make the climbing astonishingly __________. I needed to stop to rest every 10 minutes.

An hour later, we were in the forest, ducking under fallen trees and climbing over other obstacles. Suddenly, the guide pointed up with __________. “Look! The tagimoucia!” he shouted. I couldn’t believe we’d found it — I also couldn’t see a thing, as my glasses were __________ up in the mist.

1.

A．delicate

B．beautiful

C．rare

D．tiny

2.

A．slow

B．funny

C．foolish

D．weak

3.

A．rope

B．guide

C．walking stick

D．sleeping bag

4.

A．cut into

B．search for

C．look around

D．make out

5.

A．forest

B．grass

C．snow

D．fog

6.

A．way

B．water

C．shelter

D．flower

7.

A．mad

B．lost

C．exhausted

D．defeated

8.

A．whether

B．how

C．when

D．why

9.

A．Accidentally

B．Basically

C．Frequently

D．Exactly

10.

A．chance

B．shock

C．schedule

D．mess

11.

A．with

B．to

C．for

D．at

12.

A．However

B．Therefore

C．Instead

D．Besides

13.

A．impressive

B．urgent

C．unique

D．tough

14.

A．excitement

B．interest

C．curiosity

D．fear

15.

A．straightened

B．steamed

C．pushed

D．broken

5 . Around the globe far more bird species are losing ground than gaining, according to an expansive review of a half-century of bird population research published in the journal Annual Review of Environment and Resources in May.

The review, entitled The State of the World’s Birds, showed that more than 5,200 different species of birds-just shy of half the world’s total-are known or suspected to be declining. Around 3,800 species are relatively stable, and fewer than 700 species show increases. Among birds on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, almost 400 birds worldwide have had their conservation status changed for the worse in the past three decades (moving from vulnerable to threatened, or threatened to endangered) — five times more than the number of bird species with an IUCN status that has changed for the better.

“After documenting the loss of nearly 3 billion birds in North America alone (according to a 2019 study published in the journal Science), it was disturbing to see the same patterns of population declines and extinction occurring globally,” says review coauthor Ken Rosenberg, a conservation scientist now retired from the Cormell Lab of Omithology.

The review points to disappearing and degraded habitat-resulting from climate change, urbanization, agricultural intensification, and international trade-as the leading driver of bird declines worldwide. In a note of hope, the authors cite a 2020 study indicating that restoring just 5% of habitat in priority areas around the world could avert 60% of likely extinctions.

Lead author Alexander Lees, a research associate at the Cormell Lab, also points to the need for substantial changes in human behavior to prevent further losses. “Loss and degradation of habitat is often driven by demand for resources,” says Lees. “We need to better consider how commodity flows such as beef, oil, and seed crops can contribute to biodiversity loss and try to reduce the human footprint on the natural world.”

1. In what order are threatened species arranged on the IUCN’s Red List?

A．Species quantity.

B．Living habitat.

C．Declining rate.

D．Conservation status.

2. How does Ken Rosenberg feel when saying the words?

A．Hopeful.

B．Relieved.

C．Doubtful.

D．Concerned.

3. What does the underlined “avert” mean in paragraph 4?

A．Prevent.

B．Increase.

C．Cause.

D．Face.

4. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．Extra reasons for bird extinction.	B．Possible solutions to habitat loss.
C．Substantial changes in human behavior.	D．The prospect of biodiversity loss.

6 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

Inspired by the work of William Beebe, Dr.Sylvia Earle（1935）began her work as an oceanographer at the age of 3 when she     1    （knock）off her feet by a wave. She was fascinated by the ocean and its creatures. Although she struggled     2    （balance）her studies and family, Earle earned her PhD from Duke University, becoming well known in the marine science community. Early in her career, and while she was four     3    （month）pregnant, Earle traveled 30.5m/100 ft below the surface in a submersible（潜水器）. Her experience     4    （live）in an underwater marine habitat earned her celebrity status in the scientific community.

With the experience, Earle developed an interest     5     deep sea exploration, and in 1979 she broke     6     record for deep diving at 381 m/1,250 ft below the surface in a special suit called the Jim Suit designed to withstand（抵挡）the     7    （press）. Earle decided to test the suit as part of her research on a book     8    （publish）by National Geographic, and the diving techniques only scratched the surface of the ocean. Following this adventure, Earle started two companies     9     produce deep sea exploration vehicles. The continued advancement in the technology of these vehicles has helped open up areas in the deep sea     10    （previous）unexplored.

7 . 阅读下面材料,在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

Perhaps the finest nature writer of the Twentieth Century, Rachel Carson (1907-1964)     1     (remember) more today as the woman who challenged the idea that humans could obtain mastery over nature by chemicals, bombs and space travel than for her studies of ocean life.     2     (work) for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Washington, DC,     3     (primary) as a writer, she was always aware of the effect that humans had on the natural world. All her books were physical explanations of life, all     4     (fill) with miracle of what happens to life in and near the sea.

Carson wrote about how islands were formed, how     5     (current) change and merge (融合), how temperature affects sea life,     6     how erosion (侵蚀) affects not just shore lines but fish populations and tiny micro-organisms. But how, she wondered, would the educated public be kept informed of these challenges to life     7     (it)? In Silent Spring, she asked the hard questions about whether and why humans had the right to control nature; to decide who lives or     8     (die), to poison or to destroy non-human life. In showing that all biological systems were dynamic and by urging the public     9     (question) authority, to ask "Who speaks and why?" Rachel Carson became a social revolutionary, and Silent Spring became the handbook for     10     future of all life on Earth.

8 . When Mexican scientist of the evolution of animal behavior, Laura Cuaya, moved to Hungary for her postdoctoral studies in Budapest, she brought her pet dog, Kun-kun, along for the ride. Cuaya couldn't help noticing how locals warmed to dogs. This prompted her naturally curious scientific mind to start asking questions. “Here people are talking all the time to Kun-kun, but I always wonder if Kun-kun can recognize that people in Budapest speak Hungarian, not Spanish?” So she set out to find an answer through a scientific study.

Cuaya and her colleagues decided to use brain images from MRI scanning to shed light on her hunch. They worked with dogs of various ages that had, until the experiment, only heard their owners speak just one of the two languages, Spanish or Hungarian. Not surprisingly, getting the dogs to happily take part in the experiment took some creative coaxing and animal training! The researchers first needed to teach Kun-kun and her 17 fellow participating dogs including a labradoodle, a golden retriever and Australian shepherds, to lie still in a brain scanner. Their pet parents were always present, and they could leave the scanner at any point.

The research team played children's book classic The Little Prince in both Spanish and Hungarian while scanning the dogs' brains with an MRI machine. They were looking for evidence that their brains reacted differently to a familiar and unfamiliar language. The researchers also played scrambled versions of the story to find out if dogs could distinguish between speech and non-speech.

The images reveal that dogs' brains show different patterns of activity for an unfamiliar language than for a familiar one — the first time anyone has proved, researchers say, that a non-human brain can distinguish between two languages. This means that the sounds and rhythms of a familiar language are accessible to non-humans.

Interestingly, the team also found that the brains of older dogs were more skilled at detecting speech “suggesting a role for the amount of language exposure”. They suggest that dogs have refined their ability to distinguish between human languages over the long process of domestication.

1. What is paragraph 1 mainly about?

A．The background of the study.	B．The significance of the study.
C．The concern of the researcher.	D．The introduction to the researcher.

2. What did Cuaya consider when choosing dogs for study?

A．Age limits.

B．Brain patterns.

C．Language exposure.

D．Owners' commands.

3. The results of the study are ________.

A．practical

B．contradictory

C．compromising

D．groundbreaking

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

A．Dogs Can Tell Foreign Languages	B．Dog Brains Have Different Patterns
C．Old Dogs Know More About Human Speech	D．Dogs Can Differ Speech From Non-Speech

9 . If you look up in the sky, you probably see, at some point, an aircraft. And behind that aircraft are white, fluffy streaks (条纹). And that's what we call a contrail. Contrails are made up of ice crystals that form when aircraft engines emit exhaust (废气) that hits the cold air.

The ice crystals reflect incoming light from the sun back into space, which has a cooling effect on the atmosphere. But the contrails also stop heat coming up from the ground from escaping into space. It is reflected back down toward the ground. And so that's a warming effect. Stettler, an engineer from Imperial College London, says, on balance, contrails warm the atmosphere more than they cool it. And that's mainly because the cooling effect due to reflecting of sunlight can only happen during the day, when the sun's shining, whereas the warming effect due to trapping of outgoing heat happens all of the time.

How long do contrails last? This depends on the atmospheric conditions at the altitude where a plane is flying. Some contrails can form clouds that last for up to 18 hours. During that time, they spread out, trapping even more heat. This process allows contrails to warm the planet about as much as the carbon dioxide emissions from aircraft.

But when Stettler and his team analyzed flight data they obtained of Japan airspace, they found that most contrail warming was caused by just 2 percent of flights. And most of those flights originated in the late afternoon because as the sun goes down, cooling can no longer offset (抵消) the warming. And the warming effect continues to exist throughout the evening into the night. But what if the contrails that contribute the most to warming could be got rid of?

1. What does “it” in paragraph 2 refer to?

A．A cooling effect.

B．Heat from the ground.

C．Light from the sun.

D．Exhaust hitting the cold air.

2. What can be learned about contrails?

A．They can easily disappear in the air.

B．They actually contribute to global warming.

C．Their cooling effect happens all of the time.

D．Their warming effect is usually overlooked.

3. What is most likely to be talked about next?

A．A future plan for Japan airspace.

B．The negative influence of contrails.

C．Other potential causes of contrails.

D．A possible way to remove contrails.