1 . Students at Huonville High School in Australia are riding bikes out of desire to fight climate change, carrying out a dizzyingly-thorough transformation of their school building into an energy efficient inspiration.

It’s paying off big time, as they’ve helped save $44, 000 in utility bills since they started their energy-saving project, but it’s also inspiring young people in the community. Recently the school won the Zayed Future Energy Prize of $133 ,000, some of which was used to turn a building into the Zayed Future Energy Hub, a clubhouse where 13 volunteers learn and teach about how renewable energy can be applied to our everyday lives.

Among all the efficiency adjustments, they set up solar panels on the roof, and replaced the old windows with double and triple glazed ones. They added improved insulation (隔热) and energy efficient curtains. They even have stationary bikes that create electricity to cook doughnuts.

The classroom was cold in the mornings, but the students wanted zero carbon emissions through their heating. So they went out and got a pellet stove, and then if that wasn’t enough, they went out and built a pellet mill (颗粒机) to make their fuel from waste sawdust.

Powering one small building on a high school campus or cooking doughnuts in renewable fat fryers is nice, but will do little on their own to slow global climate change. However, the Hub is much more about the big picture. Nel Smit, the volunteer teacher—head of the Hub, knows their biggest contribution is exciting the minds of the next generation.

“This little school in the Huon Valley is actually doing amazing things,” Smit said. “It’s raised awareness of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and opportunities in the community for engaging them around that sort of technology.”

1. What’s special about Huonville High School?

A．It attaches importance to riding bikes.	B．It promotes the idea of energy saving.
C．It encourages students to be creative.	D．It is powered entirely by solar energy.

2. What can be learned about Zayed Future Energy Hub?

A．It is a club center for volunteers.	B．It is the place to produce energy.
C．It is built at the cost of $133,000.	D．It is used to hold learning activities.

3. Why do students make fuel from waste sawdust?

A．To save electricity bill.	B．To keep low carbon emissions.
C．To get rid of waste sawdust.	D．To test the pellet stove.

4. What is the greatest contribution of the project according to Smit?

A．Saving a lot of energy.	B．Creating more great minds.
C．Educating the next generation.	D．Slowing global climate change.

2 . In general, it is a very good thing for animals to sleep with people. Pets who share their human’s bed tend to have a higher trust level and a tighter bond with the humans that are in their lives.     1     Dogs and cats who are more closely bonded with their humans get additional health benefits, including the feel-good hormones.

With that important matter out of the way, let’s turn to you— is it good for you to sleep with a pet?     2     “Animals may move, bark and disturb sleep. Sleep with dogs and cats is not continuous and they will get up and walk on the bed, stepping on people. All of that activity will lead to sleep destruction,” said Dr. Vsevolod Polotsky, director of sleep research. “These microawakenings (短暂觉醒) can happen without your awareness.     3    ”

That may be true for many of us, but recent studies have shown that pets in the bedroom could be beneficial for some of us. Adults with depression or anxiety may benefit from having their pet in the bed. The pet is a big pillow, a big blanket, which decreases their anxiety.     4     A 2021 study asked adolescents aged 13 to 17 to wear sleep trackers for two weeks and then undergo (经历) a state-of-the-art sleep test. About a third of the kids slept with a pet.     5    

Despite the new science, we still need to think twice about bringing our dogs or cats into our beds.

A．It’s a big display of trust on their part.

B．It is particularly harmful in people with sound sleepers.

C．Teenagers may benefit from sleeping with a pet as well.

D．And it didn’t appear to affect the quality of their rest.

E．They are destructive because they pull you out of deep sleep.

F．Those are not animals that we would want to have in bed with us.

G．Experts have traditionally said no because you might not get quality shut-eye.

3 . It sounds impossible for a 500-pound bear to break into a house through a small window. But the animal known as Hank the Tank is no ordinary bear: He has used his extraordinary strength to force into at least 28 garages in South Lake Tahoe and is responsible for 152 reports of conflict behavior with the local people over the past seven months.

“This smart bear does not break into a garage where trash is kept,” the police department said in a statement. “He hangs out in the neighborhood quite often because he has been continuously rewarded with food stored in garages.”

The most recent incident occurred late last week, when local police officers were called to a home on Catalina Drive when Hank broke into another garage and the police department has planned a special trapping effort to remove Hank the Tank from the neighborhood. After he’s caught, it will decide whether he can be placed in a controlled habitat or whether he should be killed. “We hope that Hank can avoid the sad ending of another famous bear from the Tahoe area,” it said.

Like Hank the Tank, the 500-pound bear named the Safeway Bear had lost its fear of people. It was known for driving away Kings Beach get-togethers, helping itself to a birthday cake and other treats. In 2020, it was caught on camera stealing food from a grocery store at Lake Tahoe’s northern shore.

The bear was eventually trapped and sent to a remote wild habitat in El Dorado County. Its tracking collar was found in the woods in the spring of 2021, leading biologists to hope that it had successfully gotten used to a natural diet and lost weight, allowing the collar to slip off.

But the truth was very heart-breaking. The big bear was reduced to a shell of its former self and was killed at a campground where a family gathering included small children.

“The action of the shooter was the most humane outcome for this bear,” said one of the biologists.

1. What do the police officers probably suggest the public do?

A．Avoid mixing food leftovers with garbage.

B．Replace small windows with bigger ones.

C．Call the police once they see Hank the Tank.

D．Put food outside to help the trapping effort.

2. Where was the Safeway Bear sent?

A．El Dorado County.	B．Kings Beach.
C．Catalina Drive.	D．Lake Tahoe.

3. What can be learned about the Safeway Bear?

A．It had a hard life in the Tahoe area.

B．It lost its ability to live in the wild.

C．It successfully got used to a natural diet.

D．It stole food and killed people on the beach.

4. What is the biologist’s attitude to the action of the shooter?

A．Opposed.

B．Skeptical.

C．Supportive.

D．Unconcerned.

4 . A new study has found that water in the air, not just heat, is important in measuring global warming. The researchers say, when considering humidity and heat, the temperature increase is two times greater than earlier estimates.

The researchers also note, temperature by itself is not the best way to measure the effects of climate change and using temperature underestimates conditions in the tropical areas of the world.

The study was published on January 31 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The researchers team show that the energy created in extreme weather, such as storms, is related to the amount of water in the air. For this reason, they decided to use a special atmospheric measurement to show the amount of heat in an area of air. It is expressed in a scientific measurement for temperature known as degrees Kelvin.

Ramanathan is one of the writers of the study. He is a climate scientist at the University of California San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography. “There are two factors of climate change: temperature and humidity. And so far, we have measured global warming just in terms of temperature,” he says. “Warm air can hold more water than cold air. For every degree Celsius that air temperature increases, it can hold seven percent more water. When the water vapor in the air becomes liquid, it releases heat or energy. That’s why when it rains, now it pours.”

Ramanathan added that water vapor is a powerful heat-trapping gas in the atmosphere that increases climate change. From 1980 to 2019, the average world surface air temperature increased by 0.79 degrees Celsius. But when they considered energy from humidity, their temperature measurement had increased by 1.48 degrees Celsius. In the tropics, the warming was as much as 4 degrees Celsius.

Wuebbles is a climate scientist at the University of Illinois. He was not part of the study. But Wuebbles said the idea makes sense because water vapor is important in extreme rainfall. He said, “Both heat and humidity are important.”

1. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The combination of water and heat decreases average surface temperature.

B．The reason why it pours is that cold air can hold more water than warm air.

C．Scientists adopt temperature degrees Kelvin as a special atmospheric measurement.

D．Scientists used both temperature and humidity to measure global warming in the past.

2. How does Ramanathan illustrate his findings in the fifth paragraph?

A．By making comparisons.	B．By taking examples.
C．By analyzing reasons.	D．By giving definitions.

3. What is Wuebbles’ attitude to this new study?

A．Critical.

B．Objective.

C．Skeptical.

D．Appreciative.

4. Which of the following may be the best title for the passage?

A．Extreme Weathers Are Closely Related to Air Heat Amount

B．A New Study Focuses on Global Warming Solutions

C．Humidity Is Also Important in Measuring Climate Changes

D．Two Climate Scientists Develop a Scientific Method

5 . When I was a child, I was always climbing up the conker tree in our back garden or tackling oaks (橡树) in Epping Forest. And I’ve never lost the ________.

Writing the Wolf Brother books about stone age hunter-gatherers kept it ________. On a research trip to Bialowieza Forest in Poland, I climbed a lime tree that had survived a lightning ________ a few years before. The tree was growing well, the rope-like scar down its ________ making it temptingly climbable; I put it in one of my ________. And in the Taygetos mountains in Greece I shinned up a tree rather ________ to avoid a wild boar (野猪) with piglets.

I didn’t ________ to climb more trees during lockdown; it just happened. I live on Wimbledon Common, and over the summer I was in the ________ by dawn most days. Climbing the odd tree has been a(n) ________ from worrying about my 89-year-old mother. I’ve never been so ________ to live near woods, or so conscious that many people don’t.

My favourite trees for climbing are some secluded (僻静的) oaks with low branches for that tricky first hoist (拉高), as well as one ________ enormous beech (山毛榉树) that is difficult, but worth it. Wild creatures don’t expect people to climb trees, and they often don’t ________ I’m there. I’ve had close ________ with bats, crows, ________ little goldcrests, squirrels and, of course, the trees themselves: lichen-crusted branches, faces in the bark.

When I’m feeling ________ or low, being up a tree gives me perspective: it has lived ________ than me and seen it all. Tree climbing is also brilliant for solving writing problems. It doesn’t give me the answer ________ it helps me see the question I should be asking. I’m very keen ________ owls, and during the summer, two tawny owlets practised flying from a pair of lime trees close to my house. If that’s ________ next year, I’d love to be up a nearby tree when they do it. An owl’s-eye view of the woods at dusk— that would be ________.

1.

A．hope

B．urge

C．chance

D．time

2.

A．alive

B．awake

C．alone

D．aware

3.

A．hit

B．break

C．strike

D．beat

4.

A．branch

B．leaves

C．roots

D．trunk

5.

A．diaries

B．notes

C．marks

D．books

6.

A．fast

B．slowly

C．cleverly

D．stupidly

7.

A．pick up

B．give up

C．put out

D．set out

8.

A．trees

B．houses

C．woods

D．mountains

9.

A．shelter

B．place

C．way

D．escape

10.

A．moved

B．thankful

C．cheerful

D．amazed

11.

A．truly

B．typically

C．nearly

D．completely

12.

A．care

B．notice

C．understand

D．doubt

13.

A．contact

B．relations

C．meetings

D．communication

14.

A．training

B．trusting

C．startling

D．surprising

15.

A．excited

B．delighted

C．ambitious

D．anxious

16.

A．longer

B．shorter

C．sadder

D．happier

17.

A．and

B．but

C．otherwise

D．still

18.

A．in

B．for

C．on

D．at

19.

A．continued

B．changed

C．repeated

D．stopped

20.

A．nobody

B．somebody

C．nothing

D．something

6 . Scientists know quite a lot about stars. After centuries of pointing telescopes at the night sky, astronomers and amateurs alike can figure out key traits of any star, such as its mass or its composition.

To calculate a star’s mass, just look at the time it takes to orbit a companion star. Then do a bit of calculation. To determine what it’s made of, look to the spectrum of light the star sends out. But one question scientists haven’t quite cracked yet is how to calculate the exact time of a star.

“The sun is the only star we know the age of,” says astronomer David Soderblom. He works at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Md. We use what we know about it and how it compares to others, he says, to figure out the age of other stars.

Even well-studied stars surprise scientists every now and then. In 2019, the red supergiant Betelgeuse became gradually dark. At the time, astronomers weren’t sure if this star was just going through a phase. The alternative was more exciting: It might be ready to explode as a supernova. (Turns out it was just a phase.) The sun also shook things up when scientists noticed that it wasn’t behaving like other middle-aged stars. It’s not as magnetically active as other stars of its age and mass. That suggests astronomers still might not fully understand the timeline of middle age.

Using physics and indirect measurements, scientists can make a rough estimate of a star’s age. Some methods, it turns out, work better for different types of stars.

Why do we even care? Galaxies are huge collections of stars of different ages. Star ages might help us figure out how such galaxies grow and evolve or how planets within them form. Knowing star ages might even assist in the search for life in other solar systems.

1. What may scientists want to research about stars most now?

A．Their companions.	B．Their types.
C．Their ages.	D．Their characteristics.

2. What does the underlined word “cracked” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Discussed.

B．Described.

C．Touched.

D．Solved.

3. Why is the example in 2019 mentioned?

A．To show scientists still have puzzles about stars.

B．To prove scientists have studied stars to the full.

C．To provide facts for scientists’ researches on stars.

D．To warn scientists to notice some surprising stars.

4. What does the author want to tell us in the last paragraph?

A．The reasons for caring about the space.	B．The significance of researching star ages.
C．The ways of measuring a star’s age.	D．The benefits of figuring out solar systems.

7 . 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。

Huang He or The Yellow River, flowing through nine provinces, is the second longest river in China. It is also the sixth longest in the world at the estimated     1    (long) of 5, 464 kilometers. The distinctive yellow color is from the silt (泥沙) and dust it collects     2     the environment.

The Yellow River is called "the cradle (摇篮) of Chinese civilization" as     3     (it) basin — the Wei valley —was the birthplace of ancient Chinese civilizations and the most prosperous (繁荣的) region in early Chinese history. Both the river and the people along its shores have shaped each other     4     (deep).

    5     you're a history fan or not, the river is appealing.

    6    (Originate) in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and runs into the Bohai Sea. The Yellow River basin has     7     east-west extent of 1,900 km and a north-south extent of 1,100 km. Its total basin area is 742,443 km². Two of     8    (popular) spots to visit are the Hukou Falls and the Silk Road Crossing at Lanzhou.

The Yellow River used to be called "China's Sorrow" because of the frequent floods hitting. In 1955, Chinese government developed a plan     9    (control) flooding. Since 1960, tens of thousands of trees     10    (plant) along the banks.

8 . With sunset on the horizon, Chad Rissman and his uncle Darrin Vick had waited all day for one bite. They were just sitting there talking when ______ the line got tight and ______. With that light bite, they got ______ in an unforgettable fishing tale.

Darrin was going to grab the ______. As the leader (接钩线) was coming up, Chad said he'd get hold of the shark. But before Darrin could, an eagle swept in and ______ the shark as its own. "In the sunset, the way ______ lined up for shooting; I couldn't have ______ a better time," said Chad. The family ______ their phones and ______ the moment.

Then, they ______ the line and got the line and hook away from the eagle.

"I think they did a really great job. It could have been a lot ______," said Kim Begay with the Clearwater Audubon Society and Audubon Center for Birds of Prey. Begay ______   that eagle as Eugene, first ______   in Bradenton in 2017, after breaking her leg. "The first time she broke her leg, she was in rehab (康复中心) for about eight ______   and she was in rehab at a very ______ time when she would be learning how to hunt and ______ her parents' hunt. Eugene appears to now be looking for easy ______," Begay explained.

If Eugene or any other bird is hooked, Begay suggested following these steps. "If you hook a bird ______, or the bird has line wrapped around them, you have to remove and then ______. If not, a bird could end up in ______."

1.

A．gradually

B．suddenly

C．permanently

D．hardly

2.

A．broken

B．long

C．loose

D．smooth

3.

A．interested

B．involved

C．lost

D．absorbed

4.

A．line

B．shark

C．eagle

D．phone

5.

A．killed

B．attacked

C．swallowed

D．claimed

6.

A．anything

B．everything

C．something

D．nothing

7.

A．asked for

B．run out of

C．escaped from

D．got rid of

8.

A．lost

B．threw

C．grabbed

D．delivered

9.

A．hid

B．shared

C．celebrated

D．recorded

10.

A．took out

B．cut off

C．tidied up

D．rolled up

11.

A．easier

B．healthier

C．worse

D．slower

12.

A．knows

B．regards

C．treats

D．accepts

13.

A．raised

B．witnessed

C．trained

D．rescued

14.

A．hours

B．days

C．months

D．years

15.

A．critical

B．enjoyable

C．relaxing

D．carefree

16.

A．protecting

B．ruining

C．discovering

D．following

17.

A．meals

B．tasks

C．journeys

D．methods

18.

A．with luck

B．by accident

C．in flesh

D．on purpose

19.

A．report

B．realize

C．release

D．recommend

20.

A．safety

B．relief

C．freedom

D．trouble

9 . The Mekong flows through an extremely diverse landscape and surprises once again with its richness of species. But an unbroken construction trend threatens the ecosystem.

In the Mekong area, 110 new species have been discovered in the past two years. The World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) on Thursday called Southeast Asia a true treasure for animals and plants. A turtle with a trunk and a fish named after the river Bruinen in the fantasy classic “Lord of the Rings” were found. According to WWF, a newly found plant reminds people of the eggs in the film “Alien”, from which the Facehugger jump.

The Mekong region, which covers China, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia, is a melting pot of biodiversity. But it is in danger. “Massive habitat ruin and huge hydropower plants threaten the treasury,” says Stefan Ziegler of WWF-Germany. “Our goal must be to protect the biologically valuable areas of the Mekong across borders and permanently, as well as to make sustainable use of natural resources.”

Over the past 20 years, more than 2, 500 new species have been discovered in the Mekong region, including numerous mammals and birds. “The combination of mountains, dry forests and wet lands, as well as heavy rainfall and a humid climate, is unique,” says the WWF. Many of the resident species could not be found anywhere else.

However, 150 large and small hydropower plants are planned on the Mekong. “The dams would primarily benefit construction companies and their associated politicians,” said Pou Sothirak, director of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace, in a recent interview. “They are not interested in the social impact and the damage to the environment.”

1. What is it that makes Mekong in danger?

A．Terrible climate.	B．Unique landscape.
C．Abundant species.	D．Unbroken construction.

2. Why is the film “Alien” mentioned in paragraph 2?

A．To describe the appearance of the plant.

B．To present the damage to the environment.

C．To raise the readers' awareness of new species.

D．To compare the newly found plant with the old one.

3. What is Pou Sothirak's attitude towards the hydropower plants?

A．Supportive.

B．Interested.

C．Doubtful.

D．Opposed.

4. What might be the author?

A．A politician.	B．An ecologist.
C．A company director.	D．A power plant's designer.

10 . On Friday January 14, 2022, blast was heard 2,000 km away in New Zealand and 3,300 km away in Australia. Boats crashed into a quiet harbor in Southern California, a remote island was battered in Japan by 4 foot waves and two women were swept to their deaths on a beach in Peru some 6,000 miles from an undersea volcanic eruption so powerful that the tsunami which it set off stirred ocean waters halfway across the globe.

But on Sunday, as reports of the volcano’s effect crowded in from far-flung countries, there was little word from Tonga, the island nation just 40 miles from the site of the extraordinary explosion. As concerns from all over the world grew, the nation of about 100,000 people remained largely cut off from the rest of the world, its undersea internet cables knocked out of commission by the volcano.

In Tonga on Sunday, many residents lost not only communication channels but electric power. Up to 80,000 people there could be affected, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies told the BBC.

New Zealand and other nations in the region pledged to give Tonga aid to recover. But with heavy concentrations of airborne ash making flights impossible, just like the Iceland volcano eruption in 2021, it was difficult even to know what was needed. Ardern, the New Zealand prime minister, said flights over Tonga were planned for Monday or Tuesday, depending on ash conditions.

Tonga has experienced a succession of natural disasters in recent years. In 2018, more than 170 homes were destroyed and two people killed by Cyclone Gita, a Category 5 tropical storm. In 2020, Cyclone Harold caused about $111 million in damage.

1. Which country wasn’t affected by Tanga undersea volcanic eruptions?

A．America

B．Japan

C．Peru

D．Iceland

2. How much area of the seawater did the volcano stir?

A．20%

B．30%

C．50%

D．70%

3. Which phrase can replace the underlined words “out of commission”?

A．out of action

B．out of range

C．out of existence

D．out of account

4. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．The Iceland volcano eruption in 2021 made nearby flights delayed.

B．New Zealand as well as other nations in the region gave Tonga aid timely.

C．Flights could reach Tonga two days after the eruption.

D．The undersea volcanic eruption caused severer damage to Tonga than ever before.