The Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo, once struggling to sustain its
The man behind
After witnessing the helpless and hopeless expressions of the animals, Shen’s team set about making changes.
This zoo has emerged
“This is enough! I cannot stand it anymore!” My owner’s mother shouted at the top of her lungs. “Wolfie has to go! Have a dog that’s so big and eats so much! I cannot stand him urinating (小便) all over the house instead of in the small basin at his kennel (狗窝)!”
“But…” My owner cried.
“No buts, Bob!” His mother shouted. Her cold tone indicated she meant business.
Now think back on your most depressing moment. Then multiply that feeling of depression by a hundred. That was how I felt at that time. I would be separated from my beloved owner, Bob. This was the end and I had no one to blame but myself.
Lowering his head in sadness, Bob dragged himself towards his room and slowly closed the door. With a click, he locked it. I went back to my kennel and lay inside. I sighed deeply, tears welling up in my eyes. Soon, I would have no owner and I would have to find shelter, food and water by myself. Poor me.
After a while, I heard footsteps that were becoming louder by the second. I raised my head and saw Bob walking towards me with a leash (皮带) in his left hand.
“We are going to the market,” Bob told me as he tied one end of the leash around my neck.
A walk would make me feel better. I followed Bob and his mother to the market. Soon, we reached the long road that we had to cross to get to the market. After waiting for ages, the traffic light finally turned green. While crossing the road, Bob walked slowly as he seemed about leaving me. We were soon falling behind his mother.
From the comer of my eye, I saw something moving closer and closer at great speed. It was a red car speeding towards Bob’s mother! Bob also saw it but his mother was unaware of the danger approaching her! I caught a glance of the look of horror on Bob’s face. He had turned white in horror.
注意:1. 续写词数应该为150个左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
I needed to do something!
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She looked down at me, feeling touched.
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3 . The color blue is very rare in nature, with fewer than one in 10 plants sporting the common human favorite. To present this color, they have to perform tricks to make themselves blue to the human eyes. In some lowers like bluebells, it primarily occurs when naturally occurring pigments (色素) are mixed the way you can mix different paints to change the color.
For blueberries, the blue comes on the naturally produced thin layer of wax (蜡) on their skin, which often serves as a self-cleaning coating or for added protection in the plant kingdom. “The blue of most fruits is in their pigmented juices. That isn’t the case with blueberries,” says Rox Middleton, co-author of a study published in Science Advances.
In the study, Middleton and his team examined the wax of a blueberry using an electron microscope. They found that the layer of wax is composed of tiny structures that work by scattering (散射) blue and UV light from the sun, while absorbing most of other colors of light. The arrangement makes the berries appear blue to humans and blue-UV to birds and other species that can see UV light, despite not having blue pigments in the waxy skin itself.
To look closer, they removed the outer wax and reshaped it on a black card. They created a new blue-UV coating and removed a very thin substance that creates color called a colorant from the skin. “The colorants scatter blue and UV, letting the other colors pass through without absorption,” says Middleton. “That’s why it’s so important that there are dark pigments underneath to ‘mop up’ the rest of the light. If there was a bright pigment or white scattering material underneath, that light would come through, and the color would look mixed or washed out.”
The study does show that nature has developed a “really neat trick” in the form of a very thin layer for an important colorant. Reproducing this colorant in the lab could make a way for new methods of creating pigments.
1. How do bluebells present blue to humans?| A．By blocking natural light. | B．By combining the pigments. |
| C．By changing the outer colour. | D．By producing various paints. |
| A．Its colorful pigments. | B．Its internal mechanism. |
| C．Its chemical changes. | D．Its unique components. |
| A．Mix. | B．Reflect. | C．Recognize. | D．Absorb. |
| A．The Science Behind Plant Colors | B．The Invisible Pigments Of Blueberries |
| C．Technically, Blueberries Aren’t Blue | D．Indeed, Color Blue Is Human Favorite |
4 . I’d been exploring the 40-hectare woods around our cottage my whole life and I knew the way well. So it was a
One dull cold February afternoon, I had a sudden
As the shadows started to
I instinctively (本能地) pulled out my phone to get my location, but it
That winter’s day taught me a valuable lesson about habitual reliance on technology. If my phone had
| A．challenge | B．shock | C．reward | D．reminder |
| A．discovery | B．response | C．worry | D．urge |
| A．escaped | B．drove | C．headed | D．looked |
| A．reputation | B．dream | C．day | D．way |
| A．lengthen | B．swing | C．emerge | D．fade |
| A．fuel | B．witness | C．overlook | D．outpace |
| A．original | B．rough | C．offbeat | D．roundabout |
| A．appreciating | B．trusting | C．envisioning | D．assessing |
| A．curiosity | B．comparison | C．doubt | D．anticipation |
| A．died | B．slipped | C．flashed | D．rang |
| A．Reportedly | B．Admittedly | C．Seemingly | D．Surprisingly |
| A．exposed | B．composed | C．defended | D．behaved |
| A．got off | B．laid down | C．came across | D．made out |
| A．worked | B．remained | C．changed | D．overheated |
| A．theory | B．standard | C．practice | D．routine |
5 . Antarctica has not always been a land of ice and snow. Earth’s southernmost continent once was home to rivers and forests full of life.
Scientists are using satellite observations and radar imagery to look deep under the ice. The researchers report finding a large ancient landscape buried under the continent’s ice sheet. It is full of valleys and ridges (山脊) , shaped by rivers before being covered by glaciers long ago.
The landscape is located in East Antarctica’s Wilkes Land area bordering the Indian Ocean. The researchers said the landscape appears to date back to at least 14 million years ago and perhaps beyond 34 million years ago, when Antarctica entered its deep freeze.
“It is difficult to know what this lost world might have looked like before the ice came along, but it was certainly warmer back then,” said Stewart Jamieson, a professor at Durham University. “Depending how far back in time you go, you might have had climates that ranged anywhere from the climate of present-day Patagonia through to something more approaching tropical.”
“Such an environment likely would have been populated by wildlife”, Jamieson said. “But the area’s fossil record is too incomplete to know which animals may have lived there.”
The researchers said the surface of the planet Mars is better known than the earth surface below the ice in Antarctica. They said one way to learn more would be to drill through the ice and take a piece of the earth below. This could uncover evidence showing ancient life, as was done with samples taken in Greenland dating back two million years ago.
Jamieson said the researchers think that when Antarctica’s climate was warmer, rivers flowed toward a continental coastline that was created as the other land masses broke away. When the climate cooled, some small glaciers formed on hills next to the rivers. When the climate cooled even more, an ice sheet grew which covered the whole continent, the landscape got preserved, likely for 34 million years.
1. What can we learn about the ancient landscape?| A．It locates in the center of Antarctica. | B．It’s discovered by drilling through the ice. |
| C．It’s once a warmer area than it is now. | D．It has a history of no more than 14 million years. |
| A．There is a lack of complete fossil record. |
| B．The ice sheet of Antarctica is melting quickly. |
| C．Scientists lack enough advanced equipment. |
| D．Climate conditions vary greatly from place to place. |
| A．To attract more scientists to study Antarctica. |
| B．To strengthen the importance of the Mars. |
| C．To indicate the complex situations of the Mars. |
| D．To show the difficult to know Antarctica’s earth surface. |
| A．The colder climate. | B．The protection offered by coastlines. |
| C．Other land masses’ reduction. | D．A decrease in the number of wildlife. |
6 . Some people may be picky eaters, but as a species we are not. Birds, bugs and whales, we’ll eat them all. Yet our reliance on wild animals goes far beyond just feeding ourselves. From agricultural feed to medicine to the pet trade, modern society exploits wild animals in a way that beats even the most aggressive wild predator (捕食者). Now, for the first time, researchers have tried to capture the full picture of how we use wildlife, including how many, and for what purposes. The research showcases just how broad our influence on wild animals is.
In the study, researchers have found that humans kill, collect or otherwise use about 15,000 species. That’s up to 300 times more than the next top predator in any ecosystem.
Yet according to Chris Darimont, a co-author of the study, the biggest shock isn’t how many species we affect but why we take them. “The result,” he says, “is that we remove, or essentially prey on, more species of animals for non-food reasons than for food reasons.”And the biggest non-food use is as pets and pet food. “That’s where things have gone off the rails (轨道),” he says. The problem is especially serious for tropical birds. The helmeted hornbill, for example, is captured mainly for the pe trade, or for its beak to be used as medicine or to be carved like ivory. Their disappearance limits seed dispersal and the spread of trees around the forest.
Another big difference between humans’ influence on wild animals and that of other predators is that we tend to favor rare and exotic (外来的) species in a way other animals do not. Most predators target common species, since they are easier to find and catch. Humans, nowever, tend to covet the novel. “The more rare it is,” say scientists, “the more that drives up the price, and therefore it may go into extinction.”
If we want wild species to survive, we need to reestablish our relationship with them, perhaps from predator to caretaker.
1. What role do humans play in their present relationship with wildlife according to the author?| A．Picky predators. | B．Protectors of biodiversity. |
| C．Greedy predators. | D．Caretakers of the environment. |
| A．More species hunted for non-food use. |
| B．The impact of pet industries on wildlife. |
| C．The number of species affected by humans. |
| D．The consequences caused by species extinction. |
| A．Long for huge profits. |
| B．Favor domestic species. |
| C．Take interest in pet trade. |
| D．Seek after new and unique things. |
| A．To promote stricter rules for hunting. |
| B．To advocate eco-friendly pet choices. |
| C．To reveal how humans affect biodiversity. |
| D．To highlight the need for wildlife conservation. |
7 . The harsh winters and modern cities can make life tough for a wild animal, especially when they get lost and are outside their natural habitat for too long. Animal shelters are crowded with animals in desperate need of help, especially during the winter season.
One day, a man found a small owl (猫头鹰) that was soaking wet and appeared to be struggling. He brought it into a local shelter.
The owl weighed 245 grams, which was 33% more than the upper limit of what an owl that size should weigh. The reason for the weight gain was quite natural. The owl was eating too much. The winter had been unusually warm, and as a result, the area had a higher than normal population of mice.
The shelter staff put the owl on a systematic plan of diet and exercise, and it started to lose weight quickly. After some time, the owl was back to its normal health and was released back into the wild.
The question of whether this obesity issue is a strange result of climate change or just a coincidence (巧合) is difficult to say.
| A．Different types of animal shelters have different purposes. |
| B．Animal shelters are not just a place for injured or sick animals. |
| C．This meant that it was like an all-you-can-eat buffet for the little owl. |
| D．They are really important when animals struggle to survive in cold weather. |
| E．After a thorough check-up, the shelter staff found out that it was not injured at all. |
| F．However, it is clear that it is vital to care for wild animals and to ensure their safety. |
| G．However, recently, a wild animal was brought to a shelter for a very different reason. |
8 . James Rainey reads trees like most people read signposts. The senior ecologist is using a small hand camera to identify a lichen (地衣) that is surrounding the base of wild pines (松树) in a deep narrow valley on the west coast of Scotland. He is looking for ecological clues of species associated with the ancient Caledonian Forest, which once covered most of the Highlands.
Wild pines have been growing in Scotland continuously since the ice age, offering a globally unique ecosystem supporting rare wildlife. But now less than 2% of the original growth survives, with just 14 individual Caledonian pinewood sites now officially recognized. “To meet the demand for more wood, many wild pines in Highlands have been removed to make room for commercial forestry,” says Rainey. “This was often done in ancient woodlands and was really damaging to the remaining trees.”
But restoration is still possible, especially since some old trees still survive along with the ancient woodland soil and seedbank—seeds stored in the soil, which can grow once the heavy shade of commercial conifers (针叶树) is removed.
The ecological investigator uses three clues of evidence to discover where these pinewoods first stood. “First there’s the historical evidence, like old maps and texts. Then comes the landscape context: is the pine associated with planting around a big house, or is the setting more natural? And finally I use the ecological evidence: wild pine usually grow alongside old birch trees, which indicates ecological continuity,” explains Rainey.
Rainey has identified 23 pines in this area, all rooted in places least accessible. Their needles have been taken for genetic testing to confirm their family trees. “This would have been filled with trees but is now empty — these are the most critical areas in need of regeneration and we want the whole of the ancient woodlands to recover, not just the pines,” he said.
1. Why are the wild pines considered to be so significant?| A．They act as a signpost for the highland. | B．They are an indicator of an ancient forest. |
| C．They are an alternative to commercial forestry. | D．They provide a shelter for certain species of lichen. |
| A．The existence of ancient seeds. | B．The presence of commercial conifers. |
| C．The awareness of the forest protection. | D．The application of the advanced technology. |
| A．By locating big houses. | B．By consulting historians. |
| C．By referring to digital maps. | D．By making the most of surroundings. |
| A．To confirm the genes of the pine. | B．To restore the old-growth woodlands. |
| C．To explore the unfrequented places. | D．To enrich the diversity of the wild pines. |
Every year for over a millennium, fishermen have braved the subzero temperatures, biting winds and deep snow to search for
Chagan is the only place in China
To ensure that this tradition can continue
Also, over the past few years, the money from the auction has been invested into protecting the lake and surrounding environment. And during the summer, private fishing without
10 . As a child, I was keen on collecting moths（飞蛾）and butterflies. By adulthood, I could identify about 700 species by sight, recognizing the stripes, dots and colors on their wings and bodies.
In 1972, I moved to Australia and continued collecting. But I started to struggle: identifying them quickly became an impossible task. The species there were so different from those at home, and there was no space in my mind to recognize them all.
My crisis soon increased. Throughout the 1970s, I led expeditions to Papua New Guinea to collect moths. One night, we could collect more than twice as many as those I had memorized in my childhood. Identifying them felt overwhelming. I gave up and stopped working on moths. But my instinct to identify them never went away.
Two decades later, I was in a supermarket and an idea started to develop in my mind: what if a part of DNA could be used to differentiate between species Just 13 lines on. the supermarket barcodes（条形码）were being used to identify products What if we could identify species in the same way?
To test the idea, I began collecting the moths again. Each sample had to donate a leg to science. I believed that COI（a single segment of a rapidly evolving gene）present in almost all animals could be used to tell species. With their legs, we used the PCR method to focus in on their section of COI. One by one, it became clear: every single moth could be sorted using a tiny slice of their genome（基因组）DNA barcoding was 100% successful on its first test.
In our study paper, we claimed that we had discovered a reliable, inexpensive and accessible solution to identifying the millions of animal species waiting to be discovered. I believe DNA barcoding is humanity’s first shot at finally discovering all life on Earth. This technique has helped conservationists to fight against wildlife crime and monitor the impact of mining on bıodiversity. One day, I am confident it will form part of a system to monitor the biosphere the Same way we monitor the weather.
1. How did the author recognize moth species in his childhood?| A．By turning to books. |
| B．By using lab equipment. |
| C．By obseiving their behavior. |
| D．By distinguishing their appearance. |
| A．The loss of interest in studying moths. |
| B．The impossibility of recognizing moths. |
| C．The pressure of discovering new moth species. |
| D．The challenge of collecting as many moth samples. |
| A．The ease of using PCR to focus on COI. |
| B．The simplicity of supermarket barcodes. |
| C．The success of DNA barcoding on moths. |
| D．The availability of COI in almost all animals. |
| A．Protecting wildlife habitats. |
| B．Tracking wildlife population. |
| C．Assisting in monitoring biodiversity. |
| D．Updating weather monitoring systems. |
