1 . I have discovered that I have a second shadow these days as I go outside. This one, however, has four legs instead of two. It is my daughter’s adopted, black cat: Miss Alice. Every time I go out the door she is waiting on my front porch, meowing to be petted. Then she follows me down the hill to my car sometimes running in front so she can get in my way for even more petting. And when I finally return home she is there asking for attention again.

It wasn’t always this way. The very first time I saw Miss Alice she was hiding under my house just having had a family of kittens. When I looked under there I got an angry hiss (嘘声) from her, warning me I was in for a clawing if I got near her kittens. It took a lot of time, patience, kindness, love, and cat food from my daughter to tame her. At first she didn’t want to be touched at all. Then she would only allow an occasional petting. Now my daughter can pick her up and carry her up the road to her house like a little baby. It still makes me smile to see how my daughter’s loving, caring and sympathetic spirit tamed this wild cat and made her as lovable as the most affectionate dog.

I guess that is the power of love. It can heal a hurting heart. It can save a broken spirit. It can uplift a sunken soul. It can free you from fear. It can transform your life. It can even take a violent, wild cat and turn her into a puppy dog in a cat suit.

Embrace (拥抱) the love in your own life then. Welcome the love of your family and friends into your life. And let your own love flow through everything you think, everything you say, and everything you do.

1. What do we know about the cat from the first paragraph?

A．It enjoys staying with the author.	B．It tends to be in the author’s road.
C．It is often ignored by the daughter.	D．It gets well along with the daughter.

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

A．Feed her up.

B．Make her mild.

C．Arrange for her.

D．Dress her up.

3. What makes the author still smile?

A．The lovely dog.

B．The daughter’s love.

C．The cat’s babies.

D．The harmonious family.

4. What message does the text convey?

A．Where there is life, there is hope.

B．A friend in need is a friend indeed.

C．Love is life in its fullness like the cup with its wine.

D．Do what you fear, and fear that nature will fade away.

2 . Each fall, millions of butterflies across the U. S. and Canada fly up to 4, 000 km to central Mexico. Travelers can see the butterflies overwintering on the Western Monarch Trail, a 465-mile, road trip-friendly conservation initiative that links over a dozen stops along the route.

Helping the butterflies

Organizers created educational panels in English and Spanish explaining the butterflies’ annual traveling and their trouble. The signs also outline ways travelers can help the butterflies recover, such as by supporting chemical-free farms and planting native nectar (花蜜) gardens.

Why butterflies fly to the California coast

Many stops in Pismo State Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove and Andrew Molera State Park, are overwintering sites where, from October to February, travelers can see thousands of butterflies gathering in forests in areas with mild temperatures, dappled (斑驳的) sunlight, high dampness, and little to no wind.

Other sites, like the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden and Avila Valley Barn, growflowers that provide sugary, high-calorie food for the butterflies to eat. Butterflies settling here demonstrate how vital nectaring plants are to their survival.

How to explore the Western Monarch Trail

The butterflies’ behavior varies at different times of day and depending on the weather. In the mornings, while temperatures are still cool,     step out of the cabin (木屋) in the Fernwood Resort where you stay overnight, you’ll find many butterflies hanging together on the branches and trunks of trees at the overwintering sites. As the day starts to heat up-typically by late morning or early afternoon — you’ll be amazed at the phenomenon “sunburst” — the butterflies start flying around in search of nearby nectar. Keep your eyes skyward. Don’t grab your camera. Just be in the moment.

1. What’s the Western Monarch Trail initiative aimed at?

A．Providing a travel route.	B．Encountering butterflies.
C．Promoting organic farming.	D．Advocating species conservation.

2. What do we know about Andrew Molera State Park?

A．It holds many nectar gardens.

B．It’s pleasant throughout winter.

C．It has sufficient food for butterflies.

D．It’s home to butterflies all year around.

3. What is guaranteed for the travelers along the Western Monarch Trail?

A．Signs to guide the route.

B．Cameras for recording videos.

C．Ready shelters to stay overnight.

D．Experience of watching “sunburst” at dawn.

3 . At The Rachael Ray Foundation^TM (RRF), we’re pretty big animal lovers. As a part of our work, we support a wide variety of organizations that do good for animals, from rescue to care and more. Get to know a few of them and the work we do together.

Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team

RRF helped enable Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team (PAART) to purchase a new and bigger plane for its rescue missions which bring animals from danger to safety. Whether it be flying dogs in overcrowded shelters to new homes, saving animals caught in the path of natural disasters, or bringing supplies to shelters in need, the brave PAART pilots are always ready to help.

National Disaster Search Dog Foundation

National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (SDF) works to find and train shelter dogs who have the talent and drive to become search and rescue animals. RRF supports SDF’s efforts to identify and transform rescued dogs into rescuers, to provide lifetime care for these dogs and to find homes for all dogs who enter the SDF training program.

Rachael Ray Save Them All Grants

This is a program administered by Best Friends Animal Society (BFAS) to support Best Friends’ network partners in their lifesaving efforts. The money has been awarded to organizations across the country to fund initiatives such as adoption drives and shelter intake prevention efforts.

North Shore Animal League America Disaster Relief Grants

This program, administered by North Shore Animal League America (NSALA), provides money for animal welfare organizations impacted by disasters. RRF is proud to help NSALA in its efforts to identify needs in disaster situations and provide targeted, effective relief.

1. What is special about PAART?

A．It provides necessities for-animals in need.	B．It conducts animal rescue missions by plane.
C．It is supported by the Rachael Ray Foundation.	D．It assists in finding adopters for rescued animals.

2. Which organization is devoted to training shelter animals to do rescue work?

A．SDF.

B．BFAS.

C．PAART.

D．NSALA.

3. What do the last two programs have in common?

A．They both strongly promote animal adoption.

B．They are both in charge of Best Friends Animal Society.

C．They both provide financial assistance to animal welfare initiatives.

D．They are both administered by welfare organizations impacted by disasters.

4 . 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。

When Mary entered the south Pole Penguin Research Lab, she saw her friend Tom gently stroking (轻抚) a penguin in his arms. As children of the lab scientists, Mary and Tom often observed the emperor penguins that were studied to understand how they adapted to extreme temperatures —insights that could aid human survival.

“We’re thirteen, Tom. It’s time to grow up and stop playing with the lab penguins,” said Mary as she started cleaning. “They’re research animals, not pets.”

“But the birds listen to me1” insisted Tom, his breath forming a cloud in the freezing air. “You’re just trying to be a penguin whisperer again,” Mary replied, shaking her head with a gentle smile. The penguins seemed playful as they walked, dove, swam and chased their live fish for sport before eating.

Suddenly , an alarm rang out and red lights flashed , signaling a problem. The kids rushed over to look into it. “It’s colder than before —there’s ice forming on the water,” noted Tom. Though always cold, Mary had never seen ice here before. She checked the habitat monitor and found that the temperature had gone down a lot. “The heater must be broken!”

Mary quickly sent a message to their parents’ research team, who were conducting outdoor studies. With the adults away, the kids would have to deal with the freezing conditions until help arrived.

Time dragged as Mary and Tom anxiously waited. The increasing cold caused them to shake. “I wonder what emperor penguins do in extreme cold, since they stay in the Pole all winter instead of going somewhere warmer,” asked Mary. “They huddle (挤作一团), ” Tom answered. “They huddle together tightly so that the birds in the middle will be warm enough.” “What about the ones on the edge?” Mary asked. “They push their way towards the center, and then move back out to the edge, and struggle back again. Scientists in the early 21st century recorded it.” He replied as he stared at the large crowd of the penguins in the lab.

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。

”I have an idea to stay warm1" Tom shouted excitedly.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Two and a half hours later , the parents returned with help.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5 . My name is McKenzie Skiles and I’m a snow hydrologist (水文学家) at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.     1     Actually, the purpose is to track dust’s impact on water resources.

I am most interested in the impact of warming temperatures on snow melting rates, and I have started studying snowmelt since 2009 in Utah and Colorado. When I skied to research sites in Utah to collect snow for my experiment, the mountainous landscapes were covered in dust.     2     It’s clear that 2009 was one of the biggest years for dust deposition (沉积) onto snow.

    3     I usually have to cover several kilometers, carrying a 27-kilogramme pack with a shovel (铲子) to dig a snow hole, tools to cut snow and measure its density, and containers to collect snow for analyses. One year, I hit a dusty area of snow, broke my ski and sliced my leg open.

In areas with heavy dust deposition, such as the southern Rocky Mountains, dust speeds up melting by one or two months. Warming air temperatures affect snow gathering, but dust builds up over time and darkens the surface.     4    

I’m now exploring different ice and snow landscapes for further research. For example, how black-carbon buildup following forest fires affects melting.     5     As we move into a future that is likely to be even dustier, we need them to predict snowmelt for many reasons, including working out how to use water in the western United States efficiently.

A．The dust caused a lot of trouble.

B．I went for miles in the wilderness.

C．Doing my research is no easy task.

D．One of the goals is to develop snowmelt models.

E．In Colorado, the red dust from desert soils had also blown in.

F．As a result, the snow will absorb more sunlight and quicken melting.

G．My job is to ski in the wilderness to measure dust on top of snow each spring.

6 . If you live on this planet, there’s a decent chance you’ve seen the classic Star TrekEpisode, in which captain Kirk and several members find themselves in what appears to be another universe.

These days, it seems the idea of the multiverse—many worlds—is having its Hollywood moment. Its appeal as a storytelling device is obvious—characters explore a multi-world with varying degrees of similarity to our own, as well as different versions of themselves. Hence, it has been fully established in mainstream pop culture.

While Hollywood can’t seem to get enough of the multiverse, it remains deeply controversial (有争议的) among scientists. Advocates on the two sides show no mercy toward each other in their books, on their blogs. But physicists didn’t pull the idea out of thin air—rather, several distinct lines of reasoning seem to point to the multiverse’s existence. However, critics warn that making the multiverse legal could make it harder for the public to distinguish speculative (推测性的) theories from established fact, making it more difficult to keep pseudo-science (伪科学) at bay. Giving credit to such speculation risks “turning fundamental physics into pseudo-science”.

The multiverse controversy is rooted in the idea of test ability. If we can’t interact with these other universes, or detect them in any way, some experts insist that reduces them to mere philosophical speculation. But Carroll, an advocate for “many worlds”, argues that mathematics is the language describing our physical theories. Since Schrdinger’s equation (方程), on which Quanturr (量子) mechanic rests, predicts the existence of many worlds, so be it.

Could a more expansive view of the universe itself be the next breakthrough? As Siegfried puts it: “Every time in the past that we’ve thought, ‘We’ve got it; this is what the whole universe is’—the people who’ve said, ‘Maybe there’s more than one of those’ have always turned out to be right.”

1. Why is Hollywood so occupied with the multiverse?

A．It makes for engaging plots.

B．It is a much-talked-about topic.

C．It is helpful to popularize science.

D．It dominates the mainstream pop culture.

2. What do the underlined words in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Out of date.

B．Out of place.

C．Out of nowhere.

D．Out of question.

3. According to the opponents, the basic standard of fundamental physics is that ______.

A．it can be detected somehow

B．it can be reasoned logically

C．it can be interpreted philosophically

D．it can be predicted by mathematics equation

4. What might be the author’s attitude toward the multiverse?

A．Doubtful.

B．Dismissive.

C．Unclear.

D．Approving.

7 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. Who does the speaker probably speak to?

A．Students.

B．Teachers.

C．Parents.

2. What kind of bags does the speaker suggest using?

A．Paper bags.

B．Plastic bags.

C．Reusable bags.

3. What is the speaker’s second suggestion?

A．Unplugging the devices.

B．Using energy-saving devices.

C．Standing beside the devices.

4. Why does the speaker make the speech?

A．To call for people to take action.

B．To correct some wrong ideas.

C．To discuss different habits in life.

8 . Cancer-fighting genes in elephants could help tackle one of the biggest killers of people, according to research. Despite their large bodies and long lifespans, elephants are much less likely to die from cancer than humans, with death rates of less than 5 percent.

The paradox has puzzled scientists because more cells lead to greater replications (复制), which increases the possibility of the body failing to detect damaged DNA or a faulty cell that can result in tumors(肿瘤). Elephants live for almost as long as humans and weigh up to five tons.

However, a group of British and European scientists say they have taken a big step towards solving Peto’s paradox, named after the British epidemiologist Sir Richard Peto. Elephants, they say, carry a much larger more diverse group of tumor-fighting proteins.

The findings, published last week in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution, raise hopes that the cancer fighting genes in elephants could be the key to tackling cancer, which kills about 167, 000 Britons yearly. Cells keep dividing throughout an organism’s life, each carrying the risk of producing a tumor. One of the body’s weapons is a gene called p53 known as the “guardian of the genome”, which hunts cells with faulty DNA. It encourages the cell to repair itself or self-destruct, keeping the cell from combining with others and producing tumors.

Humans have two versions of p53 but elephants have 40, said the researchers. Biochemical analysis and computer simulations also showed that an elephant’s p53 genes are structurally slightly different, providing a much larger anti-cancer toolkit. The researchers suspect that while faulty cells might be able to skirt two p53 versions, they cannot combine with other cells as easily in the face of dozens.

The findings will open the way for research on how p53 genes of elephants are activated and on medical treatment for humans.

1. What has puzzled scientists?

A．Few elephants end up dying from cancer.	B．Elephants live long and weigh enormously.
C．More cells lead to higher chances of tumors.	D．A larger body is less likely to discover faulty cells.

2. What can be learnt from Paragraph 4?

A．How many Britons die each year.	B．How the anti-cancer gene works.
C．How the research was carried out.	D．What the findings have been applied to.

3. What does the underlined word “skirt” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?

A．Strengthen.

B．Detect.

C．Escaped.

D．Cure.

4. Which is the text mainly about?

A．Scientists find elephants live longer than humans.	B．P53 genes play essential role in preventing cancer.
C．Elephant genes could be key to fighting cancer.	D．Groundbreaking treatment for cancer is on the way.

9 . Whales are threatened by a variety of human activities off the West Coast of the United States, including fishing, ship traffic, and pollution. They have bad effects on whale populations, but are rarely addressed by current whale-protection policies in California, according to a study from the University of California, Davis.

The study, published for open access this week in the journal Marine Policy, examines the main causes of death for nine whale species in the California Current Ecosystem, which stretches from British Columbia, Canada to Baja California, Mexico. The whales considered in the study include gray, blue, fin, minke, North Pacific right, and killer whales.

“We find that it is people that deem fishing causes whale death,” said co-leading author Eliza Oldach. “But a number of human activities have made the modern ocean a really tough environment for whales to survive. We’re excited about efforts that look broadly to rebuild healthy oceans.”

The report found that main contributors to whale death are currently, targeted with relevant policy responses: noise, water quality and marine (海洋的) rubbish. But three other threats-nutritional stress, disease and predation (捕食) -need to also be considered to provide a more whole approach toward managing whale deaths.

“Gray whales migrate (迁徙) over 5,000 miles between their breeding grounds at either end of the California Current,” said co-leading author Helen Killeen. “Throughout their journey, they must pass through a large number of human activities, fighting with changes to their environment caused by climate change.”

The study comes as the California Ocean Protection Council (COPC) aims to develop a plan for achieving zero death for whales in the California Current Ecosystem this year. Achieving such a goal requires understanding the key drivers of whale deaths and opportunities for policy change, the report said.

1. Which activity will lead to whales’ death?

A．Going fishing with your friends in a river.	B．Playing with your friends beside the sea.
C．Going sailing with your family on weekends.	D．Throwing rubbish in the sea as you are playing.

2. What’s meaning of the underlined word “deem” in Paragraph 3?

A．Catch.

B．Complain.

C．Think.

D．Describe.

3. What can we learn from Helen’s words?

A．Gray whales are fond of travelling.	B．Gray whales’ migration is full of danger.
C．Human being is the only killer of whales.	D．Whales’ death is mainly caused by climate.

4. What should COPC do prevent whales’ death?

A．Get rid of the present policy.	B．Plant more trees along the sea.
C．Know what actually leads to it.	D．Find a right place for them to live.

10 . 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 city of Zibo has never seen so many visitors.

As the sun begins to set, the aroma of sizzling meat falls the air and draws in more     1     (hunger) customers. On each street, queues stretch outside restaurants for more than a hundred meters. Some restaurants even run out of key ingredients as early as 7p.m.     2     the night. All hotels are also operating at full capacity.

The city was barely known by outsiders     3     it went viral on Chinese social media platforms recently. Most visitors are young people, who share their experience of traveling to Zibo to experience the city’s barbecue culture on social platforms,     4     (attract) even more visitors.

Zibo- style barbecue’s classic three-piece set contains roast lamb, green onions, and nan bread, which,     5     (combine), make a mouth-watering combo (组合). The fame of Zibo barbecue used to be limited to just Shandong Province.     6     (previous), barbecue in Northeast China was much more popular across the country.

Behind Zibo’s sudden fame     7     (be) the efforts and services of the local government, as well as a good reputation of local businesses,     8     receive favorable reviews from visitors who share their experiences online.

To promote Zibo-style barbecue, Zibo has launched two dozen “special barbecue trains,” where local tourism officials would serve tourists     9     (they). At the city’s train station, shuttle buses transport tourists to various barbecue stalls directly. Netizens joke that the high-speed trains     10     (pack) with visiting tourists and that the air onboard is filled with cumin.