1 . Researchers have long known that dolphins(海豚)can identify each other with signature whistles, the specific calls they use to refer to themselves. Now, a new study shows that the sense of taste allows bottlenose dolphins to identify their friends through urine-liquid waste from their bodies.

Study leader Jason Bruck, from Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas, initially wanted to test whether those signature whistles work similarly to human names. He needed a second way for dolphins to identify each other. To find out if dolphins could associate a whistle with a specific dolphin, Bruck turned to urine. A scientist had previously observed wild dolphins purposefully swimming through each other’s urine, leading Bruck to suspect they were gathering information from it.

Over evolutionary time, bottlenose dolphins have lost their sense of smell but kept a strong sense of taste. For the first part of the experiment, the team presented eight dolphins with urine samples from familiar and unknown individuals, and found that the dolphins spent about three times longer time exploring the familiar urine than the unfamiliar urine, with a few individuals collecting the familiar urine for more than 20 seconds. The dolphins paid little attention to the unfamiliar urine.

Then, for the second part, the researchers tested whether an individual’s whistle and urine were connected in their minds. They paired urine samples with recordings of characteristic screams played on underwater speakers, matched either by the same dolphin that provided the urine or by another animal. It turns out that the dolphins spent more time next to the speaker when the whistles corresponded to the urine sample. This indicates they can recognize each other in more than one way.

Using taste could be beneficial in the open ocean, as dolphins would learn from urine the recent presence of an individual. Given the recognition abilities shown in the study, the researchers think that it is possible that dolphins can also extract other information from urine, such as reproductive status or the use of pheromones(外激素)to influence the behavior of others.

1. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．The swimming style of dolphins.

B．The cause of experimenting with urine.

C．The way of dolphins addressing each other.

D．The similarities between humans and dolphins.

2. How did the dolphins respond when exposed to a correct urine-whistle pair?

A．They screamed at the speaker.	B．They paid little attention to whistles.
C．They stayed near the speaker longer.	D．They got scared enough to flee the area.

3. What does “extract” underlined in the last paragraph mean?

A．Process.	B．Confirm.
C．Obtain.	D．Convey.

4. What does the author intend to tell us about the dolphins?

A．They have a strong sense of hearing.

B．They can recognize their friends by taste.

C．They can form close friendships through sound.

D．They use signature whistles to identify themselves.

2 . 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。

Allen was playing in his room. He heard a familiar chirping and rustling from the cage in the bedroom corner. It was his beloved Blue Finch, named Mary. The boy had cared for the bird since he was six, a gift from his mother for graduating from kindergarten and entering primary school. Now, at 12 years old, Allen had just recently celebrated his primary school graduation and was about to take another step in his life journey toward junior high school. For the past six years, Mary was his constant companion and closest friend.

As he grew up, Allen found it difficult to make friends or be close to others. Having had to move around many times and transfer schools due to his father’s work in the military, Allen never felt like he truly belonged in any one place. He always knew it wouldn’t be long before he would have to move yet again. The stress and pressure of a constantly mobile life also led to strain and pressure at home, leading to loud arguments and fights between his mother and father which he could hear from behind closed doors.

But, throughout all of this. Allen’s closest friend and companion-the true source of stability in his life — was Mary, his finch. But Mary was more than just a simple, calm pet: whenever Allen felt sad, the bird would always be singing and chirping, almost as if she sensed how he felt and wanted to lift his spirits. And when Allen fed the bird, Mary always moved across her branch to rest against his finger, never failing to bring a smile to Allen’s face. Yet, one summer day after Allen had come home after a walk at the park he found the window of his bedroom open and the door of Mary’s cage open-the-bird was gone. Suddenly, Allen realized that he must have left the cage open after cleaning it and forgot about the window being open on such a hot day. Upset, Allen fell down to the floor sobbing.

注意：
1. 续写词数应为150词左右；
2. 请按如下格式在相应位置作答。

Upon hearing the noise, Allen’s mother rushed upstairs and asked what had happened.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Filled with anticipation, Allen and his mother went outside to look for Mary.

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3 . Take a look at that tree in the local park. What might it be feeling? Could it be thinking? Experiments are exploring the idea of plant cognition (认知), even going so far as to suggest they possess some form of consciousness.

As wild as it sounds, it isn’t a new idea. The field of “plant neurobiology (神经生物学)” began in 2006, aimed at understanding how plants process information from their environment.

It is now clear that plants are capable of complex communication and can sense their surroundings, which were originally dismissed. But advocates of plant consciousness take things further and draw parallels between the electrical signaling that can be found from root to stem and that present in the nervous system of animals. They claim to show that plants are capable of intentionally choosing to perform certain behaviors, of learning and perhaps even having personalities. If plants are experiencing a conscious inner world, they argue, it becomes vital that we find ways to test and understand it.

Extending the concept of cognition to plants would mean a significant shift in our view of the uniqueness of humanity, not to mention how we treat our botanical friends, so the bar of acceptance is high. Researchers rising to the challenge are hoping to explore plants with tools usually reserved for the human brain.

The research can appear persuasive, but it is in its early stage and suffers from repeated failure. Critics say the field is a high guess and that the behaviour can be explained through inborn response.

Whether we decide that plants have cognition may come down to our ability to describe consciousness itself-something we are far from doing. But rather than dismiss the idea, we should welcome the chance to think up new ways to test our understanding of consciousness. It might just improve our grasp of the human mind. At the very least, our trees and plants should benefit from the extra attention-consciously or not.

1. What do supporters of plant consciousness believe?

A．Plants can only perform native reaction.

B．Plants can perceive their surroundings and adapt to them.

C．Plants possess the same level of consciousness as humans.

D．Plants can communicate complicatedly and choose actions deliberately.

2. What is the main challenge in accepting the idea of plant consciousness?

A．The need to develop tools to test plant cognition.

B．The dramatic change in our view of humanity.

C．The lack of evidence in the field of plant neurobiology.

D．The inability to describe consciousness itself.

3. What is the current state of research in the field of plant cognition?

A．The field is highly based on guesses and has no evidence.

B．Researchers are using tools reserved for the human brain to study plant behaviors.

C．There is not enough evidence to support the idea of plant consciousness.

D．Plants have been proven to possess a form of consciousness.

4. What is the potential benefit of studying plant consciousness?

A．Enhancing our understanding of the human brain.

B．Developing new ways to test plant behaviors.

C．Promoting our relationship with plants.

D．Proving the existence of plant cognition.

4 . For the first time, United Nations members have agreed on a unified treaty (协议) to protect biodiversity on the high seas, representing a turning point for vast stretches of the planet where conservation has previously been held back by a confusing patchwork (拼凑)of laws.

The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea came into force in 1994, before marine biodiversity was a well-established concept. An updated framework to protect marine life in the regions outside national boundary waters, known as the high seas, had been in discussions for more than 20 years, but previous efforts to reach an agreement had repeatedly failed. The unified treaty, which applies to nearly half the planet’s surface, was reached late on Saturday.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomes the finalization of the text of the United Nations Ocean Treaty, his spokesman said on Saturday. “This breakthrough, which covers nearly two-thirds of the ocean, marks the culmination of nearly two decades of work and builds on the legacy (遗产)of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” a statement said.

Nichola Clark, an ocean expert at the Pew Charitable Trusts called the long-awaited treaty text “a once-in-a-generation opportunity to protect the oceans-a major win for biodiversity”. The treaty will create a new body to manage the conservation of ocean life and establish marine-protected are-as on the high seas. Clark said that’s critical to achieving the UN Biodiversity Conference’s recent promise to protect 30 percent of the planet’s waters, for conservation. The treaty also establishes ground rules for conducting environmental impact assessments for commercial activities in the oceans.

Treaty negotiations were initially anticipated to conclude on Friday, but stretched through the night into Saturday. The making of the treaty represents “a historic and overwhelming success for international marine protection,” said Steffi Lemke, Germany’s environment minister.

1. What can we learn about the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea?

A．It is the basis of the UN Ocean Treaty.	B．It leads to a lot of controversy.
C．It has been discussed for over 20 years.	D．It is a complete failure.

2. Which of the following could replace the underlined word “culmination” in Paragraph 3?

A．Beginning.

B．Impact.

C．End.

D．Break.

3. What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?

A．Commercial ocean activities will be monitored.

B．Preservation of 30% of the planet will be ensured.

C．Protected areas on the high seas will be expanded.

D．An existing department will manage the conservation.

4. Why is the making of the UN ocean treaty recognized as a historic success?

A．It takes tough and long negotiations.

B．The high seas are stressed for the first time.

C．Unity in protecting the high seas is achieved.

D．The concept of marine biodiversity is established.

5 . Slowness has been a sweeping trend in sustainability. Slow food celebrates local produce and traditional cooking methods; slow fashion is made with a focus on people and the planet. You may have even heard of the slow city, a campaign to restore local cultures and turn cities back to their natural environments.

Slow design developed from the larger slow movement. Although the term was only recently introduced, the idea of thoughtful design looks back to a time when buildings and furniture were made with great craftsmanship (手艺) and by hand-before the mass-produced throwaway furniture took over. You can think of the term “slow” as a celebration of timelessness: both the timelessness of a piece and the timelessness of the relationship between that piece and its owner.

One example of slow design today is what’s been dubbed the brown furniture revival (复兴). Brown furniture refers to the heavy wooden furnishings that were popular in your grandparents’ day but suddenly fell out of style at the turn of the century. Brown furniture is often associated with dark woods, such as trees like mahogany, walnut, and teak, that take decades to reach maturity and true craftsmanship to transform into functional pieces.

Today’s furniture industry is dominated by the $13.1 billion-and-growing global ready-to-assemble(RTA) furniture market. RTA furniture is usually constructed from low-quality fiberboard, which lasts a small part of traditional furniture’s lifespan (寿命).The weight of furniture landfilled in 2018 was 9. 7 million tons, 4. 5 times what was landfilled in 1960.

In a less direct way, the idea of timelessness also lends itself to a lower environmental impact. Besides their demonstrated physical durability, slow materials and design are meant to outlive trends and never be thrown out simply because they’re out of style.

As second-hand shopping becomes more appealing to today’s young generation-because of its low environmental impact and affordability-the brown furniture of yesteryear is making a comeback.

1. Why is the first paragraph written?

A．To explain a new term.

B．To present the topic of the text.

C．To provide background information.

D．To highlight the importance of slowness.

2. What does the underlined word “dubbed” mean in paragraph 3?

A．Known as.

B．Mistaken for.

C．Compared to.

D．Connected with.

3. What can be inferred about RTA furniture?

A．It is out of date.

B．It has a long lifespan.

C．It is heavy and expensive.

D．It has bad effects on the environment.

4. What is good news for the brown furniture revival?

A．Grandparents are buying new furniture.

B．The brown furniture will soon be mass-produced.

C．The young generation favors second-hand shopping.

D．Materials for slow design furniture are more available.

6 . For breeding (繁殖) birds, timing is everything. Most species have just a narrow window to get the food they need to feed chicks. Now, after analyzing data that span from 1975 to 2017, a science team suggests that as the climate warms, birds are not only breeding earlier, but their breeding windows are also narrowed—some by as many as 4 to 5 days.

On average, the beginnings and ends of the breeding periods are occurring earlier in the year. However, the ends are shifting back faster than the beginnings, resulting in an average breeding window that is 1.7 days shorter in 2017 than it was in 1975. During that same period, Finland’s average temperature rose by 0.8℃, suggesting many bird species are actively responding to changing temperatures, Hällfors, who led the team, says.

“It’s good for the species if it’s able to follow the optimum conditions as the climate changes,” she says. However, the shorter breeding windows mean more birds are breeding earlier in the season—a risky time for chicks’ survival, especially if the weather turns suddenly cold. In addition, because many late-season species are shifting their breeding windows up, that could mean more competition for food and nesting sites early on, leaving some chicks to go hungry.

Lucyna Halupka, an ecologist at the University of Wroclaw, calls the study “a very important paper” because it’s one of the few ways to measure the breeding period duration. For 2 decades, she says, many scientists studying birds and climate change have looked only at the earliest, median (中间的), or mean laying dates for specific groups of birds. However, she reminds that because the study is limited to Finland, the findings may not apply universally; future studies should examine how breeding seasons move in other regions where the effect of climate change is different. They should also try to determine how shifting breeding windows affect population sizes, she says.

1. What did the scientists find?

A．The weather in Finland becomes warmer.

B．It is becoming more difficult for birds to breed.

C．The birds in Finland spend fewer days breeding.

D．There isn’t enough food for some chicks in Finland.

2. What does the underlined word “optimum” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Exact.

B．Proper.

C．Changeable.

D．Dangerous.

3. What is the significance of the study according to Lucyna?

A．It is carried out in a different way.

B．It is helpful for people to protect the birds.

C．It opens a window for people to learn about these birds.

D．It demonstrates the living situation of the birds on earth.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Scientists Revealed the Secrets of Birds’ Breeding

B．Scientists Take Steps to Protect the Birds in the Wild

C．Birds Play a Role in Fighting Against Global Warming

D．Birds’ Breeding Windows Are Affected by Global Warming

7 . Elephant lover Sun Xiao wrote a children’s book Samburu, I’m Back, which is a way for Sun to explain knowledge about the elephants themselves. The book was published last year and became bestsellers.     1     Most of them were mothers, saying that their children cried and were moved by the emotional bond between the baby elephants and their mother.

Sun says he has loved animals since childhood.     2     He watched, shocked, as an adult elephant from a circus stood stock still, seemingly ignoring the pain，as its keeper beat it again and again with a stick after they had finished their performance. From then on, Sun made up his mind to help the poor animals.

    3     Besides, he tried to raise public awareness about the urgent need to protect them from the poachers (偷猎者). He adopted all kinds of methods, such as posting hundreds of articles he wrote on social websites, sharing photos he took of elephants and writing children’s storybooks featuring elephants.

Sun is a witness to the story told in his book Samburu, I'm Back. He was, at the time, in Kenya working for Save the Elephants, a UK-registered charity based in Nairobi. In Kenya, he and his peers found two baby elephants heading toward the dangerous area where their mother was killed.     4     Finally, they had to use a tranquilizer (镇静剂) gun and transport them to an elephant shelter.

Sun stayed in Kenya with the STE for three months to watch elephants closely for his research.     5     He says that a good elephant watcher can remember the names of hundreds of elephants and will recognize each of them on sight. As long as they know which is which, they are able to understand the interactions and relations between different groups.

A．Sun has devoted himself to help elephants.

B．Sun even created a blind elephant in the story.

C．They tried to change their course but failed many times.

D．Every day he would go to the wild to observe the elephants.

E．His connection with elephants started on a late night in 2011.

F．It’s a long-term project and a lifelong career he will never quit.

G．Sun has received a great deal of positive feedback from his readers.

8 . John Owens is a hunter. One day, he had been out with his Dad in the wilderness of Wisconsin. While he had been checking the _________ he put in place, the unbelievable happened. It caught something _________ than he expected, a huge wolf!

John was in a _________ situation. He did not want to leave the wolf on its own. The animal could die from bleeding. The wolf howled (怒号)，and John felt nearly as _________ and terrified as the wolf itself! He needed to reach a(n) _________

John began to take action. He carried a wooden board and _________ for the wolf. _________, the board could _________ the wolf if it attacked. His dad was there with a gun _________ the wolf decided to attack. They prepared themselves for all __________.

There was a helpful hole on the board. Their plan was to put that over the paw (爪子) of the wolf. John then operated the board and then lowered it over its paw. The hole fitted perfectly over the paw. The wolf was __________ and ready to attack. Would it __________ that John was trying to help?

With only the board __________ them, John used his free hand and __________ the trap. Finally, he managed to free the wolf’s paw! The wolf stayed for a moment and then walked away.

What a __________!

1.

A．boards

B．guns

C．traps

D．holes

2.

A．stronger

B．wilder

C．cleverer

D．bigger

3.

A．difficult

B．joyful

C．regretful

D．grateful

4.

A．cautious

B．anxious

C．curious

D．desperate

5.

A．destination

B．agreement

C．decision

D．harmony

6.

A．looked

B．headed

C．arranged

D．allowed

7.

A．Generally

B．Basically

C．Definitely

D．Hopefully

8.

A．resist

B．assist

C．attack

D．rescue

9.

A．even if

B．in case

C．as if

D．in order that

10.

A．choices

B．chances

C．possibilities

D．responsibilities

11.

A．energetic

B．aggressive

C．exciting

D．confused

12.

A．figure out

B．point out

C．let out

D．watch out

13.

A．detecting

B．disturbing

C．distinguishing

D．separating

14.

A．broke

B．occupied

C．released

D．explored

15.

A．relief

B．belief

C．magic

D．chance

9 . Georgia's public university system will not rename any of its 75 buildings with ties to slavery (奴隶制) or racial segregation (种族隔离), explaining that “history can teach us important lessons”. “The purpose of history is to instruct,” the Board of Regents for Georgia’s public university system wrote in a statement. “History can teach us important lessons, lessons that if understood and applied can make Georgia and its people stronger.”

The board(董事会) voted universally on Monday against such changes, nearly a year after it established a committee to study the names and potential changes. The internal committee had advised that changes be made to 75 buildings on campus that are named after Confederate leaders and others.

People in support of making changes to the names blamed the board following its decision on Monday. “The decision by Georgia s Board of Regents to keep the names of known racists and segregationists of the state' s public colleges and universities is not surprising. It demonstrates to us the board’s support for racism,” a group called Rename Grady said in a statement.

Some schools also established teams of experts to investigate whether building names or statues were regarded insensitive due to their connections to slavery, racial segregation or the mistreatment of American Indians in the history. Towson University, for example, removed the names of slave owners from two dormitory halls earlier this year. In Chicago, the public school system promised to rename 30 buildings bearing the names of slaveholders.

Other schools, however, have taken the same path as Georgia s public university system and chose against changing names. The Board of Trustees at Washington and Lee University voted earlier this year to keep its name, which partly honors Robert E. Lee, the commander of the Confederate States Army.

1. Why will Georgia’s public university system refuse to change building names?

A．The names have a long history.

B．The names was decided by the board.

C．The names remind Georgia of going forward.

D．The names have no connections to racists and segregationists.

2. What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A．The board.

B．The decision.

C．The statement.

D．The committee.

3. What do the examples in Paragraph 4 imply?

A．Not every school has taken the same path.

B．Building names or statues should not be changed.

C．The teams of experts some schools established are powerful.

D．Building names or statues were regarded sensitive by some people.

4. What is the author’s attitude towards the renaming action?

A．Approval.

B．Objective.

C．Unconcerned.

D．Unfavourable.

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。

Giant Pandas, one of the rarest animals in the world, are not only regarded as China’s national treasure, but also beloved by people around the world. Chengdu Panda Base is the world’s only museum     1     focuses entirely on the endangered giant pandas.

Located in the north Chengdu suburb with only 10 km to the city center, this base was first set up in 1987 with six sick and hungry giant pandas which     2     (save) from the wild nature. And now, Chengdu Panda Base is the home of more than 150 giant pandas and also the world’s largest giant panda     3     (science) research base to     4     (close) interact with those lovable black and white animals.

If you are not satisfied     5     just watching the pandas but want to have a closer contact with them, you can try Panda Volunteer Programs in other panda bases in Sichuan. At present, there are three panda bases     6     (provide) this volunteer program. Dujiangyan Panda Base is the most convenient one    7     it is near to Chengdu City. Bifengxia Panda Base provides more chances to see little panda     8     (baby) and Shenshuping Panda Base is where you can experience more natural and primitive living environment of pandas.

In the volunteer program, you will follow the instruction of the staff     9     (feed) the pandas, clean     10     (they) fences, prepare cakes for panda, watch some panda- related documentaries, etc. It is quite a meaningful and memorable experience.