1 . According to the Solar Energy Industry Association, the number of solar panels installed(安装)has grown rapidly in the past decade, and it has to grow even faster to meet climate goals. But all of that growth will take up a lot of space, and though more and more people accept the concept of solar energy, few like large solar panels to be installed near them.

Solar developers want to put up panels as quickly and cheaply as possible, so they haven’t given much thought to what they put under them. Often, they’ll end up filling the area with small stones and using chemicals to control weeds. The result is that many communities, especially in farming regions, see solar farms as destroyers of the soil.

“Solar projects need to be good neighbors,” says Jordan Macknick, the head of the Innovative Site Preparation and Impact Reductions on the Environment(InSPIRE)project. “They need to be protectors of the land and contribute to the agricultural economy.” InSPIRE is investigating practical approaches to “low-impact” solar development, which focuses on establishing and operating solar farms in a way that is kinder to the land. One of the easiest low-impact solar strategies is providing habitat for pollinators(传粉昆虫).

Habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change have caused dramatic declines in pollinator populations over the past couple of decades, which has damaged the U.S. agricultural economy. Over 28 states have passed laws related to pollinator habitat protection and pesticide use. Conservation organizations put out pollinator-friendliness guidelines for home gardens, businesses, schools, cities—and now there are guidelines for solar farms.

Over the past few years, many solar farm developers have transformed the space under their solar panels into a shelter for various kinds of pollinators, resulting in soil improvement and carbon reduction. “These pollinator-friendly solar farms can have a valuable impact on everything that’s going on in the landscape,” says Macknick.

1. What do solar developers often ignore?

A．The decline in the demand for solar energy.

B．The negative impact of installing solar panels.

C．The rising labor cost of building solar farms.

D．The most recent advances in solar technology.

2. What does InSPIRE aim to do?

A．Improve the productivity of local farms.

B．Invent new methods for controlling weeds.

C．Make solar projects environmentally friendly.

D．Promote the use of solar energy in rural areas.

3. What is the purpose of the laws mentioned in paragraph 4?

A．To conserve pollinators.	B．To restrict solar development.
C．To diversify the economy.	D．To ensure the supply of energy.

4. Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A．Pollinators: To Leave or to Stay	B．Solar Energy: Hope for the Future
C．InSPIRE: A Leader in Agriculture	D．Solar Farms: A New Development

2 . 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 Xi’an City Wall is the most complete city wall that has survived China’s long history. It     1     (build) originally to protect the city     2     the Tang dynasty and has now been completely restored (修复). It is possible       3     (walk) or bike the entire 14 kilometers.

We accessed the wall through the South Gate. The wall is 12 meters high and from here you can see streams of people moving inside and outside the City Wall.

After     4     (spend) some time looking at all the defensive equipment at the wall, we decided it was time for some action and what     5     (good) than to ride on a piece of history!

We     6     (hire) our bikes from the rental place at the South Gate. My bike was old and shaky     7     did the job. It took us about 3 hours to go all     8     way around the Xi’an City Wall. Supposedly you can do it in two hours, but we stopped at the different gates and     9     (watchtower) to take pictures or just to watch the local people going about their     10     (day) routines.

3 . Port Lympne Reserve, which runs a breeding (繁育) programme, has welcomed the arrival of a rare black rhino calf (犀牛幼崽). When the tiny creature arrived on January 31, she became the 40th black rhino to be born at the reserve. And officials at Port Lympne were delighted with the new arrival, especially as black rhinos are known for being difficult to breed in captivity (圈养).

Paul Beer, head of rhino section at Port Lympne, said: “Obviously we’re all absolutely delighted to welcome another calf to our black rhino family. She’s healthy, strong and already eager to play and explore. Her mother, Solio, is a first-time mum and she is doing a fantastic job. It’s still a little too cold for them to go out into the open, but as soon as the weather warms up, I have no doubt that the little one will be out and about exploring and playing every day.”

The adorable female calf is the second black rhino born this year at the reserve, but it is too early to tell if the calves will make good candidates to be returned to protected areas of the wild. The first rhino to be born at Port Lympne arrived on January 5 to first-time mother Kisima and weighed about 32kg. His mother, grandmother and great grandmother were all born at the reserve and still live there.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, the global black rhino population has dropped as low as 5500, giving the rhinos a “critically endangered” status.

1. Which of the following best describes the breeding programme?

A．Costly.

B．Controversial.

C．Ambitious.

D．Successful.

2. What does Paul Beer say about the new-born rhino?

A．She loves staying with her mother.	B．She dislikes outdoor activities.
C．She is in good condition	D．She is sensitive to heat.

3. What similar experience do Solio and Kisima have?

A．They had their first born in January.	B．They enjoyed exploring new places
C．They lived with their grandmothers.	D．They were brought to the reserve young

4. What can be inferred about Porn Lympne Reserve?

A．The rhino section will be open to the public.

B．It aims to control the number of the animals.

C．It will continue to work with the World Wildlife Fund.

D．Some of its rhinos may be sent to the protected wild areas.

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。

My husband and I enjoy seeing life through the eyes of our children. It’s amazing to watch as they discover their world.

While we were outdoors last summer enjoying the sunshine, our oldest daughter, Kaytlin, called me to the doorway. Beneath the steps was a baby red squirrel.

We watched it from a distance, not wanting to disturb it or scare off its mother. But after a long wait—and looking all around our house for signs of a nest or a mother—we realized the tiny squirrel was lost.

Shaking terribly, he was weak, thin, and hungry. We tried to find an expert to help, but the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife website showed that there were no wildlife experts in our area. After some quick research, we concluded that the best way to give the squirrel a fighting chance was to care for him ourselves. So a trip to the local store for milk and supplies was in order. More research taught us how much to feed him, how to estimate his age, how and when to wean (断奶) him, and that we should let him go as soon as he could survive on his own.

Our daughters and I took turns in feeding “Squirt.” Kaytlin took on the most responsibility. She taught him to eat from a bottle, and she woke in the night for his feeds.

To our relief, Squirt soon became healthy and strong. Within a few weeks he became more active. He would chatter (吱吱叫) for his next meal, playfully go around the girls, and lie down on them for sleep. It wasn’t long before he was weaned onto solid food and reintroduced to the wild.

His first few visits to the great outdoors were funny. Just like a child, he would play in the grass some and then run back to Kaytlin for safety. Soon she had him climbing trees and finding nest material.

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。

One day in the trees, Squirt met up with a family of gray squirrels.

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One night, Squirt didn’t come back to our house and it rained hard.

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5 . 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。

Last summer, Hilda worked as a volunteer with dolphin trainers at a sea life park. Her job was to make sure the tanks were free of any items so that the trainers could train the dolphins to fetch specific items. However, one day after cleaning, one of the dolphins, Maya, presented Hilda with a candy wrapper from the tank. When Katherine, the trainer, saw this, she blamed Hilda for her carelessness. Upset but not discouraged by this event, Hilda decided to do some spying on Maya.

The next morning, Hilda arrived at the park early. She put on her scuba gear (水下呼吸器) and jumped into the tank for her usual, underwater sweep. Finding nothing in the tank, she climbed out of the water just in time to see Katherine jumping in on the other side. After what happened yesterday, Hilda knew what she was doing. She watched as Katherine performed her underwater search, but Hilda wasn’t surprised when she surfaced empty-handed.

During the tank sweeps, Maya had been swimming playfully, but now the dolphin stopped suddenly and swam to the back part of the tank where the filter (过滤) box was located. She stuck her nose down behind the box and then swam away. What was Maya doing back there? Hilda wondered. She jumped back into the water and swam over to take a look behind the box, and her question was answered. Hilda then swam across the tank following Maya’s path and emerged from the water to find Katherine removing her scuba gear. As Katherine turned around, her mouth dropped open. There was Maya at the edge of the tank with a comb (梳子) in her mouth waiting for her treat.

“Maya! Where did you get that?” demanded Katherine, taking the comb and throwing her a fish. “I know where she got it,” declared Hilda climbing out of the tank with a handful of items still wet from their watery, resting place. “What’s all this?” Katherine asked, obviously confused.

注意：
(1)续写词数应为150个左右;
(2)请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

“This is Maya’s secret,” Hilda said with a big smile.

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Now Katherine realized what had been going on.

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6 . Natalie and Callie, both 13 years old, started raising monarch butterflies for fun in 2020.

But after realizing the monarchs were an endangered species, their _______ soon turned into a serious mission.

They learned that the population of monarch butterflies had _______ since the early 1990s, due to habitat _______ and widespread use of chemicals, which made the milkweeds (马利筋草) the monarchs _______ for their main diet dangerous to eat.

So the girls teamed up with a national nonprofit group to plant a native garden _______ for the monarchs. The garden grew organic milkweeds that _______ and kept the butterflies. To help _______ the locals to sustain the monarch population, they created an exhibition about the monarchs in the local library. They also wanted to put up an educational sign in town, but it _______ a lot. To cover the expense, they set up a stand at the Farmers Market to sell their _______ milkweeds for people to plant. Although the fundraising days were ________, they finally succeeded in earning enough money with their hard work and people’s support.

The team has won the Silver Award for their ________ of taking care of butterflies, but they are not ________ with their work. “Our next step is to cut down on the use of ________ to guarantee a safe environment for the monarchs,” said Natalie. In the award ceremony, their teacher Brian ________, “I am so proud of them for their constant ________.”

1.

A．dream

B．hobby

C．career

D．decision

2.

A．doubled

B．aged

C．declined

D．exploded

3.

A．management

B．assessment

C．selection

D．destruction

4.

A．relied on

B．kept off

C．broke down

D．gave away

5.

A．partly

B．secretly

C．rarely

D．specially

6.

A．attracted

B．protected

C．monitored

D．trapped

7.

A．employ

B．educate

C．force

D．limit

8.

A．meant

B．cost

C．changed

D．hurt

9.

A．dry

B．medical

C．healthy

D．wild

10.

A．pleasing

B．light

C．long

D．disappointing

11.

A．project

B．concept

C．schedule

D．assignment

12.

A．concerned

B．connected

C．finished

D．occupied

13.

A．chemicals

B．time

C．funds

D．energy

14.

A．quoted

B．continued

C．replied

D．commented

15.

A．donations

B．support

C．patience

D．efforts

7 . 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。

Melati and Isabel deeply love their home on the island, surrounded by tropical rain forests, green fields, and a vast ocean. Enjoying a swim at their local beach was once a daily pleasure for them. But when Melati was fifteen, and Isabel just ten, the sisters started to lose their enthusiasm for swimming in the waters near their borne. More often than not, plastic bags would be around them as they swam and some were scattered on the beach. They got really upset about that.

Melati didn’t think much about it until one day her teacher gave a lesson on some world heroes. Each of those people had sparked movements of positive changes in the world. They believed in the impact they could have and they did inspire more people to do something meaningful. After school, Melati walked home slowly in silence, concerned about the vast amount of plastic rubbish on the beach. The heroes crossed her mind. If they could do it, we could do it too, she thought. The idea lit her up. She couldn’t wait to share what she thought with Isabel and quickened her pace.

“So many plastic bags around! The beach is dirty and messy! It’s so terrible! We have lost the clean and beautiful beach. Can’t we do something to get it back?” Melati said heartily. Isabel felt a bit puzzled at what to do, but she also had a strong desire to do something. Picturing a beach as fascinating as before in mind, the pair jumped with joy.

They talked a lot, anxious to know how Dad and Mom would respond to their ideas. That night when the family sat by the dinner table, the sisters eagerly got their ideas across. While Mom and Dad listened to the girls carefully, their eyes shone. “How amazing that would be! We are so proud of you!” Dad exclaimed. Mom came up, gave them a thumb up and hugged the sisters.

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。

Melati and Isabel decided to make a positive impact straight away.

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One month later, Melati received a call from the local newspaper.

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8 . On a hot summer afternoon along the Mandavi River, Shweta Hule wraps her sari around her ankles and bends to pick wild “weeds” from the river and drop them into a bowl. The plants will be made into fritters (炸果饼), to be served at the little restaurant attached to the B&B Hule manages in the Indian coastal town of Vengurla.

Wild edible (可食用的) plants are common in kitchens here. Hule’s weed is juicy, which is found in mangrove forests. Harvesting some of the plant is helping conserve the mangroves, a globally endangered ecosystem of salt-tolerant trees that stop coastal erosion (侵蚀) and absorb storm damage.

Hule is head of Swamini, a self-help group set up by nine women from a fishing community in Vengurla who started Mandavi Eco Tourism in 2017. Vengurla is known for its beautiful beaches and seafood, but the climate crisis has made fishing for a living unsustainable, so people are trying to find other sources of income. They came up with the idea of running mangrove safaris (观光游) for tourists in Vengurla’s Mandavi River.

The safaris offer visitors a unique hour-long tour of the mangroves. Food has also become a key attraction: local spicy coconut curries, with homegrown or wild vegetables. Tourists are encouraged to go crabbing, and their catch is cooked and served.

Hule only discovered recently that the weed was edible when she met tourists from another coastal city. She researched these leaves and learned that the salty plant is rich in vitamins. She made her own version of the fritters, with chickpea flour, and presented it at the wild vegetable festival. “It was an instant hit. This boosted the confidence to include these fritters in our restaurant menu,” says Hule.

Swamini’s lodging house also serves vegetarian meals and plates of fish and crab sourced from the river. “The satisfaction after the visitors enjoy our meal is the real currency. We had guests from London who were so happy with our food that they took down the recipe. Such people help our business grow. What more can we want?” says Hule.

1. Which of the following can best describe the example of Shweta Hule?

A．Do as the Romans do.

B．Strike while the iron is hot.

C．Kill two birds with one stone.

D．Bite off more than you can chew.

2. What does Swamini offer to visitors?

A．Eco-tours and accommodation.

B．Fishing guide service.

C．Vegetable growing techniques.

D．Hands-on cooking classes.

3. Why were Hule’s fritters well-received?

A．They were less expensive.

B．They were traditional.

C．They had their own features.

D．They got strongly promoted.

4. How did Hule feel about tourists’ obtaining her food recipe?

A．Lost.

B．Proud.

C．Worried.

D．Curious.

9 . 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 Grand Canal is the longest and     1     (old) canal in the world. It forms a vast inland waterway system in China, running from the capital Beijing in the north     2     Zhejiang Province in the south.

    3     (construct) in sections from the 5th century BCE and completed and maintained by several     4     (dynasty), it formed the backbone of China’s inland communications system, which enabled the supply of rice     5     (feed) the population. The Grand Canal reached a new peak in the 13th century, providing an inland shipping network consisting of more than 2,000 km of artificial waterways,     6     linked five of the most important river basins in China, including the Huanghe River and the Changjiang River. Still     7     major means of internal communication today, it     8     (play) an important role in ensuring the prosperity(繁荣) and stability of China over the ages.

The Grand Canal bears witness to a remarkable and early development of hydraulic engineering(水利工程). It is an essential technological achievement     9     (date) from before the Industrial Revolution. It is a perfect example of dealing with difficult natural conditions, as is reflected in the many constructions that are     10     (full) adapted to the diversity and complexity of circumstances. It best demonstrates the technical capabilities of Eastern civilizations.

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。

Despite its rapid industrialization, there are still some corners in China that have maintained its original color.

Ancient towns and villages in China are places     1     traditions are well preserved in terms of architecture, lifestyle and folk customs. All of these can be found in Huangyao Ancient Town, one of the most-visited tourist     2    (spot) in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

    3    (cover) an area of 3.6 square kilometers, Huangyao has a history of nearly 1,000 years     4     its origins dating back to the Song Dynasty. People     5    (carry) on traditional festivals and customs here for hundreds of years up to now. During Chinese Lunar New Year, over 20 traditional performances     6    (hold), including the dragon dance and suona horn show. On July 14 in the Chinese lunar calendar, residents often come to the riverbank and put lanterns into the river     7    (celebrate) Zhongyuan Jie, the Hungry Ghost Festival.

Black soybean is often added to its local food to create an     8    (extreme) distinctive flavor. When you visit, Huangyao tofu is     9     must-try local dish as it is sold only in this town.

It usually takes a day or two to tour around the old town due to its small size, but you can always stay     10    (long) to experience more of its local hospitality and culture.