1 . Elephants eat plants. That’s common knowledge to biologists and animal-loving, schoolchildren alike. Yet figuring out exactly what kind of plants they eat is more complicated.

A new study from a global team that included Brown University conservation biologists used innovative methods to efficiently and precisely analyze the dietary habits of elephants in Kenya. Their findings on the habits of individual elephants help answer important questions about group food searching behaviors, and aid biologists in understanding the conservation approaches that best keep elephants not only sated (饱的) but satisfied.

“When I talk to non-ecologists, they are surprised to learn that we have never really had a clear picture of what all of these large animals actually eat in nature,” Kartzinel, an expert botanist who has conducted field research in Kenya, said. “The reason is that these animals are difficult and dangerous to observe from up-close, they move long distances, they feed at night and in thick bush and a lot of the plants they feed on are quite small.”

Then the team compared the diets of individual elephants through time. In their analysis, they showed that dietary differences among individuals were often far greater than what had been previously assumed, even among family members that ate together on a given day.

This study helps address a classic paradox (悖论) in wildlife ecology. Kartzinel said: “How do social bonds hold family groups together in a world of limited resources?” In other words, given that elephants all seemingly eat the same plants, it's not obvious why competition for food doesn't push them apart and force them to search for food independently.

“The simple answer is that elephants vary their diets based not only on what’s available but also their preferences and physiological needs,” said Kartzinel. These findings help inform theories of why a group of elephants may search for food together: The individual elephants don't always eat exactly the same plants at the same time, so there will usually be enough plants to go around.

These findings may offer valuable insights for conservation biologists. To protect elephants and create environments in which they can successfully grow their populations, they need a variety of plants to eat.

1. What did the new study focus on?

A．The results of conservation approaches.	B．The eating habits of elephants.
C．Ways to protect elephants from starving.	D．Elephants’ social behavior and needs.

2. What can we infer from paragraph 3?

A．Elephants are hard to monitor.	B．Elephants only live in thick bush.
C．Elephants are kind and friendly animals.	D．Elephants seldom eat with humans around.

3. What message can conservation biologists get from the study?

A．It is necessary for elephants to live together.

B．It is possible to observe elephants up-close.

C．It is social bonds that hold elephants together.

D．It is important to protect the variety of plants.

4. Which word can be used to describe the study?

A．Inaccurate.

B．Shocking.

C．Beneficial.

D．Subjective.

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。

On August 24, Japan started releasing wastewater from its Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (福岛第一核电站) into the Pacific Ocean. This has caused anger and fear across the world.

In March 2011, Japan experienced the strongest earthquake in its     1     (record) history. The earthquake caused a tsunami (海啸),     2     greatly damaged the Fukushima nuclear plant. Ever since then, the plant has been producing a large amount of radioactive wastewater. So far, it     3     (collect) more than 1.3 million tons of it. The first round of release will last 17 days. The whole process will take about 30 years.

The plant was operated by TEPCO (东京电力公司). According to the company, the wastewater is diluted (稀释) before     4     (it) release. However, there’s still a problem. Some of the most dangerous substances are very likely     5     (remain) in it.

“They’ll pollute the ocean, the animals within it, and     6     (final), the earth,” said Tacko Fujimura, an official at Japan’s Zen-Noh (日本农业合作社联合会).

On the same day, China announced     7     immediate ban on all seafood products from Japan. This     8     (decide) was made to “protect the lives and health of the people.” In a statement, the country’s Foreign Ministry (外交部) called Japan’s move “    9     (self) and irresponsible.”

China was the biggest buyer of Japanese seafood. More than 255,000 users took a poll (民意调查) on Weibo. Up to 97% of them said that they would no longer eat seafood from Japan. “We’re on the same planet,” said one of them. “Nobody can be free from harm. It’s just a matter     10     time.”

3 . Ricochet, San Diego’s favourite surfing therapy (治疗) dog, has caught her final wave. The 15-year-old golden retriever — a pioneer of canine-assisted (犬只辅助的) surf therapy who helped countless veterans (老兵) and kids — died on Friday, owner Judy Fridono said Saturday.

Ricochet was raised to be a service dog, but the energetic pup was more fond of chasing birds than assisting with household chores. In 2009, the dog found her career. That was the year Ricochet got on a surfboard with local quadriplegic (四肢瘫痪的) surfer Patrick Ivison. A viral video of the encounter got more than 6 million views on YouTube. “That day she hopped on the board with Patrick, she was reborn,” Fridono said in a 2012 interview.

Throughout her life, the beloved dog touched the lives of kids with special needs, wounded service members and families of fallen veterans. Ricochet was known as an affectionate companion and a shameless belly-rub beggar and had a feeling for people who needed a hug.

Notably, the furry do-gooder helped raise $ 1 million for charity and the donation of more than 1 million bowls of food for homeless animals.

Her work brought numerous awards, media attention and a loyal fan base on social media. The dog had more than 141,000 followers on Instagram and more than 270,000 on Facebook.

Ricochet’s legacy (遗产) will live on through the sponsorship of Jose Martinez, an Army veteran and parasurfer, and through donations to adaptive surfing organizations. “People believe in Ricochet’s mission… she didn’t do it alone,” Fridon o said. “Her supporters are an extension of her legacy and her roots in helping others heal through dog intervention and therapy. Now that she’s gone, I don’t want people to be sad. I want them to celebrate and continue supporting what she started.”

1. What was Ricochet’s career?

A．Canine-assisted surf therapy.	B．Assisting with household chores.
C．Bird catching.	D．Working as a service dog.

2. Which of the following can best describe Ricochet?

A．Brave but lazy.	B．Naughty but caring.
C．Cute and handsome.	D．Fierce and strong.

3. What does Paragraph 5 mainly talk about?

A．The contribution of Ricochet.	B．Social media’s influence on Ricochet.
C．Recochet’s popularity.	D．Donations to the homeless animals.

4. Where can we probably find the text?

A．In a diary.	B．In a textbook.
C．In a newspaper.	D．In a guidebook.

4 . 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。

It has been estimated that rapidly growing modernization is leading to ignorance towards the environment. Humans have created a situation in     1     ordinary events become increasingly raised to the level of natural disasters,     2     (cause) heavy losses in terms of human life as well as property.

Over the years, scientists researching on this topic     3     (find) that the main problem is global warming. But because     4     human greed, no one is really caring about the environmental risks and everyone is busy making money.

It is known that the rapid industrial growth has led to     5     large number of air and water pollution problems. Though there are environmental laws that these     6     (industry) need to follow to treat the waste but most of the time the industry owners ignore these laws for their personal gain. Rapid construction has led to large land areas being covered with cement(水泥), meaning the flow of water becomes so strong     7     water runoff can’t get absorbed by the soil, eventually leading to greater flooding.

    8     (fortunate), there are still a lot of people who really care about the environment and are     9     (will) to work on environmental issues. Many societies and groups are working day and night     10     (make) people aware of the harmful effects of the pollution and other practices that are harmful to our environment.

5 . Musa Haidar holds a coconut (椰子) to his ear and shakes it from side to side. Its sound pleases the market trader, who puts the large brown fruit back on the pile at his market stand in the suburb of Zanzibar, a city on the East African Island.

His customers are less happy, however. A coconut going for 500 shillings a few years ago today sells for 1,500 shillings. That makes it more expensive to cook curries or other dishes using coconut milk. “The prices are not normal,” says Mr. Haidar. “Coconuts have become expensive for local people.”

Why have prices gone nuts? “People are chopping (砍), chopping,” he explains. A count in 2014 found just 3.4 million coconut trees, down from 5.7 million in the late 1990s. Since hungry Zanzibaris still demand creamy fish curries and beans baked in coconut milk, falling supply has led to higher prices. Coconuts from the mainland are pricier because of high transport costs.

The logging of coconut trees reflects the urbanization wave in Zanzibar and the rest of Africa where urban sprawl is the most striking feature, cities extending outwards rather than growing upwards. Because of that, when people move to a new land, they chop down the coconut trees to make space for their new homes.

Moreover, some houses and island hotels have furniture made from coconut wood. Emmanuel Elias, a woodworker, explains that it is cheaper than the imported one. By law farmers cannot chop down fruit-bearing trees for furniture; in practice it is hard to stop them. Even if they obey the rules, many do not plant new trees, since these take at least six years to produce fruits, and fifteen years to reach maximum production levels. State subsidies (补贴) for seeds have proved no match for urban population growth.

In his workshop, Mr. Elias dusts off a solid dressing table he is selling for 400,000 shillings. He points out that it is made of coconut wood. “This is the land of coconut trees,” he says. But for how much longer?

1. What leads to the high price of coconuts in Zanzibar?

A．The demand going beyond the supply.

B．Local people raising the price randomly.

C．The transportation developing too slowly.

D．Residents consuming too much coconut milk

2. What does the underlined word “sprawl” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Structure.

B．Capacity.

C．Expansion.

D．Management.

3. Why are farmers in Zanzibar unwilling to plant coconut trees?

A．They can’t get the state subsidies.

B．They can’t afford to wait for fruits.

C．They are following the existing regulations.

D．They have switched to the furniture industry.

4. What can we infer about the author’s opinion on coconut trees from the text?

A．He worries about their future.

B．He expects their faster growth.

C．He takes pride in their number.

D．He doubts their value for furniture.

6 . According to Dr. John Swaddle, a professor at the Institute for Integrative Conservation at William & Mary, hundreds of millions of birds die every year from window collisions(碰撞).

However, if you put decals(贴花纸) or colorful stickers outside of your windows, the birds are more likely to see the barrier and therefore avoid it. Remember: never inside your window; always outside of your window.

“Double-glazed(双层的) windows reflect a lot of light, especially when you view them from a slight angle, as a flying bird would do,” Swaddle told Salon. He is the corresponding author of a recent study which tries to figure out how this basic reality of physics impacts on a bird’s experience as it flies near a standard window. For their experiment, researchers had birds perform repeated and controlled flight trials near windows with film(薄膜) products, BirdShades film and Haverkamp film, respectively.

“In our collision avoidance trials, BirdShades increased window avoidance by 47% and the Haverkamp increased avoidance by 39%. But neither product was effective when the films were applied to the internal surface of windows,” the authors concluded.

When breaking down the problem of avoiding window collisions from a bird’s point of view, Swaddle explained, “The light and reflected imagery from the external surface of the glass is sufficient to obscure a film or decal that is stuck to the inner surface from being seen clearly.”

If you want to protect birds from easily avoidable deaths without buying window film products, there are other solutions. Swaddle recommended “pleasing fritted glass that could be used in new construction and which is also bird-friendly”. Besides, he notes that screens can be helpful as well, not only by limiting reflectiveness but by providing birds with a cushion if they make impact. It is also possible to use everyday household objects to signal to birds that there are barriers — netting, bits of string, colorful stickers, and paint. These can all be used to this effect.

1. Which of the following can work to reduce bird window collisions?

A．Choosing double-glazed windows.

B．Avoiding opening windows at night.

C．Covering the inner windows with decals.

D．Sticking decals to the outer side of windows.

2. What did the researchers want to find in the experiment?

A．The bird-friendly film products and glass.

B．The efficient measures of collision avoidance.

C．The bird behaviors when hitting the bright window.

D．The link between light reflection and bird window collisions.

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

A．Protect.

B．Use.

C．Shade.

D．Find.

4. What is mainly talked about in the last paragraph?

A．Solutions to reducing the window cost.

B．Other ways to avoid bird collisions.

C．Bird-friendly objects to attract birds.

D．Environmentally friendly glass products.

7 . The part of the environmental movement that draws my firm’s attention is the design of buildings. Today, thousands of people come to ________ building conferences, and the idea that buildings can be good for people and the environment will be increasingly ________ in years to come. Back in 1984 we discovered that most manufactured products for decoration weren’t designed for ________ use. The “energy-efficient” sealed commercial buildings constructed after the 1970s energy crisis ________ indoor air quality problems caused by materials such as paint, wall covering and carpet. So for 20 years, we’ve been looking for ways to make these materials ________   for people and the planet.

Home builders can now use materials, such as green paints, that release significantly ________   amounts of chemical compounds, which people believe don’t ________ the quality of the air.   ________, our basic design strategy is focused not simply on being “less bad” but on creating ________ healthful materials that can be either safely returned to the soil or ________ by industry again and again. For example, the world’s largest carpet manufacturer has already ________ a carpet that is fully and safely recyclable.

Look at it this way: no one ________ to create a building that destroy the planet. But our current industrial systems are basically causing these conditions, whether we like it or not. So   ________ of simply trying to reduce the damage, we are ________ a positive approach. We’re giving people high-quality, healthful products and an opportunity to make choices that have a ________   effect on the world. It is not just the building industry, either. Entire cities are taking these environmentally positive approaches to design, planning and building.

1.

A．commercial

B．green

C．traditional

D．simple

2.

A．efficient

B．changeable

C．influential

D．effective

3.

A．relevant

B．indoor

C．flexible

D．forward

4.

A．revealed

B．displayed

C．exhibited

D．discovered

5.

A．careful

B．comfortable

C．stable

D．safe

6.

A．reduced

B．revised

C．delayed

D．defined

7.

A．destroy

B．deny

C．dissolve

D．depress

8.

A．Anyway

B．Besides

C．Anyhow

D．However

9.

A．exactly

B．completely

C．partially

D．superficially

10.

A．restored

B．regain

C．reused

D．retain

11.

A．developed

B．stretched

C．researched

D．constructed

12.

A．sets off

B．sets about

C．sets out

D．sets up

13.

A．instead

B．because

C．out

D．regardless

14.

A．adjusting

B．adopting

C．adapting

D．admitting

15.

A．functional

B．sensible

C．beneficial

D．precious

8 . 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 total floor area of Chain’s green buildings has been over 6. 6 billion square meters with the country’s efforts to promote high-quality development in urban and rural areas.

    1     (note)China’s achievements of green development in urban and rural areas, Zhang Xiaohong, vice minister of housing and urban-rural development,     2     (stress)the difficult task of saving energy and reducing carbon emissions in urban and rural construction at a press conference on Monday.

The ministry will make continuous efforts     3     (increase)the proportion of green buildings, raise building energy efficiency standards and popularize buildings with extra-low energy     4     (consume)in regions with suitable climate conditions. It will also promote green renovation of existing buildings to improve energy efficiency and make     5     (low)carbon emissions.

China issued a guideline     6     supports green development in urban and rural areas recently. Institutional mechanisms and policy systems for green development in urban and rural areas will be     7     (basic)established by 2025, while green development will cover urban and rural areas     8     a comprehensive way by 2035, with     9     increased cut in carbon emissions, said the guideline.

The ministry will state a 14th five-year plan on urban and rural living environment planning and take     10     (measure)to bring eco-environment, construction and social and cultural environment into line while promoting green development of regions and cities.

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。

If you’re visiting Hangzhou, the one place you absolutely cannot miss is the West Lake. It     1    (locate) southwest of the city. It’s twice the size of New York City’s Central Park. West Lake’s natural beauty and     2    (history) relics have inspired Chinese poets and artists throughout time.

You would need a whole day to     3    (full) appreciate its beauty. The lake has 10 scenic sites, each with     4     story of its own.

You can start with the Leifeng Pagoda. Local legend has it that a white snake spirit was once imprisoned in the five-story, eight-sided pagoda by a monk,     5     tried to separate the immortal spirit from a mortal lover.

Afterwards, you can walk northward along the Su Causeway,     6    (construct) with the help of the great poet Su Shi about 1,000 years ago.

At the other end of the causeway, you will encounter a lotus pool and a winding courtyard. A culture show will be staged here     7     the tourists.     8    (make) sure to indulge yourself with a lakeside sunset before you leave. It’s here that the still waters of the lake meet up with the     9    (color) of the skies,     10    (create) an image you won’t soon forget.

10 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

There was a time when my favorite thing to do in the entire world was to play in the woods near our house. A river ran through them, so not only could I climb branches, but I could turn over rocks on the riverbank and find baby eels (鳗鱼).

My favorite book was called Guide to Reptiles (爬行动物). My father had given it to me for my birthday, and I read every page over and over, looking at the pictures of colorful animals. Some of the snakes were the most beautiful creatures I had ever seen, and some were described as poisonous, but still an important part of the ecosystem.

Little did I know that my book would end up saving a life.

My family moved to Virginia, into a new house. The houses were so new that no one had lived in them before. In fact, woods had been there first, and almost all the trees had been cut down to make room for houses and driveways. Inside our new house, everything smelled like fresh paint. Outside, no lawns had been planted, but my father tossed out grass seed and baby seedlings grew. My brother Patrick and I could not walk on them. We had to play in the driveway.

All the same, I liked our new house. One of the best things about living near the woods were the animals that would come into our yard. Rabbits and turtles came over every night. It seemed as if they were only trying to go home, and instead, what they had found was a big new land where their old homes used to be.

Besides playing in the driveway, we spent time in a sandbox, which my father built right next to the driveway. One day before dinner, I ran to the sandbox to build a castle but found there in the sandbox was a snake.

It was lying very still, and it was beautiful. The snake had rings of color around it-red, then white, then yellow, then black. I had seen a picture just like it in my reptile book, and I remembered that it was one of the prettiest snakes in it. It said in the book that the poisonous snake looked very much like it. I was scared and ran inside.

Para 1: “Dad! Dad! There’s a snake in the sandbox!” I yelled.

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Para 2: Two hours after the call, the zoo expert arrived with a secure container.

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