1 . Rogues (疯狗浪), called “extreme storm waves” by scientists, are large, unexpected, and dangerous waves that are at least twice as high as the other waves around them, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). These abnormal waves, which happen every day and all over the world, are highly unpredictable and can destroy ships that meet with them.

Rogue waves appear to form when large rough waves pass through one another, combining to form huge walls of water, according to NOAA. However, why and where they appear is unclear. But using 700 years’ worth of ocean data including historical records and data from buoys (浮标) in 158 locations around the world, researchers have now created a system for predicting these “huge beasts”.

“They are caused by a combination of many factors that, until now, have not been combined into a single risk assessment,” said lead author Dion Häfner. Häfner and his co-workers mapped the factors that may lead to rogue waves and used AI to make a single model that could determine the likelihood that a rogue wave will form.

The team trained a neural network using historical wave data. This generated a system that learned the causes of rogue waves by itself and could work to predict them. But the AI’s methods were hid in a black box. This means scientists couldn’t know how the AI did its workings. So Häfner’s team applied another form of machine learning, which produced an equation (综合体) when fed data, rather than just a single prediction, helping the researchers to understand how the AI reached its predictions.

“Our analysis demonstrates that abnormal waves occur all the time. In fact, we registered 100,000 waves in our data set that can be defined as rogue waves,” Häfner said. This system effectively shows the sign of a rogue wave, Häfner added, and can better protect ships from being destroyed as the sail around the world. Ship companies can use the device with the system to predict when and where rogue waves might arise to seek an alternative course.

1. How does the author introduce the topic?

A．By using an example.	B．By giving a definition.
C．By drawing a comparison.	D．By making an assumption.

2. What can the system do according to paragraph 2?

A．Monitor huge sea creatures.	B．Guide ships around in the sea.
C．Prevent rouge waves from occurring.	D．Forecast the hitting of rogue waves.

3. What is the disadvantage of the AI’s methods?

A．They aren’t visually available.	B．They depend on too many factors.
C．They make inaccurate predictions.	D．They don’t process data systematically.

4. How does Häfner find the system?

A．It requires more field tests.	B．It has been widely used.
C．It needs further improvement.	D．It has a promising future.

2 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What did Harry Nuriev do in 2019?

A．He displayed a special sofa.

B．He designed a sofa using bags.

C．He searched a fair for old items.

2. What does Katie Treggiden think furniture companies should do?

A．Improve product quality.

B．Use sustainable material.

C．Lengthen furniture’s life.

3. What is the main focus of the speaker?

A．A designer’s green sofa.

B．Problems in the furniture industry.

C．The change in the fashion industry.

3 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What do the public pay more attention to according to the recent survey?

A．News media.

B．Political issues.

C．Living conditions.

2. How many people responded to the survey?

A．500.

B．1,500.

C．15,000.

3. What did most respondents think everyone should do?

A．Join in environmental protection campaigns.

B．Develop a sense of environmental protection.

C．Donate money to the environmental department.

4. Which one has become the main volunteer activity?

A．Driving less.

B．Planting trees.

C．Picking rubbish.

4 . Efforts to restore forests have often focused on trees, but a new study in the journal Philosophical Transactions finds that animals play a key role in the recovery of tree species by carrying a wide variety of seeds into previously deforested areas.

Sergio Estrada-Villegas, a professor at the Yale School of the Environment, led the study with Liza Comita, a professor of tropical forest ecology. The project examines a series of regenerating forests in central Panama spanning 20 to 100 years post-abandonment. “When we talk about forest restoration, people typically think about going out and digging holes and planting seedlings,” Comita says. “That’s actually not a very cost-effective or efficient way to restore natural forests. If you have a nearby preserved intact (完整的) forest, plus you have your animal seed dispersers around, you can get natural regeneration, which is a less costly and labor-intensive approach.”

The research team analyzed a unique, long-term data set from the forest in Panama, to compare what proportion of tree species in forests were spread by animals or other methods, like wind or gravity, and how that changes over time as the forest ages. It proves that in tropical forests, more than 80% of tree species can be spread by animals.

The researchers say the findings can serve as a road map for natural regeneration of forests that preserve biodiversity and capture and store carbon at a time when the UN Decade on Restoration is highlighting the need for land conservation, and the world is working to mitigate climate change stemming from fossil fuel emissions. Forests absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in biomass and soils. Tropical forests, in particular, play an important role in regulating global climate and supporting high plant and animal diversity, the researchers note.

Estrada-Villegas, says the study highlights how crucial animals are to healthy forests. “In these tropical environments, animals are very important to a speedy recovery of forests,” says Estrada-Villegas.

1. What does the study in the journal emphasize according to paragraph 1?

A．Soil conservation techniques.	B．Animal involvement in spreading seed.
C．Artificial methods of capturing carbon.	D．Planting a diverse range of tree species.

2. What does the third paragraph mainly talk about?

A．The author’s research methods and tools

B．The frequency of spreading seeds by animals.

C．The long-term data analysis by the research team.

D．The crucial role of animals in tropical forest recovery.

3. What does the underlined word “mitigate” mean in paragraph 4?

A．Reduce.

B．Increase.

C．Complicate.

D．Ignore.

4. What’s Estrada-Villegas’s attitude towards using natural regeneration methods?

A．Critical.

B．Indifferent.

C．Supportive.

D．Ambiguous.

5 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What is the talk mainly about?

A．Visits to a castle.

B．Repairs to a castle.

C．History of a castle.

2. What made the first part difficult to deal with?

A．The first bridge.

B．Some paths.

C．Some steps.

3. Where will the second part of the work start?

A．From the essential stone.

B．From the viewing area.

C．From the inner gate house.

6 . Evolution (进化) can perform extraordinary makeovers; today’s airborne songbirds evolved from the wingless, earthbound dinosaurs that wandered millions of years ago. But some organisms seem to be unchanged — in other words, escape natural selection. The coelacanth, a modern-day fish, is nearly identical to its410-million-year-old fossils.

Scientists have long wondered how these species do so. It has been assumed that natural selection keeps some species unchanged by selecting for moderate or average qualities (stabilizing selection) rather than selecting for more extreme qualities that would cause a species to change (directional selection).

But a study published in the National Academy of Sciences USA contradicts this idea, showing that evolution constantly favors different qualities in seemingly unchanging animals to improve short-term survival. In the long term, though, “all that evolution cancels out and leads to no change,” says the study’s lead author, James Stroud.

Stroud and his colleagues studied for lizard (蜥蜴) specios; all relatively unchanged for 20 million years. The researchers caught members of these populations every six months for three years. They measured each lizard’s head size, leg length, mass and height, as well as the size of its sticky toes (脚趾头), noting which individuals survived. Stroud expected to observe stabılızıng selection at work preserving moderate qualities. Instead he saw clearer evidence of directional selection: some lizards with unique characteristics, such as stickier toes, survived better.

“The study offers a good explanation for why we see what we think is stabiliring selection,” says Tadashi Fukami, an ecologist studying evolution at Stanford University. Many new qualities are evolving in the short term, but they don’t provide a crucial advantage over the long term. In other words, species staying unchanged may simply have found the best possible combination of qualities for lasting success in their environment. So what happens when the lizards’ environment changes more dramatically? To help answer this bigger question, Stroud is still making trips to visit the lizards.

1. Why does the author mention the “coelacanth fish” in paragraph 1?

A．To demonstrate the power of evolution.	B．To add evidence to natural selection
C．To give an example of unchanged species.	D．To prove species' extraordinary makeovers.

2. What's the focus of paragraph 2?

A．Unsolved mysteries.	B．A common belief.
C．A sharp contrast.	D．Unique Characteristics.

3. How did Stroud conduct his research?

A．By analyzing lizard fossils.	B．By tracking research objects.
C．By illustrating stabilizing selection.	D．By categorizing qualities of lizards.

4. What will Stroud probably do in the future?

A．Make trips to visit lizard experts.	B．Summarize average features of lizards.
C．Reveal the best combinations of qualities.	D．Examine lizards under extreme conditions.

7 . I entered the cat section of the shelter, observing all the ears turning as my footsteps echoed (回响) down the hall. Then I was _______ to a cage with a large message written in red marker: “_______, He Bites!” The slim, brown cat was _______ in the back of the cage, but as I looked inside he opened an eye and smiled—sort of—showing two tiny white fangs (尖牙).

The young cat, less than a year old, quickly _______ and came to the front of his cage, loud purring (咕噜声) coming out. I wanted to touch his long, soft fur (毛皮) but I remembered the sign and hesitated. I had never _______ a cat with a warning label before. He continued purring as I _______ stuck my index finger between the _______ and touched the soft fur behind his ear. Then he _______. The purring stopped.

I didn’t move my finger _______ he’d move faster than I could. I waited to see what he would do. One paw (爪子) was lifting slowly as if to hold my arm in place—I ________ so he could give me a good bite. I prepared myself for the ________ but then the purring began again.

For half an hour I stood at his cage letting him get used to me ________ him. In the end he did not bite me, much to the shelter manager’s ________. I took this wonderful cat home and for seventeen years he stood by my side—biting when necessary, but purring much more ________. If I had listened to that warning and ________ him by, I’d never have known one of the best friends of my life.

1.

A．drawn

B．forced

C．sent

D．dragged

2.

A．Proposal

B．Warning

C．Patience

D．Safety

3.

A．playing

B．circling

C．awkward

D．asleep

4.

A．settled down

B．hid away

C．got up

D．took over

5.

A．tracked

B．hurt

C．encountered

D．hunted

6.

A．confidently

B．carefully

C．rudely

D．purposely

7.

A．bars

B．cages

C．fangs

D．paws

8.

A．froze

B．left

C．protested

D．relaxed

9.

A．so that

B．as if

C．for fear

D．only if

10.

A．regarded

B．assumed

C． dreamed

D．found

11.

A．trap

B．amazement

C．relief

D．pain

12.

A．challenging

B．petting

C．cheating

D．selecting

13.

A．sorrow

B．annoyance

C．embarrassment

D．surprise

14.

A．often

B．severely

C．seldom

D．lightly

15.

A．dropped

B．drove

C．passed

D．stopped

8 . The Mysterious World of Deep-Sea Creatures

The deep sea remains one of the least explored and understood environments on our planet. Lying below the sunlit upper layers of the ocean, the deep sea is a region of permanent darkness, freezing temperatures, and massive pressure. Yet, life thrives (茁壮成长) here in some of the most astonishing ways.

* The Black Dragonfish *

Residing at dephs of up to 2,000 meters, the black dragonfish is a predator with a thin and long body and sharp teeth. What makes it unique is its ability to produce its own light, a phenomenon known as bioluminescence. This helps it attract prey (猎物) and communicate with potential mates.

* The Giant Squid *

Long a stuff of legends and tales, the giant squid, which occasionally attacks whales, can reach lengths of up to 43 feet. Its massive eyes, the size of dinner plates, allow it to detect weak light in the deep dark waters. Encounters with this enormous creature are rare, and much of its life remains unknown.

* Tube Worms at Hydrothermal Vents *

In the depths of the ocean, hydrothermal vents (热液喷口) shoot superheated water packed with minerals. Around these vents, communities of tube worms thrive, reaching lengths of up to 2 meters. They possess no mouth or digestive system; instead, bacteria inside them process the minerals from the vents to produce energy.

Modern technology has enabled humans to explore deeper into the ocean than ever before. Using remotely operated vehicles and deep-sea submersibles (潜水器), scientists can now study these creatures in their natural habitats, uncovering secrets that could hold the key to understanding life’s adaptability.

1. What ability is unique to the black dragonfish?

A．Generating light for itself.	B．Attracting and capturing prey.
C．Discovering light in the deep water.	D．Communicating with other creatures.

2. Which creature relies on internal bacteria for energy?

A．The black dragonfish

B．The tube worm.

C．The giant squid.

D．The whale.

3. Where is this text probably taken from?

A．An academic article.	B．An experimental report.
C．A travel guide.	D．A natural science magazine.

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 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) today announced the 2023 Champions of the Earth.     1     (honor) in the Entrepreneurial Vision category this year, the Blue Circle of China, which involves more than 6.000 individuals and over 200 companies from China’s eastern province of Zhejiang, has employed block-chain technology and the Internet of Things     2     (track) and monitor the full life-cycle of plastic pollution. It has already collected over 10,700 tons of abandoned plastics from the sea, making     3     China’s largest marine plastic waste program.

“To protect our planet, we must find innovative ways to reduce the amount of plastic waste,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP. “One of this year’s Champions of the Earth, Blue Circle of China, has found a very good     4     (solve) to deal with the problem.”

Plastic has transformed everyday life and produced many     5     (benefit) to society. But the world     6     (turn) out around 430 million tons of plastic every year, two thirds of     7     quickly becomes waste.

The addiction to plastics has created what experts call an environmental disaster. Every year, up to 23 million tons of plastic waste goes into lakes, rivers and seas. By 2040, carbon emissions associated with the production, use and disposal of plastics could account     8     nearly one fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions. Chemicals in plastic can also cause health problems in humans.

UNEP’s Champions of the Earth honors individuals, groups and organizations whose actions have a     9     (significance) impact on the environment. The annual Champions of the Earth award is the UN’s     10     (high) environmental honour.

10 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. When did the earthquake happen?

A．On Thursday afternoon.

B．On Thursday morning.

C．On Wednesday night.

2. What damage did the earthquake cause?

A．Forty people lost their lives.

B．At least 140 people were injured.

C．A railway was nearly destroyed.

3. What will the man do next?

A．Help the victims.

B．Check the highways.

C．Tell the woman some survival skills.