2 . Haze (薄雾) and smoke from hundreds of Canadian wildfires covered most of the US Northeast for a second day — Wednesday, with New York City experiencing the world’s worst air quality over the last two days.

New York, the Big Apple became the Big Orange by midday Wednesday as the sky over the nation’s largest city fell into a deep hazy orange. Streets in Manhattan are like what they were like during the pandemic (流行病) as residents again wore masks and cared for warnings from health officials about the impact of PM2.5, which can lead to respiratory (呼吸的) illnesses.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said on Wednesday that the state was making one million N95 masks available to the public. Approximately 400,000 N95 masks would be distributed at New York state parks, and at subway stations and other locations in New York City, Hochul said at a press briefing. An additional 600,000 masks would be made available at Homeland Security stockpiles (囤聚的物资) for local governments to pick up, she said.

Hochul called the poor air quality “a very serious, dangerous situation”. She recommended that people across the state cancel outdoor activities. “Simply stay indoors. Outdoors is dangerous in just about every part of our state,” the governor said. Officials at the briefing said they had been monitoring any potential rise in respiratory illnesses or health issues due to the poor air quality.

The city’s air was more polluted than all the world’s major cities on Wednesday morning, according to data from Swiss technology company IQAir. Dubai and Delhi came in second and third, respectively. Mike Hardiman, a staff in the National Weather Service, told The New York Times the city “smells like cigars”.

1. Why do people wear masks in New York?

A．Because of health concern.	B．Because of the pandemic.
C．Because of officials’ demand.	D．Because of their habits.

2. What message does Paragraph 3 convey?

A．New York has good welfare system.	B．N95 masks can settle the crisis.
C．The public’s support is vital.	D．The government took measures to handle the issue.

3. What kind of activity might Hochul recommend?

A．Camping.	B．Doing housework.
C．Fishing.	D．Climbing mountains.

4. What does Mike Hardiman mean by saying the city “smells like cigars”?

A．The city is polluted by cigars.	B．Cigars have very good smell.
C．The air quality in the city is terrible.	D．There are too many smokers in the city.

3 . From Jilly Cooper to Winston Clurehill, horse riders have long supported the emotional benefit of the human-horse bond. Hernan Melville, the author of Moby Dick, once argued: “No philosophers so thoroughly comprehend us as dogs and horses.”

When it comes to dogs, we have no doubt about it. But horses can tell when a human being is feeling unhappy, a study has found, although whether or not they care remains an open question.

The latest study, published in the journal Animal Cognition, sought to correct this. The question the researchers wanted to answer was; do horses understand a range of human emotions? To investigate this, they employed a technique often employed in studying baby cognition (认知); they showed the horses something that made no sense, and watched to see whether it puzzled them. One after another, the scientists put 28 horses in a room. Each horse was shown two pictures of the same person at the same time. In one picture the person had a happy face, in the other the person had a long face. At the same time they heard either a happy or sad voice.

From a human perspective, only one of the pictures made sense — the one with a voice that corresponded to the image. The other was “incongruent (不一致的)”. Were the horses similarly confused? It appears they were. What the scientists found was that on average the first time the horses saw the incongruent image, they spent longer looking at it.

Oceane Liehrmann, from the University of Turku in Finland, said this implied a level of emotional and cognitive complexity that we may not always credit to horses.

We don’t know whether horses themselves understand what it is to be sad, or experience the emotion. What the research suggested was that, however, it is possible they learn that it means something for a human — and that when we are sad they expect what we say to match how we look.

1. Why does the author mention Herman Melville’s words in paragraph 1?

A．To introduce the topic of the text.	B．To state dogs and horses are smart.
C．To point out philosophers’ ignorance.	D．To promote Herman Melville’s book.

2. How did scientists investigate horses’ understanding of human emotions?

A．By observing their behavior in a room.

B．By testing their reactions to different emotions.

C．By training them to respond to human emotions.

D．By showing them pictures and playing corresponding voices.

3. When the horses were shown incongruent images and voices, they __________.

A．ignored the incongruent image and voice

B．were not confused and showed no reaction

C．recognized the incongruence and showed anger

D．were puzzled and spent more time looking at them

4. What’s the best title of the text?

A．Horses Are the Cleverest Animal

B．Horses Have Strong Cognitive Ability

C．Horses Can Make Sense of a Human’s Long Face

D．Horses Can Understand Humans’ Emotions Clearly

4 . Four Beautiful National Parks in New Zealand

Fiordland National Park

With over three million acres, the Fiordland National Park is the largest in New Zealand. It is also one of the most popular tourist attractions, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors yearly to its dramatic landscape. When visiting, you will find beautiful fiords (峡湾), ancient rainforests, shining lakes, waterfalls, and snow-capped peaks.

Abel Tasman National Park

Located on the north end of the South Island is Abel Tasman National Purk, named after the first European explorer to find New Zealand. At nearly 60,000 acres, it is the smallest national park in the country, but it offers the perfect mix of relaxation and adventure. For instance, the park features sandy beaches, clear streams, forested hills, and mossy valleys. The best way to experience the area is by hiking, camping, kayaking, sailing and swimming.

Arthur’s Pass National Park

Also on New Zealand’s South Island is Arthur’s Pass National Park, featuring primarily mountainous terrain (地形). Arthur’s Pass includes the heart of the Southern Alps and consists of high, rough mountains, steep gorges and wide rivers. Because the area is not as developed as other parks and requires visitors to have a knowledge of route-finding and river-crossing, it is not typically an area for inexperienced recreationists.

Tongariro National Park

Tongariro was the 6th national park established in the world and the oldest in New Zealand. It’s been open to the public since 1887 and is the perfect destination for thrill-seekers and those who appreciate mother nature. The park contains three active volcanoes and features world-famous crossings for some of the best hiking and skiing in the world.

1. Which one of the following parks is the largest park in New Zealand?

A．Fiordland National Park.	B．Abel Tasman National Park.
C．Arthur’s Pass National Park.	D．Tongariro National Park.

2. What do the Abel Tasman National Park and Arthur’s Pass National Park have in common?

A．They are located on the South Island.

B．They are named after European explorers.

C．They are suitable for inexperienced recreationists.

D．They feature world-famous crossings and beaches.

3. Who will probably be attracted to Tongariro National Park?

A．Beginner hikers.

B．Thrill-seekers.

C．Swim lovers.

D．Bridge-builders.

5 . In a joint effort to tackle the climate crisis, humans are turning to offshore wind farms (OWFs) as a source of renewable energy. OWFs are, quite literally, one of the biggest forms of renewable energy. The world’s largest OWF covers an area of 462 square kilometers, with each turbine (涡轮) standing 200 meters above the sea. It has the capacity to power over 1.4 million homes. But what impact do the towering turbines have on life in the waters below and the skies above?

It’s thought that OWFs could affect marine (海洋的) life in a number of ways, from noise disturbing the behaviors of fish and whales to changes in the diversity of species in the area. Seabirds that live in the North and Baltic Seas — where a vast majority of OWFs are placed — are also thought to be endangered by turbines. A report from Bird Life International found that twelve North and Baltic seabird species were at high risk of crashing with farms and seven at high risk of being displaced by their construction.

Not all impacts are negative though — some research has suggested that OWFs have the potential for environmental benefits too. A study following the movement of gray seals in the North Sea found that they were frequent visitors to two OWFs, searching between turbines for food. The researchers suggested that farms be acting like artificial reefs, representing a new and concentrated source of food. In areas where marine life has become less dense, it could allow life to flourish (繁荣) once again.

Even so, researchers explained that it’s difficult to predict the full extent of the potential environmental outcomes from these unexpected artificial reefs: “Only a small proportion of our study seals used wind farms or pipelines,” study author Deborah Russell told The Guardian at the time.

To avoid replacing one problem by creating a new one, it seems that researchers and developers will have to continue working hand in hand to ensure OWFs and marine life can successfully live side by side.

1. What is the main purpose of Paragraph 1?

A．To lead in the main topic of the text.

B．To show the effect of OWFs on sea life.

C．To draw readers’ attention to artificial reefs.

D．To introduce the largest OWF in the world.

2. How will OWFs affect the surrounding sea life?

A．They will help all the gray seals survive.

B．They will increase the diversity of species.

C．They will become a threat to seabirds.

D．They will provide new resources for seabirds.

3. What should researchers and developers do next?

A．Explore another resource of renewable energy.

B．Reduce the bad effects of OWFs on the marine life.

C．Build new OWFs to supply energy for more homes.

D．Make accurate assessment about the effect of OWFs.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．OWFs — Friends or Enemies to Marine Life?

B．The Pros and Cons of Wind Farms on Land

C．The Turbines — a Danger or Favor to Seals?

D．The Shift to OWFs as a Source of New Energy

6 . Meteorites (陨石) can offer clues about what the early solar system was like. But finding them is far from difficult. Now, some scientists are turning to drones (无人机) and machine learning to help spot freshly fallen meteorites much more efficiently. “A team of six people on a meteorite-hunting expedition can search about 200,000 square meters per day,” says Seamus Anderson, a planetary scientist in Australia.

Around 2016, Anderson began toying with the concept of using drones to take pictures of the g round to look for meteorites. That idea blossomed into a Ph.D. project. In 2022, he and his colleagues reported their first successful recovery of a meteorite spotted with a drone. They’ve since found four more meteorites at a different site. Drone-based searches are much faster than the standard search way. “You’re going from about 300 days of human effort down to about a dozen or so,” he says.

Anderson and his workmates have used drones to search for meteorites in remote parts of Western Australia and South Australia. The team is tipped off about a fall site by networks of ground-based cameras that track meteoroids flashing through the Earth’s atmosphere. The researchers have to do a series of fun but difficult work before the hunt. They pack a four-wheel drive vehicle with drone and computer equipment, battery charging stations, generators, fuel, food, camping equipment, tables, chairs and much more. The drive to the fall site can take more than a day, often on rough or nonexistent roads. Anderson says, “You hope you don’t pop a tire.”

After arriving, the team flies its primary drone at an altitude of about 20 meters. Its camera takes an image of the ground once every second, and the scientists download the data every 40 minutes or so when the drone lands to receive fresh batteries. A typical day of flying can net over 10,000 images, which are then divided digitally into 100 million or so smaller sections. Those “tiles”, each 2 meters on a side, are fed into a machine learning algorithm (算法) that has been trained to recognize meteorites based on images of real land rocks which are spray-painted black.

1. Why do the scientists study meteorites?

A．To spot the planetary course.	B．To promote machine learning.
C．To test the functions of drones.	D．To explore the past of solar system.

2. What does Anderson say about drone-based searches in paragraph 2?

A．Their barriers.	B．Their causes.
C．Their efficiency.	D．Their concept.

3. Which words can best describe the preparations of the drone search for meteorites?

A．Fun and light.	B．Smooth and flexible.
C．Difficult and unpleasant.	D．Complicated and tough.

4. How does the drone process images?

A．By dividing them in half.	B．By storing them for analysis.
C．By combining them into a picture.	D．By linking them with a digital printer.

7 . Recent research confirms what our farming ancestors have known for centuries about hedges (树篱). They conserve precious soil by acting as windbreaks and absorbing rainwater that would otherwise wash it from the fields. And hedges store carbon, putting them in the front line of our bi d to tackle the climate crisis.

However, hedges have had a tough time in the poor countryside, with farmers encouraged to tear them down in pursuit of maximum production and larger field s to accommodate ever-larger machinery. What’s more, some hedges have been ignored. If left to their own devices, they’ll eventually become a line of trees. Some hedges each year lose their structures and fail to fulfil the primary duty as a barrier. Around a half of the nation’s hedges have disappeared in the past century.

There are signs that “the tide is turning”. The search for net zero has aroused many organizations’ interest in the humble hedge’s role as a carbon sink. The Climate Change Committee is recommending a 40 percent increase in hedges: an additional 200,000 km. Such recommendations are starting to drive policy. Cash-pressed farmers will be encouraged to create new hedges and improve their management of existing ones under the new Environmental Land Management Schemes, which will replace many of the existing agricultural support payments in coming years. Meanwhile, initiatives such as Close the Gap, led by the Tree Council, is providing funding and support to plug the gaps in existing hedges with new planting. There’s even an app to help time-pressed farmers do a quick survey to spot where their hedges need some help.

This is a good time for hedges. Take some of the most pressing challenges facing the countryside, and indeed, the world as a whole — the climate crisis, soil erosion (侵蚀), insect attack and wider biodiversity loss — and hedges are part of the solution.

1. What does recent research show about hedges?

A．They are unique landscapes in the rain.

B．They act as dividing lines between fields.

C．They have long been helpful to agriculture.

D．They are frequently washed away from the fields.

2. What does paragraph 2 mainly tell us about hedges?

A．Their suffering.	B．Their production.
C．Their duties.	D．Their structures.

3. What is many organizations’ attitude towards saving hedges?

A．Puzzled.

B．Concerned.

C．Humble.

D．Indifferent.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Hedges: Ancient Resources

B．Hedges: Official Recommendations

C．Restoring Hedges: Bringing Benefits to the Environment

D．Researching Hedges: Originating from Farmers’ Request

8 . In a world-record effort to help save a valuable sea creature, Australian scientists have released hundreds of baby seahorses into the wild. The tiny seahorses are endangered, and the scientists hope the new seahorses will help their numbers grow.

Seahorses get their name because they look a bit like horses. They aren’t great swimmers, even though they’re fish. They often use their tails to hold onto something in the water. They mostly live in warm, shallow waters around the world. They are often found in coral reefs, in beds of seagrass, and areas where rivers empty into the sea. Seahorses form an important part of the ocean’s food chain. They eat tiny sea creatures and are eaten by bigger sea animals.

Many kinds of seahorses are often threatened by the human actions. Sometimes they’re caught and sold as pets. They are also caught by accident when people are trying to catch other fish.

To begin the project, scientists collected three pregnant seahorses in January. Those seahorses were brought back to the aquarium (水族馆) in Sydney. After the babies were born, the scientists kept them there for five months, feeding the baby seahorses shrimps (小虾) to help them grow strong. Scientist Mitchell Brennan says, “They don’t have a stomach, so they have to eat constantly.”

About a month before the young seahorses were released, the scientists created eight underwater “hotels” for them. The hotels look like cages, providing a safe place for the seahorses to develop. Putting the hotels into the sea early allowed the cages to be covered with small sea life that can help provide food for the seahorses.

This is the fifth time the scientists have released seahorses into the area, and this time was a record. Around 380 seahorses were released. The researchers put tiny tags (标记) under the skin of many of the seahorses to help track them in the future.

1. What can be learned about seahorses from paragraph 2?

A．They look exactly like horses.	B．They have a gift for swimming.
C．They mostly live in the deep sea.	D．They feed on small sea creatures.

2. What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A．The types of the seahorses.	B．Living conditions the seahorses need.
C．Areas the seahorses live in.	D．Dangers the seahorses face.

3. Why are the eight “hotels” put into the sea early?

A．To differ the project from the former ones.

B．To avoid danger the seahorses may face.

C．To offer food to the seahorses.

D．To help track the seahorses in the future.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．A New Study on Endangered Seahorses

B．Underwater “Hotels” for Baby Seahorses

C．A Record Number of Baby Seahorses Were Released

D．New Methods of Finding Endangered Seahorses

9 . It’s difficult to hope sometimes but there are still a few instances telling us that something better awaits us whether we choose to hold on to it or not. Annie, a 19-year-oldblack Labrador, was given around a month to live when she was placed for adoption in June 2022. Annie’s former owner had given up hope and sent her to a shelter house in Texas because she wouldn’t eat or drink.

Once Siler, 31, discovered Annie’s photo, she knew she had to help. Instead of a month or two, Annie was adopted by Siler and her roommate, Lisa, for an entire year. Siler knew what it took to care for an elderly dog because she had recently lost her own dog, whom she had since college. Siler shared, “I felt mentally and emotionally prepared to take on a dog that wasn’t going to have long.” Siler described Annie as an easygoing dog. Her favorite pastimes included opening mail and sitting outside, watching people and cars pass by, earning her the nickname “nosy neighbour.”

“People kept telling us she was having so much fun and enjoying life and that kept her going, and I hope that was the case. Annie lived almost exactly a year after being adopted by Siler and Lisa. Annie had the life we pray every senior dog we rescue gets to experience. Annie didn’t just live out this past year, she flowered. Annie had an ill stomach. Surgical operation was her only option and that was never something we would put Annie through. Collectively, we made the hardest decision for us but kindest for Annie.” Siler kept in her diary.

“I can’t help but think that Annie would be so proud. She was one special dog whose story will live on through those who adopt seniors. She left a giant, giant hole in my heart…but times, where everyone who loved her can come together in her honor,will help start mending my broken heart.” Siler wrote in her post.

1. Why was Annie placed for adoption in June 2022?

A．Because she was too old for her owner to care for.

B．Because her owner had given up hope for her refusal to eat or drink.

C．Because Annie’s owner was moving and couldn’t take her along.

D．Because she had a medical condition that required extensive care.

2. What motivated Siler to adopt Annie?

A．Siler wanted a guard dog for her house.

B．Siler’s roommate insisted on adopting a dog.

C．Siler was an advocate for senior dog adoption.

D．Siler sought company after losing her previous dog.

3. What did people say about Annie’s life after adoption?

A．She experienced enormous joy.

B．She was miserable and lonely.

C．She was constantly sick and in pain.

D．She didn’t interact with people or other dogs.

4. What did Siler hope for in terms of Annie’s story?

A．Annie’s story would be forgotten easily.

B．Annie’s story would encourage seniors to hunt.

C．Annie’s story would inspire senior dogs adoption.

D．Annie’s story would only be remembered for its sadness.