1 . It’s a fascinating story of how nature is reclaiming and transforming the broken soil we leave behind. Wildlife filmmaker Dan O’Neill and zoologist Yussef Rafik are on a mission to uncover the wildlife secrets hidden inside some abandoned places.

Inchkeith Island

This island off the Scottish coast had been an important strategic location for military defences for over 500 years by 1957. While its buildings might be empty and in bad condition, the wildlife has bloomed. Dan and Yussef watch young seal pups on the beach and spot seabirds and European cave spiders.

Dinorwi c Quarry

Dan and Yussef visit this former slate quarry（采石场） in Wales. Dinorwic closed its doors in 1969 and nature has slowly been reclaiming the land ever since. Dan and Yussef are searching for the fastest animal in the world, the peregrine falcon（游隼） and spot rare wild mountain goats.

Chatterley Whitfield

Today it looks more like a set from a film, but at its peak Chatterley Whitfield was a busy coalmine. Since it was closed in 1977, wildlife has taken hold. Dan and Yussef find plants including sunflowers that have sprung up in the most unlikely places. And hidden cameras capture footage of the rabbits and foxes wandering these empty buildings at night.

Nunhead Cemetery

Dan and Yussef explore one of the seven great graveyards in London, which was closed right after the Second World War and soon became neglected. Now hundreds of species live alongside the dead. Dan spots bright green ring-necked parakeets, the non-native bird that’s made London its home and the pair sample blackberries growing among the graves.

1. What do we know about Inchkeith Island?

A．It played a crucial role in wartime.	B．It is located on the Scottish coast.
C．It was used as a setting for a movie.	D．It has its buildings well maintained.

2. Which one was the last abandoned?

A．Inchkeith Island.	B．Dinorwic Quarry.
C．Chatterley Whitfield.	D．Nunhead Cemetery.

3. What is the common feature of the places?

A．They once served the same purpose.	B．They are turning wild over the years.
C．They are hidden inside the same island.	D．They are controlled by native wildlife.

2 . Any schoolchild knows that a whale breathes through its blowhole. Fewer know that a blowhole is a nostril (鼻孔) slightly changed by evolution into a form more useful for a mammal that spends its life at sea. And only a dedicated expert would know that while toothed whales, such as sperm whales, have one hole, baleen (鲸须) whales, such as humpback and Rice whales, have two.

Even among the baleen whales, the placing of those nostrils differs. In some species they are close together. In others, they are much further apart. In a paper published in Biology Letters Conor Ryan, a marine biologist at the Scottish Association for Marine Science, suggests why that might be. Having two nostrils, he argues, helps whales smell in stereo (立体空间).

Many types of baleen whales eat tiny animals known as zooplankton (浮游动物), which they catch by filtering (过滤) them from seawater using the sheets of fibrous baleen that have replaced teeth in their mouths. But to eat something you first have to find it. Toothed whales do not hunt by scent. In fact, the olfactory bulb—the part of the brain that processes smell—is absent in such creatures. But baleen whales still have olfactory bulbs, which suggests smell remains important. And scent can indeed give zooplankton away. Zooplankton like to eat other tiny creatures called phytoplankton (浮游植物). When these are under attack, they release a special gas called dimethyl sulphide, which in turn attracts baleen whales.

Most animals have stereoscopic senses. Having two eyes, for instance, allows an animal to compare the images from each in order to perceive depth. Having two ears lets them locate the direction from which a sound is coming. Dr Ryan theorized that paired blowholes might bring baleen whales the same sorts of benefits.

The farther apart the sensory organs are, the more information can be extracted by the animal that bears them. The researchers used drones to photograph the nostrils of 143 whales belonging to 14 different species. Sure enough, baleen whales that often eat zooplankton, such as the North Atlantic right whale, have nostrils that are farther apart than do those, such as humpback whales, that eat zooplankton occasionally. Besides allowing them to breathe, it seems that some whales use their blowholes to determine in which direction dinner lies.

1. What do we know about whales’ nostrils according to the first two paragraphs?

A．They are adapted ones.	B．They are developed merely for smell.
C．They are not easy to detect.	D．They are fixed universally in numbers.

2. What plays a role when baleen whales hunt zooplankton?

A．The teeth that baleen whales have.

B．The smell that phytoplankton send.

C．The sound waves that zooplankton create.

D．The chemical signals that zooplankton give off.

3. How is the concept of stereoscopic senses explained in paragraph 4?

A．By quoting a theory.	B．By using examples.
C．By making contrast.	D．By making inferences.

4. What is the position of nostrils related to according to the last paragraph?

A．The sense of smell.	B．The possibility to attract food.
C．The ability to locate food.	D．The ability to communicate.

3 . Growing up in Kenya, Lesein Mutunkei, together with his family, always celebrated significant occasions by planting trees, which motivated him to protect the environment. It’s what the now 18-year-old soccer player treasures, especially since Kenya has an ongoing problem with deforestation.

Mutunkei follows in the footsteps of the late Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai who founded the Green Belt Movement in 1977. This initiative has resulted in the planting of over 51 million trees to date.

In 2018, Lesein decided to start a movement of his own. He started by planting one tree for every goal he scored during a football match. He called it Trees4Goals, and it has grown so much that he now plants 11 trees, one for each member of his team, every time he scores. Through this, he wants to inspire young people, specifically his fellow athletes, to follow in his footsteps, take nature conservation seriously, and promise to plant trees every time they score. As a result, some of them have adapted this practice for their sports. “Seeing that they’re taking that responsibility because of the project I started, for me, that is the biggest achievement,” he said.

The initiative has caught the attention of English football club Arsenal and Kenya’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry, which he now works with regularly and gets advice from.

Like Green Belt Movement, Trees4Goals, which has planted 5,500 trees so far, has made it. While Lesein has received some recognition for his initiative, he sets his sights on making it a worldwide phenomenon. “Football is a universal game, and climate change is a universal problem,” he explains. “It has the power to unite, educate and inspire my generation to create a safer and greener future.” This is why he wants to work with the world’s biggest football federation FIFA.

As for what others can do to fight deforestation or other environmental concerns, the teenager says it’s important to just get involved in some way, no matter how small.

1. What made Lesein get interested in environmental protection?

A．The influence of his family.

B．Wangari Maathai’s huge assistances.

C．The demand of the football team.

D．His fellow athletes’ encouragement.

2. Why did Lesein found Trees4Goals?

A．To gain Kenya’s support.

B．To set an example for others.

C．To catch Arsenal’s attention.

D．To show his achievements.

3. What is Lesein’s hope for the future of Trees4Goals?

A．Promoting football’s development.

B．Going global with the help of FIFA.

C．Beating climate change completely.

D．Getting beyond Green Belt Movement.

4. What can we learn from Lesein’s story?

A．Fame is a great thirst of the young.

B．A youth is to be regarded with respect.

C．Positive thinking and action result in success.

D．Success means getting personal desires satisfied.

4 . What will happen if you look at a solar eclipse (日食)?     1    , even looking at any part of the sun’s rays through ordinary equipment, like regular sunglasses, can result in serious eye damage. Here are some information about the risks of looking at the sun and how to stay safe while observing this sun’s event.

What are the risks to looking at the sun with no eye protection? It’s never safe to look directly at the sun. Looking at the sun for even a few seconds can cause “eclipse blindness”, a dangerous condition in which solar rays damage the eyes.     2    .

Viewing a solar eclipse could also make your eyes uncovered when facing possibly harmful UV (紫外线的) rays. The cornea, the eye’s protective surface, can also be damaged by UV rays, which cause pain and poor eyesight.     3    , as well as damage to other parts in the back of the eyes.

    4    ? During the eclipse, special eclipse glasses must be worn. That’s because the sun’s surface is so bright that if you stare at any part of it, no matter how small, it produces enough light to permanently damage your eyes. Our eyes never developed to look at the sun without suffering severe damage. Regular sunglasses are not safe to use.       5    , be sure they are made by professional companies.

A．If you buy eclipse glasses

B．Without a specific eclipse glasses

C．How can we view the solar eclipse safely

D．Where can we watch the solar eclipse safely

E．A professional company will help you choose sunglasses

F．This can happen if you are not wearing sufficient eye protection

G．UV rays even cause lasting blindness and eyeball damage in the eyes

5 . When Hurricane Ian hit Florida, Karen Lauder refused to leave her home because she was wrong about the intensity(强度) of the storm. Karen is 84 years old and depends on a wheelchair to get around because she is missing a leg. Her son, Johnny Lauder, tried repeatedly to get her to leave, but she refused.

Johnny and his whole family live within a few blocks of one another. They kept in touch with Karen as the storm continued violently(猛烈地) outside, watching the water rising dangerously all around them. When Karen reported that the water in her house had reached her bottom, Johnny knew he had to take action.

First, Johnny ensured his sons and their pets were taken care of. Then, he jumped out of a window and began to swim. Johnny used to work as a rescue swimmer. He is obviously a strong swimmer, but the flood water was filled with dangerous materials. There was also a strong current (水流), and he had to swim against it for most of his trip to Karen’s. As he made his way through the water, Johnny stopped periodically to snap selfies(自拍) to show his worried family that he was okay.

Johnny was racing against the clock. He knew he only had a short period of time to get there before the water rose above Karen’s head. It took him 40 minutes to swim four blocks. The sound of Karen shouting inside was music to his ears!

“If it would’ve been 20 minutes later, she wouldn’t be here,” Johnny said.“She’s never been happier to see me.”

Karen is now safe, although she is in the hospital being treated for infections(感染) she got in the water. The family have all lost everything they owned, including their houses, but they’re grateful just to be here.

1. Why did Karen decide to stay in her house when Hurricane Ian came?

A．She had nowhere to go.

B．She was too old to move.

C．She thought the storm was not violent.

D．She lost her wheelchair and was unable to leave.

2. Why did Johnny take selfies along the way to Karen’s home?

A．To record his swimming trip.	B．To show off his swimming skills.
C．To warn other rescuers of danger.	D．To report his safety to his family.

3. How did Johnny’s family keep in touch in the storm?

A．By shouting.	B．Over the phone.
C．Through e-mail.	D．With other’s help.

4. How did Johnny feel when he heard Karen shouting?

A．Curious.

B．Frightened.

C．Confused.

D．Relieved.

6 . Volunteer at the EcoTarium! We simply could not offer the programs and special events that make the EcoTarium a unique resource to our community without our diverse and dedicated corps of volunteers. To be considered for a more specific position, look through the volunteer listings below, and submit an application.

Zoo Ambassador Volunteer

Our zoo ambassador volunteers will assist the Zoology Department to connect with guests through engaging educational experiences about our animal residents. We are looking for volunteers who are passionate about animals and excited to interact with guests of all ages. Volunteers may also complete behavioral studies on numerous animals within the care of the EcoTarium to help enhance the welfare for our animals!

Animal Care Volunteer

Animal care volunteers will aid in all areas of husbandry (农牧业), including feeding, cleaning, record keeping, training animals, and behavioral observations. They will work with a variety of animals under our care, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects. The position is physically demanding and requires working in all weather conditions.

Education Program Volunteer

Through conversations and hands-on activities, education program volunteers help visitors make meaningful connections to our exhibits, encourage curiosity and scientific inquiry, and challenge visitors to dive deeper into the concepts explored at our museum.

Collections Volunteer

The EcoTarium seeks volunteers who are interested in making a contribution to science by uncovering lost specimens (标本) in the EcoTarium collection! Photograph, measure, and take notes on birds, eggs, seashells, or pressed flowers. This is an excellent position for a high school or college student considering a career in biology or lab science. It is also appropriate for citizen scientists of any age. It offers an opportunity to see examples of rare or extinct plants and animals.

1. What can an animal care volunteer do?

A．Collect lost specimens.

B．Learn to feed and clean animals.

C．Finish some studies on the exhibits.

D．Help elderly visitors interact with animals.

2. Which position most suits a biology major?

A．Collections Volunteer.	B．Animal Care Volunteer.
C．Education Program Volunteer.	D．Zoo Ambassador Volunteer.

3. What is the main purpose of the text?

A．To list the advantages of volunteers.

B．To spread knowledge about volunteers.

C．To train more people to become volunteers.

D．To introduce some positions about volunteers.

7 . Top Wonders of the World

From India to Rome, these sights will inspire your next historical vacation.

Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Constructed from 1632 to 1648, the property covers 42 acres, including its beautiful gardens.

Best time to go: Late spring and early summer in this part of India has often severe heat. Then come monsoons. November to February is your best chance for pleasant weather. The sunrises here are highly admired.

The Great Wall

The Great Wall of China is the world’s longest wall and one of the most famous landmarks in China. Dating back to about 700 BCE, it stretches over 13,000 miles and was designed to protect the country from invaders.

Best time to go: Plan for a spring or fall trip when the weather is nicer and fewer people visit. Summertime is often hot and crowded, and winter can be extremely cold in northern China.

Petra

Located in the Kingdom of Jordan, Petra was built directly into the cliffside around 312 BCE by the Nabataeans. The city includes temples, tombs, and its most well-known building — the Treasury.

Best time to go: Summer can get very hot in Jordan, and winter is much colder than you may realize. Weatherwise, aim for spring or fall.

The Colosseum

The Colosseum remains Rome’s top attraction. Built in the first century by Emperor Vespasian, the massive theater spans 620 by 513 feet, which would hold 80,000 people.

Best time to go: You’ll find fewer tourists there during Rome’s low season (winter), weekdays and during the opening hour or near closing time. If you show up in summer at midday, it’s going to be hot!

1. What’s the best time to travel to Taj Mahal?

A．March.

B．July.

C．October.

D．December.

2. Which of the following has the longest history?

A．Taj Mahal.

B．The Great Wall.

C．Petra.

D．The Colosseum.

3. Where can we most probably read the passage?

A．In a research paper.	B．In a travel brochure.
C．In a science magazine.	D．In a geography textbook.

8 . For many people, visiting a wildlife park is a must-have bucket-list item. Few travel experiences can compare with watching wild animals wandering freely in wildlife reserves, enjoying their natural habitat. Here are some of the very best wildlife parks from all around the world.

1. Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

The Masai Marais located in the southwest of Kenya and is one of the most important and well-known wildlife conservation areas in the world. Covering an area of 1,510square kilometers, the Masai Mara National Reserve consists of the grasslands, mountain highlands, lakelands and valley.

Those looking for an unforgettable traditional wildlife park experience should look no further than the Masai Mara National Reserve. Famous for its natural diversity of animals, you can expect to see vast numbers of leopards, elephants and lions. The wildlife park is also home to over 450 bird species.

2. The Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Serengeti National Park is a land of beauty that is one of the last naturalistic wonders left on this planet. This wildlife park is the symbol of Africa, and also one of the world’s oldest ecosystems to ever exist. Located in the northern area of Tanzania, the Serengeti National Park has also been famous for the annual migration (迁徙) of wildlife to permanent waterholes.

During this phenomenon, you’ll get to see vast herds of zebras, buffaloes and elephants migrating to the waterholes due to the change of season, followed by predators(捕食者) on the hunt for them.

3. Tierra del Fuego National Park, Argentina

The Tierra del Fuego National Park, located at the southern tip of Argentina, is nestled between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, thus featuring a dynamic weather ecosystem with beech forests, mountains, waterfalls and glaciers (冰川). Not quite the image you may have in mind of a wildlife park being muddy, brownish and all dry landscapes.

It is a most breathtaking wildlife park, home to beautiful species such as eagles, rabbits and North American beavers. Aside from basking in the sightings of these wild animals, visitors to Tierra del Fuego often go hiking and fishing there.

1. Which park would you recommend to someone who is looking for a traditional wildlife tour?

A．Masai Mara National Reserve.	B．The Serengeti National Park.
C．Tierra del Fuego National Park.	D．None of them.

2. Which special activity can visitors do in The Serengeti National Park?

A．Hiking and fishing in the park.	B．Creating a must-have bucket-list.
C．Exploring numbers of different landscapes.	D．Watching the annual migration of many animals.

3. What is the unique feature of Tierra del Fuego National Park?

A．It is naturalistic.	B．It is the most famous one.
C．It has the oldest ecosystem.	D．It has waterfalls and glaciers.

9 . Songbirds do have a perfect voice. Every species of bird wakes up at a very particular time in the morning and begins to sing. This is because each species has its own specific waking stimulus (刺激), which is linked to the brightness of the sunlight.

Like human beings have to learn to speak, birds also have to learn how to sing. They do this in several stages. First, they practise voices and sounds, which is comparable to the early stage in human language development. During the second stage, the birds practise their songs for eight to nine months, until memory and practice match up. The singing is strengthened during the final stage.

Although nightingales got their name as a result of their singing at night, not all nightingales sing at night. Generally, both males and females sing during the day. The night song is used mainly for seeking partners. After succeeding in attracting a female, the male nightingale falls silent and doesn't start his song again until the early morning.

Birds are seasonal singers. We only hear numerous kinds of bird concerts between spring and high summer. This is the time when birds are looking for partners, and when the males aim to impress the females with their song and mark out their territory at the same time. However, even after they have found a partner, male birds continue to sing, because this is the time when they are showing their offspring (幼崽) how to sing.

Birds don’t all sing as well as others, not even within a species. The song of a bird in London will be quite different from that of a bird in Paris or Berlin. Although the members of each bird species share a vocabulary of sounds, dialect differences are quite common. The individual dialects are not natural but are learnt while the birds are children that adopt the dialect of their parents. The young birds always sing as well or as badly as their teachers, because the adults on whom they model themselves vary in style and talent from region to region.

1. What role does the brightness of sunlight play in birds’ singing?

A．It makes them learn songs easily.

B．It affects where they hold concerts.

C．It leads them to find abundant food.

D．It determines when they begin to sing.

2. What’s the reason for male birds continue to sing after finding partners?

A．To mark its territory	B．To teach its offspring
C．To draw female’s attention	D．To drive enemies away

3. When do birds learn individual dialects?

A．After they leave their homes	B．Before they find partners
C．When they are still young	D．When they become grown-up

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．The varieties of Birdsong

B．The science of Birds’ singing

C．The living environment of Birds

D．The dialects of Bird Communication

10 . When Alex Lin was 11 years old, he read an alarming article in the newspaper about e-waste. The article said that people were throwing away their e-waste in places it should never go. This was dangerous, the article said, because e-waste contains poisonous chemicals and metals like lead. These harmful substances (物质) can leak into the environment, getting into crops, animals, water supplies — and people.

Alex showed the article to a few of his classmates. They were worried too. But what could they do about this problem with e-waste? How would they even start? “The first thing we did,” Alex says, “was to learn more about the problem.” Alex and his friends spent several weeks gathering information about the chemicals in e-waste and their effects on humans. They learned how to dispose (处理) of e-waste properly and how it could be recycled. “Then,” he says, “we had to find out what the situation was in our town. So we sent out a survey.”

What they found shocked them: Of the people who answered the survey, only one in eight even knew what e-waste was, let alone how to properly dispose of it. Alex and his friends went into action. They advertised in the local newspaper and distributed notices to students, asking residents to bring their unwanted electronics to the school parking lot. The drive lasted two days, and they collected over 21,000 pounds of e-waste.

The next step was to set up an e-waste drop-off center for the town and to find a responsible company to recycle the waste. That was when Alex and his friends learned another scary fact about e-waste — some irresponsible recycling companies don’t break down the e-waste and dispose of it safely themselves. Instead, they ship it overseas to countries such as China and Nigeria, where local environmental laws are not applied. “We checked carefully online to make sure the company we chose didn’t do this,” Alex says.

Because of the work of people like Alex and his team, more and more people are getting the message about safe disposal of e-waste. As Alex says, “Today’s technology should not become tomorrow’s poisonous trash.”

1. What can we learn about Alex from paragraph 1 and paragraph 2?

A．He was curious about chemistry experiments.

B．He possessed a strong sense of responsibility.

C．He set out to solve the problem individually.

D．He formed the habit of reading newspapers.

2. What does the underlined word “drive” mean?

A．Campaign.

B．Imagination.

C．Performance.

D．Technology.

3. Why did some companies transport the e-waste to other countries?

A．Lack of available space was the reason for shipping.

B．Recycling was totally banned in their own country.

C．They were running their companies on a tight budget.

D．They were not charged with insecurely disposing it.

4. What’s the suitable title for the text?

A．Reusing School Computers	B．Recycling Electronic Waste
C．Meeting a challenge	D．Doing Scientific Experiment