1 . Tens of thousands of honeybees in Spain’s Canary Islands can now add “survived a volcano (火山)” to their wish list.

A report on Saturday told the story of five hives (蜂箱) of honeybees that were left unattended after the eruption (爆发) of the Cumbre Vieja volcano in La Palma, which happened on September 19, for about 50 days (their beekeeper had been forced to leave the area). When the beekeeper returned, he found the hives covered in volcanic ash (灰) .

Inside the hives, however, the situation was completely different. To the beekeeper’s surprise, he found tens of thousands of live honeybees, who had managed to carry on despite the heat and harmful gases released by the volcano. They may have also gotten lucky because they were covered with light ash with small holes, which allowed air to pass through the hives.

Not all honeybees on La Palma were so lucky, though. Spanish news service EFE reported that a group of hives closest to the Cumbre Vieja had been covered completely by lava, hot volcano matter, which killed them.

Antonio Quesada, a spokesperson for the GranCanaria Beekeepers Association, said that a key part of the bees’ survival was propolis (蜂胶). Produced by bees, propolis is a sticky thing made from resins (树脂) the insects collect from plants. Often called “bee glue,” propolis is often used to smooth surfaces or cover the space in hives.

Quesada said the La Palma bees managed to seal (密封) themselves inside their hives to protect themselves from the volcanic gases, which can be harmful to people, animals, plants, and buildings. The bees also thought about food an date from the honey stores they had inside their hives.

“It’s unbelievable how such a tiny animal that has been around for hundreds of thousands of years can have that ability to survive,” Quesada said.

That’s not all they did, though. Although they sealed themselves in their hives, they made sure to leave a very small pathway to the outside so they could get out one day.

1. What might the underlined word “unattended” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Dead.

B．Lucky.

C．Alone.

D．Homeless.

2. What surprised the beekeeper?

A．His beehives were covered with volcanic ash.

B．His bees remained alive under the volcanic ash.

C．His bees warned him of the eruption of the volcano.

D．His beehives remained unchanged in the volcanic lava.

3. What does Quesada think about the five hives of bees?

A．They’re fearful.

B．They’re unlucky.

C．They’re honest.

D．They’re admirable.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Bees were rescued timely.	B．Bees survived a volcano.
C．Bees benefited from propolis.	D．A huge volcano happened.

2 . A hollow (空洞) halfway up a tree might seem like a strange place to look for a water-loving animal, but the results of a new survey have showed that common toads (蟾蜍) in the U. K. are skillful tree climbers. The surprising discovery was made by researchers from the University of Cambridge, working with Froglife, a charity devoted to amphibians(animals such as frogs and toads that divide their time between being on land and in water).

The team looked at reports from volunteers who were studying special nest boxes as part of the National Dormouse (睡鼠) Monitoring Program and the Bat Tree habitat Key project. “We couldn’t believe what we found,” said Nida Alfulaij, a scientist who supported the work. “We’re used to discovering woodland birds and other small mammals in nest boxes, but we hadn’t considered finding amphibians in them.” More than 50 common toads were found in very unexpected places: in parts of trees that are usually used by bats, in nest boxes designed for dormice, and even in old birds’ nests. That’s such a surprisingly high number that the researchers think tree-climbing must be a common toad habit—it’s just never been noticed before.

The researchers say this shows how sharing data between surveys with different aims can lead to new discoveries—even about species that experts believe they know well. Through the discoveries the researchers also have a clear understanding of how important tree hollows, cracks and holes are to all sorts of animals. It’s still unclear how easy the toads find it to climb—they were spotted up to 3 meters high in trees but this was as far up as the volunteers were looking, so they could be going even higher.

Why do the kind of toads climb the trees? The researchers have some guesses, such as looking for food, hiding from hunters or avoiding pests such as the toad fly. It is still a puzzle.

1. What do we know about the new study?

A．It relied on the early studies of the team.

B．It came as no surprise to the researchers.

C．It resulted from the data of other surveys.

D．It proves what experts have known before.

2. Which of the following statements about toads is TRUE?

A．Trees are believed to be toads’ best place to live in.

B．They climb trees to keep bats and dormice company.

C．The proper number of toads living together is 50 or so.

D．The toads may have formed the habit of climbing before.

3. What may the team research about common toads in the future?

A．Other living habits.

B．The reasons for climbing.

C．The ways to avoid pests.

D．More examples of the finding.

4. Where may be the passage taken from?

A．A science journal about biology.

B．A paper about the habitats of birds.

C．A fiction about amphibians animals.

D．A course about the significance of trees.

3 . My grandma passed away last week. My mum began the painful yet necessary task of sorting through her belongings.

“Is there anything you want from grandma’s flat?” Mum texted me.

“Her aloe (芦荟), please.” I required zero thinking time.

Sometime around 1975, Grandma, always believing good things would happen in the future, received this plant as a gift, which she appreciated and placed in her doorway. It came from the local butcher. Five years later, my mum married the butcher’s son and had me. Grandma revealed to me this particular plant was a living relationship between the two families. And so was I.

Recently, whenever we visited Grandma’s flat, I attempted to fix this concept in my children’s minds. “That was a gift your great-grandma bought your other great-grandma! It’s older than me!” Then my kids would nod and ask Grandma for a sweet.

Numerous times, Grandma gave me cuttings or clippings of the plant, hoping I might raise my own and continue the legend. Yet, every time, my new branch died with my awful gardening skills. But that didn’t used to matter, because I could turn to Grandma, who would wait and accept my disturbance without becoming upset. Then I got another clipping and tried again. But now I can’t. So, I decided that the plant will go and live with Ann, my mother-in-law, who is a genius with a greenhouse.

The plan is for Ann to keep hold of the original plant. In time, she can teach me how to deal with its cuttings properly, and then maybe one day I can settle the plant in my place.

In the meantime, Ann will allocate (分配) clippings among my relatives, as Grandma used to do. My wife’s two sisters, for example, are both better at tending plants than I am, so it is quite imaginable that they, too, will offer cuttings of the plant to their partners, spreading this loving plant across my entire extended family.

1. Why did the author want his grandma’s aloe?

A．He wanted to pass it down to others.	B．He showed a preference for gardening.
C．He had a pleasant memory of the plant.	D．He received it as a gift from his grandma.

2. Which of the following best describes the author’s grandma?

A．Optimistic and patient.

B．Generous and helpful.

C．Honest and fashionable.

D．Humorous and skillful.

3. The author took the aloe to his mother-in-law to

A．display his skills in gardening	B．have the plant better cared for
C．announce his grandma’s death	D．protect the plant from dying out

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

A．Aloe: my family bond	B．Aloe: a mysterious plant
C．Grandma: my life coach	D．Grandma: a lovely gardener

4 . In the forest of New Mexico, scientists are carrying two ten-day-old Mexican wolf pups (幼崽) riding in a backpack, searching for a Mexican wolf pair that has just given birth to six pups.    1    

Mexican wolves were extinct in the USA by the 1970s, but there was a plan to bring them back. The first step was to trap five wild Mexican wolves and breed them with two caged ones. In 1998, the first caged-born adult Mexican wolves were released into forests.     2    If animals have to pair up with family members, then their pups will have unhealthy genes, making them sick.

    3     Let wild wolves adopt caged-born pups-that’s how these two pups end up in backpacks. While the adult wolves are out hunting, the scientists gently place the pups with their new brothers and sisters. They rub the caged-born and wild pups together, ever letting them pee (小便) on each other to mix their smells!     4     This result makes the scientists optimistic about the plan.

The idea is that the caged pups will grow up and breed with wild wolves.     5     Thanks to this ongoing work, 250 wild Mexican wolves wander Arizona and New Mexico today.

A．The scientists were content with it.

B．So the experts came up with a new plan.

C．The wolf parents only care for their own pups.

D．In this way their healthy genes will be passed down.

E．The population slowly grew, but scientists were still worried.

F．After that, the wolf parents won’t mind taking care of the new pups.

G．The wolf mum and dad don’t know it, but they’re about to adopt two more!

5 . Sometimes called “Earth’s twin,” Venus is similar to our world in size and composition. The two rocky planets are also roughly the same distance from the sun, and both have an atmosphere. While Venus’s cold and unpleasant landscape does make it seem far less like Earth, scientists recently detected another striking similarity between the two, the presence of active volcanoes.

When NASA’s Magellan mission mapped much of the planet with radar in the 1990sit revealed an unexpectedly youthful surface-there were surprisingly a few craters (火山口)which suggested active geologic (地质的) processes. Although few missions have visited Venus since then, researchers have continued to mine the collection of data from.

Using this decades-old data, planetary scientist Robert Herrick discovered that a Magellan. volcano called Maat Mons is alive with volcanic activity. In this case, lava(岩浆)flows that moved for eight months during an imaging cycle from 1990 to 1992, according to a study published in Science in 2023. The findings are the first real evidence that volcanoes have erupted on Venus during modern times.

What’s more, volcanic activity on Venus could be even more common and dramatic than on Earth. A study published in JGR Planets in 2023 mapped out enormous potential volcanic features on Venus’ surface, and there’s a good chance that some of them could be active today. On top of that, another 2023 study, also in JGR Planets, found that the very high surface temperature on Venus, over 900 degrees Fahrenheit, allows lava flows to slowly leak out.

A list of new missions are headed to Venus over the next decade, including NASA’s Veritas mission, which aims to map the planet’s surface to better understand its geologic history. These projects should settle the question of how the paths of Venus and Earth divided so sharply, with one becoming a hell and the other able to harbor life, and confirm whether volcanoes are still erupting on the planet today.

1. Why does the writer mention Venus is Earth’s twin in Paragraph 1?

A．To prove a theory.	B．To introduce the topic.
C．To clarify a concept.	D．To make predictions.

2. What can we learn from Paragraphs 3 and 4?

A．Robert Herrick’s discovery was based on previous data.

B．The findings are the first evidence of volcanoes on Venus.

C．There are more huge volcanoes on Venus than on Earth.

D．Volcanic activities on Venus are as common as on Earth.

3. What is the significance of NASA’s future study of Venus?

A．Mapping the surface of Venus with accuracy.

B．Analyzing how volcanoes came into existence.

C．Understanding how the two planets evolved differently.

D．Confirming whether Venus is suitable for humans to live.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．Venus Is Earth’s Twin.	B．Venus Is an Awful Hell.
C．Venus Is a Youthful Planet.	D．Venus Is Volcanically Active.

6 . Spending your nights sleeping for just four seconds at a time might sound painful, but not for chinstrap penguins (帽带企鹅), which fall asleep thousands of times a day, new research finds.

Scientists studying the chinstrap penguins on King George Island in Antarctica found they nod off more than10,000 times a day, allowing them to keep an eye on their nests all the time, protecting eggs and chicks from predators (捕食性动物).

“Nesting penguins took over 600 ‘microsleeps’ an hour, each lasting only four seconds,” researchers wrote in the paper, published in the journal Science. The findings suggest “microsleeps can perform at least some of the functions of sleep”.

Sleep seems to be common among animals, but it makes them vulnerable because they lose the ability to respond quickly to the outside environment.

The researchers studied chinstrap penguins in the wild using electronicephalogram (EEG) monitoring. Microsleeps were shown by sleep-related brain activity and eye-closure. They noticed a slight increase in the depth of sleep at around noon, when risk of predation could be at its lowest.

Studies have shown some species routinely sleep very little, seemingly without negative costs to their performance while awake. African bush elephants sleep on average for two hours a day, and mostly while standing up, one study found. Sometimes they went 48 hours without sleeping.

Giant frigate birds can spend months on the wing during ocean migrations (迁徙). During this period they can sleep for less than an hour a day, while still flying and hunting. When they get back to the nest they sleep for nearly 13 hours a day.

“Sleep seems to be flexible among species,” a researcher said. “I believe that there are still many things unknown about animal sleep.”

1. Why do Chinstrap Penguins nod off more than 10,000 times a day?

A．To find family meals.	B．To guard their newborns.
C．To enjoy good sleep.	D．To get more rest.

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

A．Easily hurt.

B．Fully prepared.

C．Totally satisfied.

D．Widely known.

3. What can affect the depth of sleep according to paragraph 5?

A．Potential attacks from predators.	B．Movements of eyes.
C．The number of nests.	D．Changes of temperature.

4. What do the examples of African bush elephants and giant frigate birds suggest?

A．Larger animals are likely to have less sleep.

B．Some animals sleep more during migration.

C．Birds can sleep when they are standing up.

D．Sleeping little may not affect waking performance.

7 . A new study from the University of Cambridge shows how small environmental changes can have great effects on human behavior. Even the rise of skateboarding is the result of the deep relationships between humans and the climate.

“To make connections between climate and society, we often look into the past, but as we go further back, the evidence gets thinner,” said lead author Professor Büntgen. “We wanted to find a more modern example where we had lots of data to look at. That is how we began to study skateboarding.”

As was recorded, the prosperity (繁荣) of post-war America resulted in the building of more than 150,000 swimming pools in California during the 1960s. However, California suffered the greatest drought (旱灾) in the 1970s. The government’s water agencies responded by mandating strict cuts, including a ban stopping people from filling backyard swimming pools. As a result, many of these pools were empty, making them ideal playgrounds for freestyle skateboarders. Naturally, skateboarding exploded in popularity.

Büntgen said, “California used to be the center of US surf culture. The popularity and influence of surf culture was very important to the rise of skateboarding, which is why it could have only happened in California. You could have had the same drought, the same pools in somewhere like Phoenix, but since Phoenix doesn’t have a rich surf culture, professional skateboarding couldn’t have started there.”

With the rise of professional skateboarding came the industrial production of polyurethane (聚氨酯) wheels, which allowed skaters to make faster turns at higher speeds than they could with earlier steel wheels. All these factors made skateboarding more popular. Nowadays, it is a multibillion-dollar industry.

The example of California best shows that local climate change can have major effects on human society.

1. What is the finding of the new study?

A．Climate changes affect human behavior.

B．Popular games benefit greatly from droughts.

C．The environment changes people’s relationships.

D．Culture contributes to the industry development.

2. What does the underlined word “mandating” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Carrying out.

B．Counting on.

C．Sticking with.

D．Getting over.

3. According to Büntgen, what is a special factor promoting skateboarding in California?

A．Drought.

B．Location.

C．Swimming pools.

D．Surf culture.

4. From which section is this text most probably taken?

A．Society.

B．Health.

C．Education.

D．Business.

9 . Climate change is not only a human problem; animals have to adapt to it as well. Some “warm-blooded” animals are shapeshifting (变形) and getting larger legs, ears, and beak s to better control their body temperatures as the planet gets hotter. Bird researcher Sara Ryding of Deakin University in Australia describes these changes in a review.

“It’s high time we recognized that animals also have to adapt to these changes, and this is occurring over a far shorter time than would have occurred through most of evolutionary time,” says Ryding. “The climate change that we have created is putting a lot of pressure on them, and while some species will adapt, others will not.”

Ryding notes that climate change is a complex phenomenon that’s been occurring gradually, so it’s difficult to determine just one cause of the shapeshifting. But these changes have been occurring across wide geographical regions and among a variety of species, so there is little in common apart from climate change.

Strong shapeshifting has particularly been reported in birds. Several species of Australian parrot have shown, on average, a 4% to 10% increase in size since 1871, and this is positively associated with the summer temperature each year. North American dark-eyed juncos, a type of small songbird, had a link between increased size and short-term temperature extremes in cold environments. There have also been reported changes in mammalian (哺乳动物) species. Researchers have reported tail length increases in wood mice. “The increases in appendage (附肢) size we see so far are quite small — less than 10% — so the changes are unlikely to be immediately noticeable,” says Ryding. “However, prominent (突起的) appendages such as ears are predicted to increase.”

Next, Ryding intends to investigate shapeshifting in Australian birds by 3D scanning museum bird samples from the past 100 years. Undoubtedly, it will give her team a better understanding of which birds are changing appendage size due to climate change and why.

1. What is the purpose of paragraph 1?

A．To introduce a bird researcher.	B．To present a shapeshifting phenomenon.
C．To explain the cause of climate change.	D．To state the terrible influence of climate change.

2. What can be inferred about animals’ shapeshifting from paragraphs 2 and 3?

A．It is slower than their evolution.	B．It’s impossible to determine its cause.
C．It is a global phenomenon beyond species.	D．Climate change is its potential cause.

3. What does paragraph 4 mainly talk about?

A．The examples of shapeshifting.	B．The effects of shapeshifting.
C．The explanations of shapeshifting.	D．The history of shapeshifting.

4. Which of the following will Ryding’s next study focus on?

A．The speed of shapeshifting.	B．The cause of climate change.
C．The samples of Australian birds.	D．The understanding of bird history.

10 . When Kyle D’Costa and his wife met Rio, a nine-month-old shih tzu (西施犬), in 2021, “it was love at first sight. “The new couple soon added a Lhasa Apso (拉萨犬) and rented a bigger flat to give the animals ”more space“.

The D’Costas and millions of other middle-class Indians, no longer pleased with new cars and other Western fancy decorations, they are rapidly acquiring pets. According to Statista, a research company, India had 19.4 million pet dogs in 2018 and may now have 31m. In 2021, Market Decipher, another research organization, valued India’s pet industry at 890’hillion dollars and said that it would continue to grow by 3 times over the next 10 years.

Actually, the pet industry is growing at a fast rate throughout the world. With rising incomes comes increased pet-ownership, especially among young professionals who tend 10 put off marriage and parenthood and to be extremely willing to enjoy the company of a dog. It is only a matter of time before marriage websites include a ”pet-friendly“ option.

As keeping pets becomes increasingly popular, so do those working in the industry. “Being in this trade was despised just five years ago,” says Chinmay, a 30-ycar-old dog trainer in Thane, Mumbai. “How will you find a girlfriend?” he recalls his relatives asking him. But dog trainers in Mumbai can these days earn 2,400 rupees (S30) an hour — more than twice as much as piano teachers. Chinmay is now happily married to one of his customers.

Current pet-industry players are prepared and new ones stepping in. Nestle, the world’s biggest food company, Inst year bought into Purina Petcare, an Indian pet-food business. Emami, an Indian company, targeting daily goods, offers medicines for pets. Euromonitor International, a market-research company, thinks India’s pet-food industry is worth 480 million dollars and will grow to $1.2 billion by 2025.

1. Why are the figures listed in Paragraph 2?

A．To present the benefits of raising pets.

B．To show the popularity of keeping pets.

C．To stress the significance of pet industry.

D．To express dissatisfaction with the situation.

2. What do young professionals prefer to do nowadays?

A．Get married early.	B．Earn higher income.
C．Choose friendly pets.	D．Draw comfort from pets

3. What does the underlined word “despised” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A．Looked down on.	B．Done justice to.
C．Shown respect for.	D．Taken advantage of

4. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．India’s pet-food industry is worth $1.2 billion.

B．Pet-industry is changing people’s career options.

C．Nestlé has earned a lot in Indian pet-food business.

D．More companies will have a hand in the pet industry.