1 . The Mekong flows through an extremely diverse landscape and surprises once again with its richness of species. But an unbroken construction trend threatens the ecosystem.
In the Mekong area, 110 new species have been discovered in the past two years. The World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) on Thursday called Southeast Asia a true treasure for animals and plants. A turtle with a trunk and a fish named after the river Bruinen in the fantasy classic “Lord of the Rings” were found. According to WWF, a newly found plant reminds people of the eggs in the film “Alien”, from which the Facehugger jump.
The Mekong region, which covers China, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia, is a melting pot of biodiversity. But it is in danger. “Massive habitat ruin and huge hydropower plants threaten the treasury,” says Stefan Ziegler of WWF-Germany. “Our goal must be to protect the biologically valuable areas of the Mekong across borders and permanently, as well as to make sustainable use of natural resources.”
Over the past 20 years, more than 2, 500 new species have been discovered in the Mekong region, including numerous mammals and birds. “The combination of mountains, dry forests and wet lands, as well as heavy rainfall and a humid climate, is unique,” says the WWF. Many of the resident species could not be found anywhere else.
However, 150 large and small hydropower plants are planned on the Mekong. “The dams would primarily benefit construction companies and their associated politicians,” said Pou Sothirak, director of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace, in a recent interview. “They are not interested in the social impact and the damage to the environment.”
1. What is it that makes Mekong in danger?| A．Terrible climate. | B．Unique landscape. |
| C．Abundant species. | D．Unbroken construction. |
| A．To describe the appearance of the plant. |
| B．To present the damage to the environment. |
| C．To raise the readers' awareness of new species. |
| D．To compare the newly found plant with the old one. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Interested. | C．Doubtful. | D．Opposed. |
| A．A politician. | B．An ecologist. |
| C．A company director. | D．A power plant's designer. |
2 . On Friday January 14, 2022, blast was heard 2,000 km away in New Zealand and 3,300 km away in Australia. Boats crashed into a quiet harbor in Southern California, a remote island was battered in Japan by 4 foot waves and two women were swept to their deaths on a beach in Peru some 6,000 miles from an undersea volcanic eruption so powerful that the tsunami which it set off stirred ocean waters halfway across the globe.
But on Sunday, as reports of the volcano’s effect crowded in from far-flung countries, there was little word from Tonga, the island nation just 40 miles from the site of the extraordinary explosion. As concerns from all over the world grew, the nation of about 100,000 people remained largely cut off from the rest of the world, its undersea internet cables knocked out of commission by the volcano.
In Tonga on Sunday, many residents lost not only communication channels but electric power. Up to 80,000 people there could be affected, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies told the BBC.
New Zealand and other nations in the region pledged to give Tonga aid to recover. But with heavy concentrations of airborne ash making flights impossible, just like the Iceland volcano eruption in 2021, it was difficult even to know what was needed. Ardern, the New Zealand prime minister, said flights over Tonga were planned for Monday or Tuesday, depending on ash conditions.
Tonga has experienced a succession of natural disasters in recent years. In 2018, more than 170 homes were destroyed and two people killed by Cyclone Gita, a Category 5 tropical storm. In 2020, Cyclone Harold caused about $111 million in damage.
1. Which country wasn’t affected by Tanga undersea volcanic eruptions?| A．America | B．Japan | C．Peru | D．Iceland |
| A．20% | B．30% | C．50% | D．70% |
| A．out of action | B．out of range | C．out of existence | D．out of account |
| A．The Iceland volcano eruption in 2021 made nearby flights delayed. |
| B．New Zealand as well as other nations in the region gave Tonga aid timely. |
| C．Flights could reach Tonga two days after the eruption. |
| D．The undersea volcanic eruption caused severer damage to Tonga than ever before. |
3 . When Finn the golden retriever (寻回犬) was diagnosed with a terminal cancer in May , his family decided to do something special to make his last days on earth brighter—and made a doggie bucket list.
Cynthia and Robert Peterson, who live in Burlington, Vermont, wanted to treasure his last days as part of their family. The family said that the idea is to “make him comfortable, make him happy, Spoil him a little bit”.
They said the list is full of fun and includes everything that Finn would want to do. Finn has already completed over half of the ten activities on his bucket list and there are an exciting mixture of things he’s set to do. Some of them are fairly regular dog activities like going for a hike, playing fetch, having a steak dinner, making a new friend and walking along the beach. There’re also some more unusual activities like taking a hot air balloon ride , going apple picking and having a song written about him.
People on social media have found the sweet idea by Finn’s family heartwarming. One person commented on the video:“An animal is so often more than a pet, the unconditional bond and love they pro-vide is a reward in itself. But this couple show their own love back for Finn ten times.” The family said that they think Finn has inspired others to live “more authentically”.
The family have appealed for help with his final bucket list activity. The family say they need help to have a children’s book written about him. Cynthia and Robert are raising money for the book on their Go Fund Me page.
1. Why did Finn’s owners make the bucket list?| A．To brighten his last days. | B．To rid him of pain. |
| C．To raise money from public. | D．To help to cure the cancer. |
| A．It lists tasks full of challenges. | B．It focuses on physical sports. |
| C．It contains some special activities. | D．It is designed by people online. |
| A．They were touched. | B．They donated money. |
| C．They attacked the idea. | D．They rewarded the owners. |
| A．Going apple picking. | B．Offering comfort to other pets. |
| C．Taking a hot air balloon ride. | D．Having a specially-written book. |
4 . The world’s coral reefs are in bad shape. Climate change has led to coral whitening. Overfishing has disturbed the ecosystems that keep reefs healthy. Poisonous runoffs from human industry are destroying the “rainforests of the sea.” A new study has highlighted another threat to coral reefs：plastics.
Researchers analyzed corals from reefs in Southeast Asia and Australia. Almost everywhere they looked, they saw bits of plastic, including chip wrappers, Q-tips, garbage bags.
The team estimates that at least 11 billion plastic items are trapped in coral reefs in the Asia-Pacific and that number is increasing alarmingly. This could spell disaster for the world’s reefs. The likelihood of the corals developing a disease jumps from 4 to 89 percent when corals come into contact with plastics.
Further investigations are needed to determine precisely how and why plastics make coral open to different diseases. But it seems that plastic debris（碎片）slices open the skin of the corals, exposing them to bacteria.
“Plastic debris can cause damage to coral tissues by accelerating invasion of bacteria or by exhausting resources for immune system function during wound-healing processes,” the authors of the study write. Drew Harvell, co-author of the study, says that plastics also “shade the light coral needs and cut off water flow.”
It is vital to preserve the health of coral reefs for a number of reasons. Many marine creatures make their homes within the reefs. Reefs also protect coastlines from waves and tropical storms, support fishing industries and generate billions of dollars for the worldwide tourism industry every year.
Throughout the research, scientists noticed that the plastics problem was not evenly distributed. Reefs near Indonesia had the highest amount of plastic rubbish, while reefs near Australia had the lowest. This could be because Australia has the best waste removal system. It suggests that there is a relatively easy fix to the issue.
“We can clean up the problem,” Harvell told Fears. “It’s so much easier than climate change.”
1. What does the underlined part in the first paragraph refer to?| A．coral reefs | B．ecosystems |
| C．runoffs from human industry | D．plastics |
| A．By cutting off the food supply. |
| B．By bringing bacteria to the sea. |
| C．By speeding up the immune system function. |
| D．By hurting the facial tissue and exposing them to diseases. |
| A．To advertise for the waste removal system. |
| B．To show optimism about solving the plastics problem. |
| C．To praise the efforts made by the Australian government. |
| D．To emphasize the importance of dealing with plastics problem. |
| A．Threats to Coral Reefs. | B．Plastics Endangers Coral Reefs. |
| C．Coral Reefs and Climate Change. | D．Protecting Coral Reefs for Our Future. |
5 . For humans, adapting to climate change will mostly be a matter of technology. More air conditioning, better-designed houses and bigger flood defenses may help lessen the effects of a warmer world. Animals will have to rely on changing their bodies or their behaviour. In a paper published inTrends in Ecology & Evolution, a team led by Sara Ryding, a professor in Australia, shows that is already happening. In some species of Australian parrot, for instance beak (喙) size has increased by between 4% and 10%since 1871. Similar trends are seen in species of mice and bats growing bigger ears, tails, legs and wings.
All that fits nicely with evolutionary (进化的) theory. “Allen’s rule”, named after Joe Allen, who suggested it in 1877, holds that warm-blooded animals in hot places tend to have larger appendages (附加物) than those in mild areas. Such adaptations boost an animal’s surface area relative to its body volume, helping it to get rid of additional heal. Fennec foxes, meanwhile, which are native to the Sahara desert, have strikingly large ears, especially compared with their Arctic cousins.
Ryding’s team combined data from different species in different places. Now that they have little in common apart from living on a warming planet, climate change is the most reasonable explanation. Since any evolutionary adaptation comes with trade-offs, it is unclear how far the process might go. Bigger beaks might interfere with feeding, for instance. Larger wings are heavier, and bigger legs cost more energy to grow.
Honestly, studying a broader range of animals will help firm up exactly what is happening. For now, at least, the increase is small, never much more than 10%. That may change as warming accelerates. Every little bit of avoided future temperature increases results in less warming that would otherwise stay for essentially forever.
1. Why do some species grow bigger parts of their body?| A．They are following the new trends. |
| B．They have to adapt to warmer climate. |
| C．Scientists need them to do experiments. |
| D．Larger parts tend to help them feed well. |
| A．In mild areas. | B．In hot places. |
| C．In the Arctic. | D．In deserted regions. |
| A．It comes at a cost. |
| B．Its cause is definite. |
| C．It happens in the same habitat. |
| D．Its process will end soon. |
| A．Living on a Warming Planet |
| B．Measures to Remove Heat |
| C．Pioneering Research on Animals |
| D．Evolution to Survive Heat |
6 . We’ve been hearing for decades about the complex intelligence of plants; but a new study, conducted by researchers at the University of Missouri, managed to figure out one new important element: plants can tell when they’re being eaten, and they don’t like it.
The word “intelligence”, when applied to any non-human animal or plant, is imprecise and sort of meaningless: research done to determine “intelligence” mostly just aims to learn how similar the inner workings of another organism is to a human thought process. But these studies do give us insight into how other organisms think and behave, whatever “think” might mean.
The researchers were seeking to answer an unusual question: does a plant know when it’s being eaten? To do that, the researchers had to first make a precise version of the vibrations (振动) that a caterpillar (毛虫) makes as it cats leaves. The theory is that it’s these vibrations that the plant can somehow feel or hear. In addition, the researchers also came up with other vibrations the plant might experience, like wind noise.
This particular study was on the thale cress. It actually produces some mustard oils (芥子油), which are mildly poisonous when eaten, and sends them through the leaves to stop caterpillars. And the study showed that when the plants felt or heard the vibrations made by caterpillars, they sent out extra mustard oils into the leaves. When they felt or heard other vibrations? Nothing. It’s a far more dynamic defense than scientists had realized: the plant is more aware of its surroundings and able to respond than expected.
There’s more research to be done; nobody’s quite sure by what mechanism the plant can actually feel or hear these vibrations. But it’s really promising research; there’s even talk of using sound waves to encourage crops to, say, grow faster, or send out specific defenses against attacks. Imagine knowing that a frost is coming, and being able to encourage plants to fruit faster by simply blasting them with music. That’s the kind of crazy sci-fi future this indicates.
1. What does the underlined part “other organisms” in Paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Intelligence of plants. | B．Non-human living things. |
| C．Human thought processes. | D．The inner workings of plants. |
| A．Keeping the plant’s surroundings safe. | B．Acting as defenses to stop caterpillars. |
| C．Making the plant aware of the vibrations. | D．Sending warnings against caterpillars’ coming. |
| A．The plants failed to identify other vibrations. |
| B．The plants sent out more mustard oils into the leaves. |
| C．The plants could identify vibrations from caterpillars. |
| D．The plants prevented caterpillars from eating the leaves. |
| A．The plans for the study. | B．The problems with the study. |
| C．The significance of the study. | D．The achievements of the study. |
7 . Unusually bright light in the sky that appeared suddenly last June has got astronomers in great excitement. After months of study, they still aren’t sure what the object — universally referred to as the “Cow” — is. Whatever it is, says astronomer Liliana Rivera Sandoval of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, “It’s super strange.”
The Cow first appeared in telescope observations on 16 June 2018, in what turned out to be a small galaxy (星系) about 200 million light years away. “When we saw that we thought, let’s get on this,” says Daniel Perley, an astronomer at Liverpool John Moores University.
The early observations confirmed the Cow was truly strange. It didn’t show the obvious changes in its light output that an exploding star would make. Sandoval says as soon as she and colleagues knew the Cow was truly distant, they requested time on NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory to see what the Cow was doing in X-rays. Although the X-ray brightness varied over the early weeks, “the spectrum (光谱) didn’t change, which is very unusual,” she notes. After 3 weeks, the X-ray signal began to vary more wildly while also dropping off in brightness.
Many astronomers agree that the long and steady duration of the event means that it was powered after an initial explosion by some form of central engine. But what that engine may be is also far from clear. Some argue that it could be a very unusual star whose central part has collapsed (坍塌) inward after it exploded. Others say it is a tidal disruption event — a star being torn apart by a black hole. But that usually requires the supermassive black hole in the center of a galaxy, and the Cow is situated in its galaxy’s arm. So, some say, it could be a tidal disruption event generated by an intermediate mass black hole, although evidence for the existence of such smaller black holes remains controversial. “All explanations have problems,” Sandoval says, “I hope there are more Cows.”
1. What is astronomers’ main concern about the Cow?| A．What it is. | B．How it forms. |
| C．When it appears. | D．Where it is from. |
| A．What the Cow was doing. |
| B．How far the Cow is from the earth. |
| C．Whether the Cow is an exploding star. |
| D．Why the X-ray signals varied wildly. |
| A．The research results help little. |
| B．More Cows will appear. |
| C．Extra attention should be paid to the Cow. |
| D．More information is needed. |
| A．A Strange Explosion in Deep Space |
| B．An Interesting Observation of NASA |
| C．A Wide Range of Changes in the Galaxies |
| D．A Great Achievement in Astronomy |
8 . Moscow-based photographer Anastasiya Dobrovolskaya is not a typical “pet photographer.” Her trademark photos look like something out of a fairy tale, but everything is real-from beautiful and unique people to breathtaking landscapes, and various animals you wouldn’t expect to pose alongside people. Tigers, owls, horses anything you can think of is featured in Dobrovolskaya’s incredible portfolio, including the most-wanted bear model, Stepan, who was rescued as a cub and raised by loving humans.
In July of 2018, Anastasiya started taking photos by accident. After three failed attempts at photography, giving up trying, and finding her way to photography again, she received a message from a woman who wanted a photo shoot with a rooster Although she had never photographed people with animals and didn’t have much experience altogether, she took on a challenge and fell in love. In a week, she photographed an owl , then a horse, and it kicked off from there with some of her photos going viral online. It was enough to quit her job and pursue a career in commercial photography.
The 30-year-old photographer takes dreamlike photos that capture the magical bond between animals and humans and show how beautifully diverse, yet similar they are. “In my work, I want to show common features between people and animals so that animals become more respected by people and people will do their best to minimize the harm they do to nature.” She says.
However, some people accuse her of using animals, that animals suffer during photoshoots, and so on. But they don’t even know how far they are from the truth. In most cases, the animals were rescued from poor conditions, from fur factories, or were abandoned by the owners. Almost all large animals live in the countryside, in spacious areas, in specially equipped enclosures with regular walking. Each animal feeds on the basis of its species.” Only those animals with a certain character are selected for the photoshoots, and the process is almost always very comfortable,” explained the photographer.
The photographer now has an astonishing 179k followers on Instagram-an audience that has become a source of endless support, energy, and inspiration.
1. Which of the following statements about Stepan is true ?| A．He was saved in the wild. | B．He enjoys great popularity. |
| C．He was adopted by other bears. | D．He is kept in a small cage. |
| A．How Anastasiya faced her failure. |
| B．How much Anastasiya loved photography. |
| C．How Anastasiya began her photography careen |
| D．How Anastasiya’s photos became well-known online, |
| A．a baby sleeping in its mother’s arms . | B．a parrot resting on a girl’s shoulder. |
| C．a stream winding through a valley. | D．a fox running after a rabbit |
| A．The animals are treated badly. |
| B．Few people appreciate the photos. |
| C．The photos may arouse people’s awareness of protecting nature. |
| D．I he photographer has worked on photography for over four years. |
9 . Have you ever tried to get your desired things at 1 a.m. in the middle of exam season? The ones that convince you to walk to Hillside in the middle of a snowstorm just for a slice of cheesecake?
Well, I have too. But instead of wanting something normal and yummy like ice cream or cookies, I’ve been longing for cauliflower. I know half of you stopped reading just now. It’s okay. Honestly, I get it. For those of you who stuck around, let’s talk vegetables.
Unlike those terrifyingly healthy food bloggers, my recent adventures in vegetables originated from an existential crisis concerning global warming. It turns out food production is one of the highest producers of the greenhouse gases that contribute to the breakdown of Earth’s ozone layer (臭氧层). And one of the simplest ways to make a difference is by eating more vegetables and less meat and cheese. So I’ve been forcing myself to eat more vegetables to convince myself that Earth can exist after 2050. And just like those terrifying food bloggers say, it has become a habit.
Now, I don’t just chow down on raw cauliflower stems for lunch. Instead, I like to dress up the vegetables, and it turns out the real trick to make them taste good is a perfect seasoning blend (调味品).
And let me tell you, I’ve become addicted to one of my own creations: olive oil, garlic salt, white pepper, and dill. The mixture is cooked at 375℉ for 20-30 minutes. This works on just about any vegetable you can roast. Plus, it’s so good it’s been proven to cause longings.
Eating responsibly is about so much more than “eating healthy.” It’s just as important to eat food you enjoy. If you crave cheesecake, eat cheesecake. If you want to opt for the more head of cauliflower, eat cauliflower.
After all, living to 2050 isn’t worth much if you aren’t happy.
1. Why does the author begin to eat vegetables?| A．The author always adores them. |
| B．The author follows the trend. |
| C．The author wants to pass the exams. |
| D．The author thinks it benefits environment. |
| A．The author eats raw vegetables. |
| B．The author toasts vegetables. |
| C．The author boils vegetables. |
| D．The author dresses up to eat vegetables. |
| A．He may be an artist. | B．He may be a cook. |
| C．He may be a student. | D．He may be a clerk. |
| A．Humorous. | B．Critical. |
| C．Confused. | D．Ambiguous. |
10 . Light pollution is a significant but overlooked driver of the rapid decline of insect populations, according to the most comprehensive review of the scientific evidence to date.
Artificial light at night can affect every aspect of insects' lives, the researchers said. "We strongly believe artificial light at night — in combination with habitat loss, chemical pollution.invasive (入侵的) species, and climate change — is driving insect declines, " the scientists concluded after assessing more than 150 studies.
Insect population collapses have been reported around the world, and the first global scientific review published in February, said widespread declines threatened to cause a "catastrophic collapse of nature's ecosystems".
There are thought to be millions of insect species, most still unknown to science, and about half are active at night. Those active in the day may also be disturbed by light at night when they are at rest.
The most familiar impact of light pollution is moths (飞蛾) flapping around a bulb, mistaking it for the moon. Some insects use the polarisation of light to find the water they need to breed, as light waves line up after reflecting from a smooth surface. But artificial light can scupper (使泡汤) this. Insects are important prey (猎物) for many species, but light pollution can tip the balance in favour of the predator if it traps insects around lights. Such increases in predation risk were likely to cause the rapid extinction of affected species, the researchers said.
The researchers said most human-caused threats to insects have analogues in nature, such as climate change and invasive species. But light pollution is particularly hard for insects to deal with.
However, unlike other drivers of decline, light pollution is relatively easy to prevent. Simply turning off lights that are not needed is the most obvious action, he said, while making lights motion-activated also cuts light pollution. Shading lights so only the area needed is lit up is important. It is the same with avoiding blue-white lights, which interfere with daily rhythms. LED lights also offer hope as they can be easily tuned to avoid harmful colours and flicker rates.
1. What is discussed in the passage?| A．Causes of declining insect populations. |
| B．Consequences of insect population collapses. |
| C．Light pollution: the key bringer of insect declines. |
| D．Insect declines: the driver of the collapsed ecosystem. |
| A．How light travels in space. |
| B．How light helps insects find food. |
| C．How the food chain is interrelated. |
| D．How light pollution affects insects. |
| A．Selective things. | B．Similar things. | C．Variations. | D．Limitations. |
| A．To offer solutions. |
| B．To give examples. |
| C．To make comparisons. |
| D．To present arguments. |
