1 . “A lot of the time when climate change is discussed in mainstream media, people are asking ‘can humans overcome this?’, or ‘what technology can solve this?’. It’s high time we recognized that animals also have to adapt to various changes. We know some animals change their skin colors to escape from natural enemies or due to environment pollution,” says Ryding. “The climate change that we have created is putting a lot of pressure on them, and some species try to adapt by shapeshifting (变形). ”
Strong shapeshifting has particularly been reported in birds. Several species of Australian parrot have shown, on average, a 4%—10% increase in beak (鸟喙) size since 1871, and this is positively linked with the summer temperature each year. North American dark-eyed juncos, a type of small songbird, had a link between increased beak size and short-term temperature extremes in cold environments. There have also been reported changes in mammalian species. Researchers have reported tail length increases in wood mice and leg size increases in masked shrews (鼩鼱).
“The increases in some body parts size we see so far are quite small—less than 10%—so the changes are unlikely to be immediately noticeable,” says Ryding. “However, some body parts such as ears are predicted to increase.”
Ryding intends to investigate shapeshifting in Australian birds firsthand by 3D scanning museum bird specimens from the past 100 years. It will give her team a better understanding of which birds are changing their body parts and why. “Shapeshifting does not mean that animals are coping with climate change and that all is ‘fine’,” says Ryding. “It just means they are adapting to survive it—but we’re not sure what the other ecological consequences of these changes are, or indeed that all species are capable of changing and surviving. ”
1. What may cause animals’ shapeshifting according to Ryding?| A．Human hunting. | B．Climate change. |
| C．Natural enemies. | D．Polluted surroundings. |
| A．Giving examples. | B．Cause-effect analysis. |
| C．Making comparison. | D．Process analysis. |
| A．Animals can well adapt to changes and survive. |
| B．Influence of animals’ shapeshifting is uncertain. |
| C．Rdying will research into bird museums in Australia. |
| D．All adaptations of animals to climate change are beneficial. |
| A．Technology. | B．Health care. | C．Environment. | D．Education. |
2 . Avebury is near the far more famous Stonehenge. What is interesting about it is that a village has grown up around the stones, unlike Stonehenge, which stands alone. Avebury and Stonehenge are just two of about 1,300 stone circles all over the UK. Many of them are in fantastic locations, like Castlering in Cumbria, from which you can see England’s highest mountain; and the Ring of Brodgar in the beautiful Orkney Island, off Scotland’s northern coast.
Some of them are UNESCO World Heritage sites, and several have local stories connected to them. For example, the Merry Maidens in West Cornwall is a group of nineteen stones. According to the story, they were young women — maidens — who were turned into stone for dancing on a Sunday.
Early historians thought that the stone circles were temples for the people who arrived in the UK in about 500 BC. Later research has shown that they are far older than that, at least 4,000 years old. Stonehenge could have been built 5,000 years ago, but it’s still nowhere near as old as the nearby wooden circle built about 10,000 years ago. Some experts believe they acted like calendars and have shown that some stones line up with sunrise or sunset on the longest and shortest days of the year. Others believe they were places for the dead bodies of the local rich and powerful.
We may never know why they were built, but each one leaves the visitor with a strong sense of the shortness of our existence in the sea of history. There are groups of stone circles and other prehistoric (史前的) monuments throughout the British Isles, so wherever you are staying you should include at least one in your tour.
1. What can we learn about Avebury?| A．It stands alone. | B．It is a part of Stonehenge. |
| C．It has a village around it now. | D．It consists of a couple of Merry Maidens. |
| A．Stone circles. | B．Mountains. |
| C．Temples. | D．Islands. |
| A．The local stories of stone circles. |
| B．The original purpose of stone circles. |
| C．The historic value of stone circles. |
| D．The time when stone circles were built. |
| A．Building more monuments. | B．Protecting World Heritage sites. |
| C．Learning more about our history. | D．Visiting some of those stone circles. |
3 . Chimney swift (烟囱雨燕) numbers have fallen by more than 70 percent since the 1960s, scientists believe, and by more than one-third over the past 16 years. That large drop have made the International Union for the Conversation of Nature regard chimney swifts as“vulnerable(脆弱的)”. That is the last step before they are considered “endangered”.
Chimney swift numbers are becoming smaller as the shape and design of the nation’s buildings change. People are tearing down old factory buildings and schools. Many of these buildings have chimneys. Today, most American homes do not have chimneys. And many homeowners who do have chimneys cover up the top to keep out.
People across the United States are putting up tall, narrow buildings to help chimney swifts. They hope they will use these buildings as nesting areas and resting places.
Bird lovers, Georgean and Paul Kyle, are often praised for starting the present interest in building towers. “It does give us hope that if we put them up, they will use them,” the Kyles said. They have put up more than 100 towers in Central Texas. Eighty percent of those buildings before the birds’ March arrival get nests in their first year. Hundreds of migrating swifts make use of the towers.
But the link between the drop in chimney swift numbers and chimney loss is not clear. The flying insects that swifts eat also appear to be dropping.
Professor Rubega thinks the cause of the birds’ drop could be in South America. “Chimney swifts are basically a South American bird that stays in North America for four months, ” she said. Rubega said a big problem is that scientists have only a few reports of small numbers of chimney swifts in the upper Amazon Basin. So, they do not really know where the little birds spend the winter, let alone what may be happening to them there.
1. Where are chimney swifts used to living?| A．In rooms with humans. | B．In useless old buildings. |
| C．In the woods near villages. | D．In chimneys of buildings. |
| A．Give them much food. | B．Build homes for them. |
| C．Add chimneys to new houses. | D．Open chimneys for them to get in. |
| A．Chimney swifts suffer a lot in South America. |
| B．It’s necessary to build homes for chimney swifts. |
| C．Scientists know only a little about chimney swifts. |
| D．Chimney loss has nothing to do with the birds. |
| A．Chimney Swifts Numbers Are Dropping |
| B．Chimney Swifts Will Change Their Lifestyle |
| C．Chimney Swifts Prefer Their New Homes |
| D．Chimney Swifts Live in Peace with Humans |
4 . The South American nation of Chile has been experiencing bad droughts for the last 13 years. This serious lack of water has led to fewer flowers and, as a result, fewer honeybees. Some chemicals used to kill insects harmful to crops called pesticides (杀虫剂), also hurt bees.
Beekeepers in Chile are concerned. Carlos Peralta and his brother Marco are beekeepers. Carlos has seen the number of his honeybees dropping sharply. He said he had lost about 300 hives (蜂巢) since the start of November 2021. A hive can hold tens of thousands of bees. Losing so many bees left Peralta with a difficult choice. He could keep his remaining 900 hives alive with man-made honey, or he could move the hives to a place where there are more flowers. “If the bees die, we all die… The bee is life,” Carlos said. He was describing the important job that bees have to pollinate (授粉) plants in the wild and for food growers.
So Carlos decided to move his beehives about 1, 000 kilometers to the south, to a place called Puerto Montt. However, his brother Marco chose to stay in Colina with his bees rather than join Carlos in the south. Marco said he feared losing bees to pesticides if he moved.
An FAO study in 2018 found that Chile’s introduction of pesticides had grown by 460 percent over the previous 20 years. Beekeepers blame (责备) this increase for their losses. Chile’s honey exports (出口) have dropped over the past four to five years.
Carlos Peralta said, “You enter a fruit garden with your bees and you don’t know if you'll come out with living bees or dead ones.”
His brother Marco has been feeding his bees with sugar water. However, this food leaves the bees unable to produce honey. “The bees grow weak with sugar water,” said Mario Flores.
Before the drought, beekeepers would use the sugar food during the winter months. But now they use it almost all year.
1. What does Carlos think of the survival of bees according to paragraph 2?| A．It is related to beekeepers’ skill. | B．It is a matter of life and death for him. |
| C．It is important to the water system. | D．It is a must for his country’s exports. |
| A．To save the cost of moving. | B．To benefit the plants nearby. |
| C．To avoid harmful chemicals. | D．To leave the chance to his brother. |
| A．Their health can be harmed. | B．They gather more honey. |
| C．They are too full to work. | D．Their honey is of poor quality. |
| A．Dry Conditions and Poisonous Chemicals Are Killing Bees |
| B．Nature Balance of Chile Is Being Destroyed by Beekeepers |
| C．Harmful Chemicals Are Bringing Danger to Living Things |
| D．Two Brothers’ Different Ways to Keep Bees Have Different Results |
5 . Biologists from Boise State University have been making noise in the forests of the western American state of Idaho. They are making noise to study the value of quiet in nature. They want to know how people and animals react to noise pollution.
The researchers placed outdoor speakers on the side of a half-kilometer-long part of a road in the Boise National Forest. For two years, they played the sounds of passing cars through the speakers. Professor Jesse says they found the sounds caused migratory （迁徙的）birds to flee. The birds also failed to gain weight.
Recently, researchers played sounds of machines that are used to remove natural gas from the ground. That sound is heard in natural gas fields throughout the American West. Professor Barber says these experiments are designed to help researchers learn the effects of noise pollution on birds, insects, bats, and people.
"We are testing the idea that these things are coupled -- that as the soundscape gets louder, wildlife suffers. But that also feeds back on to how much people get out of that experience, how much they value it, and thus how much they are willing to protect that same place."
The research team also studied a group of volunteers who watch birds for fun. Mitch Levenhagen is a graduate student in the research team. He measured how much the artificial noise lessened the ability of the birdwatchers to recognize recorded bird songs.
The birdwatchers said the artificial noise affected their ability to recognize bird sounds more than they thought it would. Birdwatcher Jim Lyons said the experiment caused him to value quiet more.
"I moved out of the city to a little place in the country where I wanted it to be quiet. I greatly value that. It is hard to find those places more and more. There are lots of ways to mitigate（减轻） sound. But it is trade-off. There is always a cost. And it comes down to people's values. What do we value more." said Volunteer Janice Engle.
1. What is the purpose of carrying out the research?| A．To prevent people making any noise in their daily life. |
| B．To find out the effect noise has on humans and animals. |
| C．To call on many more people to protect the environment. |
| D．To encourage people to keep quiet while they are in nature. |
| A．impressive | B．unique | C．instructive | D．convincing |
| A．The great importance of quiet in nature. |
| B．The big price humans will pay for health. |
| C．The great value of a sharp sense of hearing. |
| D．The necessity of protecting wildlife in nature. |
6 . It’s hard to imagine that just 25 years ago, Berlin was a city split (分开) into two by the Berlin Wall. I’ll never forget how people were excited as the Berlin Wall came down in 1989. Since then, Berlin has become one of the coolest cities in Europe. Here are the main reasons why I think Berlin is cool.
It’s affordable. Berlin has cheap hotels and everyday objects. You don’t have to worry about spending too much money when visiting Berlin.
It has fantastic festivals. Berlin knows how to give parties, and there is a festival here every month of the year. Perhaps the most famous is the Berlin International Film Festival.
It has great architecture (建筑设计). Berlin has beautiful architecture of its own. The Brandenburg Gate, built in the 18th century, is one of the city’ s most famous buildings, symbolizing more than 200 years of history. The TV Tower is as good as the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the London Eye.
The art scene is flourishing (繁荣). Berlin is a city of living art. Artists are allowed to create works of art on the sides of buildings.
If you want to visit an affordable European city with culture and lots of colors, Berlin is the place to be. What are you waiting for? Get to Europe’s coolest city before everyone else discovers it.
1. The underlined word “affordable” in Paragraph 2 means “________” in Chinese.| A．可利用的 | B．可触及的 |
| C．付得起的 | D．用得住的 |
| A．Once a week. | B．Twice a week. |
| C．Once a month. | D．Twice a month. |
| A．Its color. | B．Its history. |
| C．Its location. | D．Its architecture. |
| A．He can’t stand it. | B．He thinks it’s boring. |
| C．He doesn’t mind it. | D．He thinks it’s cool. |
7 . In the United States，many teachers keep fish，hamsters(仓鼠)，and other animals in their classrooms.Teachers say students learn important lessons from the animals.More than 70 percent of teachers who have classroom pets say the animals help students learn responsibility.Research also shows that classroom pets can reduce stress.
“Pets can comfort kids who are having a bad day,”says Lisa Robbins，who works fora group called Pets in the Classroom.
But others think pets should be expelled from classrooms. In January，the Durango School District in Colorado began following a no-pet policy(政策).Now animals can be brought into Durango schools for certain lessons，but they can't stay.Officials were worried that animals might create problems for kids with allergies(过敏症).They were also concerned about the animals getting proper care.
Here's what two of our readers think.
Having classroom pets gives students a fun way to learn about animals. In my class last year，we had a class pet named Elliot.Our teacher also used him to teach us about different subjects.For example，in math，we calculated (计算)how much it costs to feed Elliot for a year.
Pets also help kids learn how to work as a team. My classmates and I took turns feeding Elliot and cleaning his tank,
If teachers are worried about students with allergies，they could get pets that don't have fur.
—D' Lasia Mays，Texas
Classroom pets can take away valuable class time.Some students might have a hard time focusing on the teacher when there are animals in the room.
Plus，having a classroom pet can cause safety problems. You never know how an animal will react to students.Even a cute little hamster might hurt a kid who sticks his or her hand in its cage.
—Patrick McKinney，Ohio
1. What does the underlined word " expelled”in Paragraph 3 probably mean?| A．Allowed. | B．Removed. |
| C．Protected. | D．Educated. |
| A．Classroom pets are not allowed at schools. |
| B．Animals are not allowed at schools. |
| C．Many teachers have pets without fur. |
| D．Many students are allergic to animals. |
| A．He needs special training. | B．He needs more proper care. |
| C．He has educational value for kids. | D．He is not only lovely but very smart. |
| A．The author. | B．Lisa Robbins. |
| C．Patrick McKinney. | D．D' Lasia Mays’ teacher. |
8 . Manta rays (魔鬼鱼)are some of the creatures in the ocean who allow divers to swim right up to and interact (互动) with them. Unfortunately, these gentle animals are in big trouble. Since 2011, manta rays have been listed as a threatened species worldwide.
Peru, a country in South America, recently took a big step to protect giant manta rays: It banned fishing for them. Although 12 other countries have passed laws to protect rays, Peru's may be the most important one yet. That's because there are more manta rays in the Pacific Ocean near Peru than in any other place in the world.
Giant manta rays are unusual — looking creatures. The giant, flat rays are typically about 4.5 meters wide and can grow up to 8 meters wide! "They're" sort of like giant flying carpets underwater, says Joshua Stewart of the Manta Trust, an organization that researches manta rays.
People catch rays for their meal. Overfishing is bad for any sea creature, but it's even worse for manta rays. Female manta rays usually have only one baby every two to five years. So every ray that's caught hurts the population in a big way. People who break Peru's new law can be fined or have their fishing licenses taken away. Even rays caught accidentally in fishing nets must be set free.
Earlier this year, the Manta Trust attached video cameras, called Crittercams, to manta rays off the west coast of Mexico. The footage(连续镜头)the cameras collect could help researchers predict where rays swim and when. The scientists could use the information to warn fishing boats to avoid these areas, helping reduce the number of accidentally caught rays.
Stewart says it's important to protect these unique creatures. "There's really no other animal that compares in size and that you can have interactions with in the wild.
1. What's a characteristic of manta rays?| A．They can fly like a bird. |
| B．They are usually of small size. |
| C．They are very friendly to people |
| D．They like swimming up and down. |
| A．They haven't their own home. |
| B．They only live in the Pacific Ocean. |
| C．Their number has dropped greatly. |
| D．Almost no female rays give birth. |
| A．protect them | B．look for more rays |
| C．make films about them | D．reduce their population |
| A．It makes no sense. | B．It is hard to follow. |
| C．It is really essential, | D．It needs improvement. |
9 . A nation-wide honeybee crisis is under way in the United States. Lately bees have begun to rapidly disappear in24 states across the country. For reasons unknown, bees are flying off in search of nectar and pollen and simply never returning to their colonies.
Bees are extremely social insects; they never desert their young or bee queens. Researchers argue that bees are most probably dying during their search for nectar. A range of theories is also investigated, including a virus and poor bee nutrition. Researchers are looking into a group of pesticides that were banned in European countries to find out whether the chemical preparations(still used in the U. S.) are somehow causing damage to bees' born ability to find their way back home. According to yet another theory, the losses may have resulted from a massive attack by mites, which have repeatedly damaged bee colonies in the past.
The bees disappear as pressure has been building on the U. S. bee industry. The costs to maintain hives are continuously rising. The bee business becomes less profitable as a result. According to estimates by the Agriculture Department, the number of hives has dropped by a quarter over the last twenty years, and the number of beekeepers decreased by half. Beekeepers also have to deal with the problem of suburban spread as they search for areas where bees can hunt for nectar to stay healthy and feel good during the pollination season.
A terrible epidemic breaks out in The Plague, a novel by Albert Camus, shortly after hundreds of dead rats are discovered all over the town. The recent bee mystery, already nicknamed a "colony collapse disorder" by U. S researchers, seems to somewhat resemble the situation described in the novel. We can only hope that the "bee plague" will not take shape of a problem of global proportions.
1. What does the text mainly tell us?| A．terrible epidemic breaks out in America. |
| B．The reason for honeybees' disappearance. |
| C．Measures should be taken to solve the problem. |
| D．The tragedy of mysterious disappearance of America's honeybees. |
| A．Bees are not fond of living together. |
| B．The scientists have found out the reason for bees disappearance. |
| C．Probably, the losses may result from their colonies being damaged. |
| D．It is likely that the bees die while looking for nectar. |
| A．240. | B．200. | C．120. | D．60. |
| A．Because they think the bee plague will kill them. |
| B．Because they believe man will be defeated in the end. |
| C．Because they think the US bee industry is going to come to an end. |
| D．Because they fear the coming of the disaster described in the novel. |
