1 . A team of Australian scientists has discovered a curious “chocolate frog”, a tree frog, in the lowland rainforests of New Guinea. Tree frogs are known for their green skin — but due to its brown coloring, researchers named it “chocolate frog”.
“The closest known relative of ‘chocolate frog’ is the Australian green tree frog. The two species look similar except one is usually green, while the new species usually has a lovely chocolate coloring,”said Paul Oliver, the author who described the discovery in a paper in the journal Australian Journal of Zoology.
Australia and New Guinea were linked by land 2. 6 million years ago, which may account for(解释) the reason why they have similar species. But now, New Guinea is covered by rainforest, while northern Australia is mainly savannah(稀树草原). Green tree frogs can be found across northern and eastern Australia and New Guinea. Australian scientists discovered one of the new creatures in 2016, according to the paper, and they think the animal could be widespread across New Guinea.
“The ‘chocolate frog’ lives in very hot and wet areas with lots of crocodiles, which discourages exploration,” co-author Steve Richards said. Although the creatures may look like the magical snacks found in the Harry Potter series, the similarities stop there.
“We later named this new frog species Mira, which means ‘surprised’ or ‘strange’ in Latin, because it was a surprising discovery. It was Australia’s well-known and common tree frogs’ over-looked relative living in the lowland rain-forests of New Guinea,” Oliver said. “Researching into the biotic(生物的) interchange between these two regions is critical to understanding how the rainforest and savannah habitat types have expanded and narrowed over time,” Oliver said. “Our study on divergence(分化) of the new species shows that 5. 3 to 2. 6 million years ago, there was still connectivity between the two species across lowland tropical habitats of northern Australia and New Guinea.”
1. How did the newly found frog get its name at first?| A．By its skin color. | B．By its living place. |
| C．By its small number. | D．By its special shape. |
| A．They are both rich in food for frogs. | B．They both have large grass coverage. |
| C．They have the same kind of climate. | D．They were linked with each other. |
| A．predicting existing habitats for animals |
| B．knowing about the change in plant cover |
| C．recognizing different kinds of animals |
| D．protecting the endangered plants |
| A．Frog species are widely found in rainforests worldwide. |
| B．Australian tree frogs change their coloring in New Guinea. |
| C．The geographical environment affects changes in species. |
| D．Scientists discovered a new “chocolate frog” in New Guinea. |
2 . A desert is a very dry land where there is hardly any rain. In the day, it can be so hot that you could fry an egg on the ground. But during the night it is sometimes so could that water would turn into ice.
Many desserts are covered in sand. But some have mountains, rocks, or lakes that have dried up in the heat. The Great American Dessert has cliffs (悬崖) that have been made into amazing and beautiful shapes by the wind. The Sahara Desert in Africa is mostly sand. The Australian Desert has red sand.
Sometimes it does not rain for a whole year in the desert. But there is water deep under the ground and some plants have roots that go very deep to find it. Other plants have roots that spread out a long way so they can suck up the rain as soon as it falls. One desert plant is the cactus, which has long, spreading roots. The cactus stores water inside its hard skin. This skin protects it from heat and cold. Camels are a bit like cactus plants! They store water too — inside their bodies. They have special fur which protects them from the sun during the day and keeps them warm at night.
Some other animals live in deserts, too. They have to be very good at seeing and hearing because most of them only come out at night. This is why many desert animals have extra big eyes or ears. A desert fox has bigger ears than a normal fox. A gerbil has huge eye, so that it can see at night. It stays cool in the day by staying underground, like most desert animals.
Some people live in the desert but they always make their homes near an oasis. An oasis is where water comes from an underground river. Near an oasis, people can grow lots of plants and keep animals.
Life is hard in the desert, for people, animals and plants. But desert people like to live there.
1. what do the underlined “suck up” in paragraph 3 mean?| A．Give away. | B．Take in. | C．Hold on. | D．Put down. |
| A．Desert people like to live in the desert though life is hard. |
| B．People in the desert usually fry eggs on the ground. |
| C．Camels have special fur to store water. |
| D．All the deserts are covered in sand. |
| A．it is very cold at night |
| B．the sunlight is too strong in the day |
| C．they store water in them |
| D．they need to see and hear well at night |
| A．staying underground |
| B．growing lots of plants |
| C．storing water inside their bodies |
| D．drinking water as much as they can |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
3 . When you watch TV programs about wild animals, it is surprising to see how an antelope (羚羊)can run away from a strong lion. In the wild, everyone has his own way to protect himself. Even plants have their own ways to fight against enemies.
Over millions of years, plants have developed their own way to protect themselves. Chemicals (化学物质) are used by plants to live. By making their leaves, flowers, roots and fruits poisonous (有毒的) to enemies, plants can fight back.
One such plant is the Golden Wattle tree. The British scientist David Cameron has found when an animal eats the tree’s leaves, and the number of poisonous chemicals becomes more in the other leaves. “It’s like the injured (受伤的) leaves telling the others to fight against the enemy together, ” he said.
The tree also sends messages to plants near it by giving out a special smell. Golden Wattle trees in the nearly 45 meters will get the message and produce more poison in 10 minutes. Now, if an enemy eats too many of the trees’ leaves, he will die.
Every kind of plant is good at producing special chemicals. Animals that feed on plants or glass, like rabbits, can safely eat the leaves of one tree, but they may be hurt by its neighbor.
In this way, plants have not only developed their own way to protect themselves, but also shared it with others. So it’s impossible for a single animal to damage even a small area of forest.
1. What’s the function (功能) of the first paragraph?| A．To use an example to lead to the main idea of the passage. |
| B．To show the structure (结构) of the passage. |
| C．To introduce how wild animals protect themselves. |
| D．To raise readers’ interest on wild animals. |
| A．kill the animals with a special smell |
| B．tell other trees to come to protect it |
| C．warn people to fight against the animals |
| D．send messages to the plants nearby to protect themselves |
| A．For about an hour. | B．In ten minutes. |
| C．For fifteen minutes. | D．For more than ten minutes. |
| A．It’s bad for human beings. | B．It’s good for forests. |
| C．It’s helpful to some animals. | D．It’s harmful to forests. |
| A．The examples of protecting forests. |
| B．The balance between animals and plants. |
| C．The ways of plants fighting against enemies. |
| D．The relationship between lions and antelopes |
4 . Do you think animals can predict (预报) the weather or other natural events? Farmers living in the countryside think so. For hundreds of years, they have observed animals. They think animals’ behavior (行为) can be connected to future weather conditions or events. For example, if swans fly into the wind, a hurricane is coming. Or, if cows lie down, a rainstorm is coming. There are many traditional stories connecting animals and natural events. Many people think that these stories are just folklore, traditional stories and beliefs without scientific evidence (证据). Scientists, however, are beginning to take another look at some of these ideas.
Kiyoshi Shimamura is a Japanese earthquake researcher. He noticed an increase in dog bites a short time before earthquakes hit. Then, he did an investigation (调查) of twelve public health centers in Kobe, Japan. These health centers treated people after the 1995 earthquake. He noticed some interesting information about the month before the big earthquake. Treatment for animal bites had increased. In fact, aggressive (冒犯的；侵略的) behavior in dogs, such as biting and barking loudly, jumped (猛增) 60 percent!
People noticed other changes in animal behavior before the earthquake as well. For example, fish began swimming together in large groups, only in the middle of the water and not near the edges. Also, birds flew away from their nests for many days, leaving their eggs unprotected. The animal behavior suggests that animals may be able to predict natural events better than people.
1. What is the main idea of the passage?| A．What animals do during earthquakes. |
| B．Many earthquakes of Japan. |
| C．Effect (影响) of natural events on animals’ actions. |
| D．Folklore and other stories about animals. |
| A．They lie down in grass. | B．They stay together in large groups. |
| C．They leave their homes. | D．They hurt people. |
| A．Pigs | B．Birds | C．Cows | D．All of the above |
| A．Animal clinics treating dogs. | B．The number of patients with bites. |
| C．The number of earthquakes a year. | D．Places dogs go during earthquakes. |
5 . Celebrate Arbor Day (植树节)
People in many countries observe Arbor Day. If you want to make a contribution to our planet, you could start by reminding your family and neighbors of the importance of planting trees.
1. Choose a tree that will grow well in your area. You should consider: how big the tree will grow, how long it will live, whether it produces fruit or flowers, and whether it attracts birds and other wildlife.
2. Decide where you will plant your tree. Remember that the tree’s root system and branches will need space to spread out and up, so you do not want to place it too close to your house or other buildings or other trees.
3.
4. If your tree comes wrapped with burlap (粗麻布) around the roots, simply pull the cloth loose enough so that it falls around the root system in the hole.
5. Separate the roots slightly to encourage them to spread. Root tips die when exposed to light and air, so get the tree in the ground as quickly as possible.
6. Create a shallow depression (凹地) around the tree to collect water. Thoroughly water the tree and add mulch around its base to help keep the ground around the tree moist (潮湿的).
| A．It’s time to dig. |
| B．It’s time to water the tree. |
| C．Then organize your own tree-planting event! |
| D．If your tree comes in a container, be sure to move it. |
| E．Then fill in the space around it with soil and pat it down. |
| F．Keep in mind that you should water it regularly and take good care of it. |
| G．And if you want to plant in a public space, make sure to get permission first from the local town board. |
6 . The large, colorful birds called peacocks have spent the last 20 years walking through cities in South Florida with nothing to worry about. They are protected under law.
However, local leaders voted recently to permit individual cities to remove the birds from unwanted areas. Raquel Regalado, a local government leader, represents parts of the cities of Miami and Coral Gables where people want permission to remove the birds. “Mating season is when we get the most complaints. They get very aggressive, ” said Regalado. She added birds would do things like damage cars with their beaks.
About two years ago, people who live in the Miami neighborhood asked city leaders to remove a large group of peacocks. The birds caused damage and left piles of waste in the streets. They called the birds “filthy and dirty”.
But others liked seeing the unusual birds and thought it made their neighborhood look different in a good way. They don’t want to see the birds harmed. Danielle Cohen Higgins, a local woman, said, “we learn to live with these peacocks and they are part of the community.”
Peacocks are not native to South Florida. They originally come from Sri Lanka and other parts of Asia as well as Africa. The birds have been protected from killing or capturing in South Florida for about 20 years. The rule was put in place because people in the area wanted to save a group of peacocks. But now the birds live freely in parts of Florida and they are not uncommon. It is hard to find zoos that want them while state laws prevent non-native species like peacocks from being released in the wild. If will accept the birds, they might have to be killed in a process known as euthanasia (安乐死).
Regalado said the problem now will be to decide where to put the peacocks. “This really is not about killing,” she said. “This is about moving. ”
1. From the passage, we can learn________.| A．peacocks are being killed in Florida. | B．peacocks are hopefully to live in the zoo. |
| C．peacocks are influencing people’s daily life. | D．peacocks are being sent to the wild. |
| A．They consider them as a part of their life. | B．They think the birds will not cause damage. |
| C．They want to save the native species. | D．They call them “filthy and dirty”. |
| A．How to live with the birds. | B．Whether to remove the birds. |
| C．How to kill the birds. | D．Where to put the birds. |
7 . Some of you may play Ant Forest, a game on Alipay. Users collect “energy” to make their “trees” grow. When the “energy” reaches a certain level, some organizations and companies will plant a real tree in a desert area of China. And now it seems that the nation’s efforts as a whole to make a greener world have paid off.
According to a research by NASA, China and India are mainly responsible for making the Earth greener over the past two decades. The study has found that since 2000 the Earth’s green leaf area has increased by 5 percent, or over 5 million square kilometers. That’s an area equivalent to the total area of the Amazon rainforest. It is mainly the result of big tree-planting programs in China and intensive agriculture in both countries, according to NASA. China was the major contributor, adding 25 percent to this increase, while India added 6.8 percent.
Over the past decades, China has made great efforts to green the land. In 1978, China began a national-level forestation project – the Three North Shelterbelt Forest Program, also known as the “Great Green Wall”. The program has seen many trees planted in 13 provinces and autonomous regions in northern China to act as windbreaks, according to China Daily. By the end of 2017, the forest coverage rate among the regions of the project had reached 13.57 percent, compared to 5.05 percent 40 years ago.
In the light of China’s success in dealing with desertification, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) believes the country is a good example for others to follow. “China is one of the most successful countries in greening the desert and has lessons to share with the world,” UNEP Executive Director Erik Solheim told Xinhua.
1. Which of the following is the nearest meaning of the underlined word in para 2?| A．equal | B．similar | C．previous | D．absolute |
| A．China is the most successful country in greening the desert. |
| B．Through Ant Forest, users can plant a real tree on their own. |
| C．China has made great contributions to greening the earth. |
| D．Most desert areas in China had been forests by the end of 2017. |
| A．A research report | B．A magazine | C．A guidebook | D．A book review |
8 . India has the world's worst air pollution. Home to 21 of the world's 30 most polluted cities, its poisonous air kills more than one million people each year.
Being the world's second largest brick producer, India's brick kilns (砖窋) account for 
of black carbon emissions globally. Architect Tejas Sidnal was astonished to discover the construction industry's role in the pollution crisis. "That was a crazy eye opener," he says. "As architects, we are responsible for so much air pollution."
Determined to make construction more sustainable and tackle India's air pollution, Sidnal launched Carbon Craft Design in 2019. The startup takes black carbon extracted from polluted air and upcycles it to make stylish, handcrafted building tiles (瓷砖).
To create the carbon tiles, Carbon Craft Design, together with Graviky Labs, uses a filter device to capture carbon soot (碳黑) from tail gas and fossil fuel generators, removes pollutants such as heavy metals and dust from the soot, and gives the purified carbon to Carbon Craft Design in powder form. The company then mixes the captured carbon with cement and marble waste from quarries to produce monochromatic tiles. The company aims to ensure each tile contains at least 
waste material. It sells the tiles to architects and retailers (零售商) for 
per square meter-a high price compared to regular tiles.
As the company expands production, Sidnal hopes to lower prices and produce a cheaper range of carbon tiles. "We want to hit the affordable sector," he says. "Sustainability is not only for the elite (精英)."
Since launching its first tiles a year ago, Carbon Craft Design's customers have included global fashion brands and architecture firms in India. In November 2020, an Adidas store in Mumbai covered the walls and the floor with its carbon tiles. Inquiries from in and out of India came flooding in.
Architect Manan Gala describes the carbon tile as a "winner", which, apart from being sustainable, has better strength than conventional cement tiles due to the carbon content, and the raw and rustic feel adds to the overall charm.
1. What does the underlined part in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Something shocking. | B．Something impossible. |
| C．Something ridiculous. | D．Something unavoidable. |
| A．The price of each tile. |
| B．The way to produce the carbon tiles. |
| C．The purpose of purifying the air. |
| D．The reason for producing the carbon tiles. |
| A．strength | B．sustainability | C．appearance | D．price |
9 . Every year, natural disasters affect about 250 million people and global warming is making droughts and floods more common.
In Bangladesh，a lot of people have to live on flat and near the sea, but the cyclones (旋风) there bring terrible floods. In 1970, Cyclone Bhola killed at least 300,000 people.
After this, villages set up groups of emergency volunteers and teachers had to talk to children every week about the things which they should do if there was a cyclone warning.
Not everyone in Bangladesh was so lucky.
| A．Sadly, we can’t stop the disasters. |
| B．Four thousand people died in cyclone Sidr. |
| C．Heavy rains, too, contribute to the total cyclone damage. |
| D．They didn’t have to wait many years for the next big cyclone. |
| E．It was one of the worst natural disasters of the twentieth century. |
| F．Ten-year-old Rupa and her friends ran to all their neighbours’ homes. |
| G．A tropical cyclone can be up to six miles high, and hundreds of miles wide. |
10 . On August 8, 2021, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its first assessment of climate science since 2013. The news was not good. The report stated that this past decade was the hottest in 125,000 years and that the atmospheric carbon levels are the highest in at least 2 million years. Glaciers are melting faster than any time in over 2,000 years, and ocean levels are rising at twice the rate since 2006.
At the current pace, the researchers expect global temperatures to rise by at least 1.5°, compared to pre-industrial levels, within the next 20 years. The temperature increases will result in significant changes to the planet’s water cycle. Areas that currently receive a lot of rain will get significantly more, while dry regions will become increasingly likely to droughts.
The IPCC’s findings come as no surprise to the millions of people worldwide currently feeling the impacts of climate-related disasters. America and many European countries are battling wildfires. Meanwhile, an unprecedented (史无前例的) week-long storm in July 2021 caused flash floods and mudslides in Western Europe. Climate change is even impacting the Earths coldest and most remote regions which experienced the first rainfall event in recorded history.
The situation may sound hopeless. However, many experts believe it is still not too late to turn things around, if we all act now. While governments need to do their share by introducing and obey stricter carbon emission laws, individuals can also help. Driving less, conserving water, and reducing electricity usage are some great ways to start. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle will help conserve natural resources and energy. It will also save you and your community. Be sure to start doing your part to save our beautiful home today!
1. Why did IPCC release its first assessment of climate science?| A．To appeal to people to reduce carbon levels. |
| B．To state the earth’s temperature hits a record high. |
| C．To inform readers climate change is severe. |
| D．To report ocean levels are rising higher. |
| A．The rise of global temperatures. | B．The fast development of industry. |
| C．The heavy rainfall of the earth. | D．The terrible droughts in dry regions. |
| A．Effects of climate change. | B．Facts of rainfall disasters. |
| C．Losses caused by natural disasters. | D．Weather phenomena in many regions. |
| A．Fighting against climate change is relatively simple. |
| B．Stricter carbon emission laws has been tightened up. |
| C．The author is opposed to consuming natural resources. |
| D．The author urges immediate action on climate change. |
