1 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. replacing     B. tolerate       C. extremes        D. experiencing          E. average F. estimates       G. impact       H. reserved   I. assess       J. cover       K. continued

Urban Trees Are Threatened by Climate Change

By 2050, about three-quarters of the species will be at risk as a result of climate change, a study has found. Cities around the world may need to start planting different types of trees and shrubs that can     1     warmer and drier conditions.

“By ‘at risk’, we mean these species might be     2     stressful climatic conditions,” says Manuel Esperon-Rodriguez at Western Sydney University in Australia. “Those trees are likely to die.”

City trees have many benefits, from making urban spaces look beautiful and providing a refuge for wildlife to keeping places up to 12°C cooler than they would otherwise be in summer. Losing tree     3     would lead to cities becoming even hotter as the planet heats up.

To     4     the threat, Esperon Rodriguez and his colleagues used database called the Global Urban Tree Inventory to work out the conditions required by 3100 tree and shrub species currently grown in 164 cities worldwide. The researchers then looked at how these conditions would be affected by climate change under medium-emissions scenario known as RCP 6.0.

By 2050, 76 per cent of these species will be at risk from rising     5     temperatures and 70 percent from decreasing rainfall, the team concludes.

The study doesn’t take account of       6     urban growth, which could warm cities even faster. Nor does it take account of greater weather     7     caused by climate change, or the effects of pests and diseases. Warmer conditions are allowing more pests, such as bark beetles, to survive winters as well as to reproduce faster in summer, greatly increasing their     8    .

“Our     9     have scientific basis,” says Esperon-Rodriguez. There are some things that can be done to help trees survive. The best strategy is to choose tough species when     10     trees or planting new ones, the team concludes.

2 . Directions: Complete the following passages by-using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. typically          B. limited            C. markings             D. items            E. treated F. fenced             G. fear               H. packs                    I. gently            J. present          K.pair

Red foxes exist throughout much of the United States, with the exception of the southwest. In Chicago, they are not common in high numbers, but are still     1    in certain areas of the city. Coyotes(丛林狼) usually compete with red foxes, and the large coyote population and     2    living space in Chicago maybe related to the small number of red foxes.

Red foxes are     3    smaller than coyotes, weighing 7-15 pounds on average and standing up to 20 inches. Easily recognizable by their striking redcoats, red foxes also have black     4    on their feet, black-tipped ears, as well as along tail.

Generally living alone, red foxes do not form     5    like other dog-like animals. Adults    6    during the breeding(繁殖) season to raise their young in hidden places, such as fallen trees, or other natural or artificial structures. As omnivores(杂食动物), red foxes eat a variety of foods including rabbits, birds, insects and fruits. Red foxes may store food in buried locations where they pile up     7    to eat later. Sometimes they are killed by coyotes and humans. They are also easily affected by harmful skin diseases that can lead to death if not     8    .

When digging homes under buildings, red foxes may come into conflict with people. Sometimes foxes may hunt outdoor cats or chickens. Keep cats indoors and get these areas     9    to prevent foxes entering. As with any wild animal, it is important to never feed red foxes, as this may cause them to lose their natural     10    of humans and exhibit unusual behaviors.

3 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. express       B. concerns        C. accompaniment        D. rise        E. approaching        F. specific G. portions       H. remain       I. growing       J. obviously        K. particularly

Exploring the growth of plant-based dairy

Plant-based milk is the largest plant-based group in North America. It grew five per cent last year, with sales of plant-based dairy products     1    $2billion.

There are many reasons for the popularity of plant-based milks. As well as a(n)    2    in the number of vegans (素食主义者) and plant-based diets due to health and moral grounds, environmental     3    are also driving uptake with supporters claiming that plant milk has a lower greenhouse gas footprint than dairy production-although the overall picture is highly complex and the figures are questioned by the dairy industry. An apparent increase in the level of lactose intolerance (乳糖不耐受) in developed countries is also helping to increase demand.

The range of plant-based milks also allows for consumers to     4    their tastes and identities as cafés and restaurants open up after lockdown. As one industry analyst said earlier this year, “To choose your     5    type of plant-based milk in Starbucks seems to be a way of identifying yourself.”

While dairy milk has long been seen as a drink or a meal     6    -for example, being used as the material to make food or with cereal (谷物)-here are increasing signs thatplant-based drinks     7    those with a thicker, more yogurt-like texture (质地) or those sold in individual     8    -are being seen as a healthy snack. Research by the Brisan Group suggests that up to a third of these products are viewed as a snack, and 61 per cent are viewed as “a treat.”

Globally soy milk products     9    the most popular and they accounted for 29.5 per cent of income globally in 2019. Coconut-based drinks are one of the fastest     10    parts, predicted to increase 8.6 per cent between 2020 and 2027. Across all types of plant milk, plain flavours have the highest sales, accounting for 71.1 per cent of the total value.

4 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. prevented              B. stubbornly              C. banning              D. attention              E ignore F. fortunately              G. overlooked              H. track              I. extend              J. solution              K. bowing

Climate protests drew millions around the world in September. Many of the Democratic presidential candidates have rolled out ambitious plans to cut carbon while making the economy greener. And yet a leading cause of climate change remains persistently     1    : clothing.

The clothing and footwear industry is responsible for 8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Without intervention (干预), the industry’s impact on the climate is on     2     to increase by almost half by 2030.

Clothes are easy to     3     because they are made far away and have throughout history been made by low-paid laborers. But clothing affects every other environmental problem we care about. A cotton T-shirt requires thousands of gallons of water to make. And when the polyester or nylon clothes get washed, they junk up our oceans with microplastic pollution.

But     4    , some clothing companies are waking up to the climate crisis. A growing number of brands are     5     to grass-roots pressure and consumer surveys that show that sustainability and ethics are top concerns for young shoppers.

But fashion can’t go green by itself. It won’t even make a dent (凹痕) in the problem without international cooperation and mainstream     6    .

The clothing industry, like most industries, is also     7     reliant on fossil fuels. They’re used to fire up boilers in textile mills, to make the pesticides dumped onto cotton fields and to produce the gobs of chemicals that dye and finish fabrics. Getting clothing off oil will not be easy.

Consumers have an important part to play in making fashion sustainable. We can work to     8     the life of all clothes by switching more of our purchases to secondhand and online resale, renting for special occasions, and repairing clothes instead of throwing them away.

We need activists, journalists, scientists and academics who focus on sustainability to include clothing in their work. And we need government action and innovative policy that addresses the global impact of the stuff we buy. For example, France has passed a bill     9     the destruction of unsold clothing.

But first we need all people who care about climate change to understand that they’re part of the problem and the     10    , just by wearing clothes.

5 . Directions: Fill in eat blank with a proper word chosen form the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. arrives       B. observable   C. boundless.       D. contained. E. distancing. F. expansion G. lies       H. parallel       I. perceiving       J. threads       K. volume

What Comes After Space?

Looking at a clear night sky you witness the vastness of space, which holds everything humans know to exist. To find out what     1     beyond a good place to start is to determine where the universe ends. However, the problem is that scientist are uncertain about where space ends or whether it ends at all.

The     2     universe

The furthest humans can see out into space,using all the technology currently available to us,is 46 billion light years (alight year is the distance that light can travel in one year,and is equivalent to about 9. 5 million million kilometres). The     3     of space that humans can see is called the visible universe. Beyond this, it remains a mystery whether it’s an expanse of more galaxies and stars or possibly the edge of the universe. Some think that the universe is     4    , meaning space goes on forever in every direction. In this case,there is nothing after space,because space is everything.

Moving further away

Experts have captured images of the entire Earth from space,and some astronauts have personally witnessed its beauty from orbit. Perhaps     5     the limits of the universe would also be possible too, if only humans knew where to go to look for it.

Another challenge is the universe’s rapid     6    . As galaxies move further away their light   takes longer to reach us. Eventually, some galaxies may be so distant that their light never     7    . This might imply that any edge— and whatever is on the other side — is increasingly     8     itself from us. Regardless of these uncertainties, scientists still spend a lot of time thinking about what comes after space.

Many universes?

It’s possible that there isn’t just one universe, and that our universe is just one small part of a “multiverse”. Perhaps our universe is     9     within its own distinct region of space, separated from others by vast expanses of nothingness. Or maybe     10     universes exist pressed tightly against each other. Getting an idea of the universe’s true shape may help astronomers find out whether it has an edge. What comes after that could be an even great mystery.

6 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. categorise B. creation C. good D. innovative E. maximum F. packed G. pedestrianise H. processing I. shape J. short-lived K. transformation

All Change in Curitiba!

Like many other major world cities, Curitiba in southern Brazil has had to deal with issues such as pollution, poverty, and limited public funding. However, the architect and three-times mayor of the city, Jaime Lerner, has introduced some     1     solutions.

As part of his ‘Master Plan’, Lerner hoped to make the city more environmentally friendly. He initiated a recycling scheme. In return for delivering recyclable rubbish to specified     2     points, residents receive a bag of vegetables or bus tickets. As a result, Curitiba now has one of the highest recycling rates in the world. Lerner also ordered the     3     of 26 urban parks. As well as preventing pollution, these control flooding.

Lerner did not win over all the city’s residents immediately, however. When his plans to     4     part of the centre were passed, local businesses were up in arms, fearing a reduction in profits. Realising he needed to act quickly, Lerner had the     5     of six blocks completed within three days. When a group of motorists attempted to drive through the new pedestrian area, Lerner arranged for local primary schools to hold a painting workshop on the streets. The drivers were forced to turn back. Luckily for Lerner, this rebellion was     6    . The increase in profit rapidly persuaded shop owners to change their minds.

Lerner’s determination helped     7     the Curitiba of today. The average income per capita has risen from a level that was below the Brazilian average in the 1970s to 66% above the average, and surveys indicate high levels of resident satisfaction.

So, is it all just one big success story? In some respects, Curitiba may have been too successful for its own    8    . People and businesses have come to the city, which now has more than 1.8 million residents. This has put the city under enormous stress. Forty years ago, buses transported 54,000 passengers a day. Now the number is 2.3 million. According to some experts, the transport system has reached its     9     efficiency capacity. Following a rise in complaints about the noisy and     10     buses, the service is in decline.

7 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. dated B. unlikely C. set D. fossils E. estimate F. delicate G. takes H. finds I. exactly J. advocated K. tracked

Haul of Fossil Fish Pushes Back the Origin of Teeth and Jaws

Our teeth and jaws are incredibly ancient. They’re older than dinosaurs, older than arms and legs, older than trees adaptations that paleontologists (古生物学家) have     1     to our distant, fishy relatives that thrived in the seas around 425 million years ago. But a collection of carefully-preserved vertebrates (脊椎动物) found in China has     2     a new date for the earliest record of jaws and teeth. The early vertebrates include some of the earliest fish, one of the earliest relatives of sharks, and, at about 436 million years old, the most ancient     3     yet found of fish with teeth and jaws.

Researchers have disagreed about     4     when the earliest bites evolved. Molecular (分子的) studies based upon estimations of genetic changes have     5     that the first jaws and teeth evolved about 450 million years ago. Until now, the oldest fossil of jawed vertebrates — or gnathostomes —     6     to about 425 million years ago, a significant gap. As Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology researcher Min Zhu and his colleagues describe in a series of Nature papers published today, the new     7    from South China sit in the middle of this gap and offer a startling look at a critical moment in evolutionary history.

Zhu and coauthors note in their research, the fish they uncovered were small and had     8     bones. That means these fish were generally     9     to become fossils except in truly outstanding circumstances where they could be buried quickly and shielded from scavengers (食腐动物) that would otherwise eat them. That an exceptional stroke of luck was required to preserve such fish likely explains the difference between the molecular     10     and fossil record.

8 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. qualities     B. continued     C. bodies     D. essential     E. transformations F. described     G. geological     H. shaped     I. estimated     J. cultivated     K. evolved

For the first time, scientists have mapped the whole surface of Titan, the largest moon around Saturn. The map confirms existing data showing that Titan has many Earth-like     1     that might be able to support life.

The data was collected by Cassini, a spacecraft operated by the U.S. space agency NASA. The spacecraft studied Saturn and its moons from 2004 to 2017. Astronomers used images and radar measurements from Cassini to create the     2     map of Titan.

The map shows Titan as a mixture of flat plains, hills and mountains, windblown sand areas, valleys and lakes. The mapping operation is     3     in a report published in Nature Astronomy.

Rosaly Lopes led the project. She is a planetary scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Lopes told the publication that the many similarities between Earth and Titan make the Saturn moon a great choice for     4     exploration.

“Titan has an atmosphere like Earth's. It has wind; it has rain; it has mountains,” Lopes said.

Titan is the only planet in our solar system besides Earth to have known     5     of liquid on its surface. But Titan's seas and lakes are filled with liquid methane (甲烷) rather than water.

At cold temperatures, methane goes through similar     6     as rain does on Earth. It falls to the surface across the planet to form rivers and lakes and can then evaporate (挥发) to form clouds again.

The map found that nearly two-thirds of Titan's surface is made up of flat plains, Nature reported. About 17 percent is covered in sandy hills     7     by the wind, mostly around the equator.

Unlike Earth, Titan's sand is made up of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen. Around 14 percent of the surface is considered hilly or mountainous. Seas and lakes filled with liquid methane cover a(n)     8     1.5 percent of Titan. The liquid exists mainly closer to the planet's poles, while the equatorial areas remain drier.

Rosaly Lopes says organic materials --- those containing carbon --- in Titan's atmosphere are     9     for the growth of living organisms. “Organics are very important for the possibility of lifeon Titan, which many of us think likely would have     10     in the liquid water ocean under Titan's icy crust (硬的表面),”she said.

9 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

On Horseback Among the Eagle Hunters

A. bond        B. covered        C. outwardly        D. demanding       E. famed F. currently        G. deserted        H. traditionally        I. accessing        J. extent K. tending

Nine-year-old Dastan, the son of a Kazakh (哈萨克族) eagle hunter, rode his pony alongside mine, running effortlessly without a saddle (马鞍) and giggling at my attempts to show my pony some affection. Surrounding us was the vast,     1     landscape of the Altai Mountains of western Mongolia, with a dusting of snow heralding the arrival of winter.

I spent almost three years living and working in northern Iraq, where I     2     the country’s efforts to defeat the Islamic State (伊斯兰国). In October 2019, I began working on a personal photography project. My goal was to explore the relationships between animals and the people whose livelihoods depend on them. To start, I flew to western Mongolia to meet and photograph the iconic Kazakh hunters, horsemen and animal herders (牧人).

Deep in the Altai Mountains, the Kazakh people have for centuries developed a special     3     with golden eagles. Alankush, an eagle hunter, said he looks after his eagle “as if she were a baby.” The ancient custom of hunting with eagles on horseback is     4     passed down from father to son and is considered a great source of pride.

In recent generations, many Kazakh families have migrated from the countryside to the country’s urban areas. This is partly because of the difficulties in     5     health care, education, social services and employment opportunities. Among those who have stayed, the ancient practice has provided an additional source of income from the visitors who pay to see the     6     birds in action.

Training and caring for golden eagles is just one aspect of an animal herder’s life. Others include training young horses,     7     sheep, and butchering meat. The daily demands of a traditional herding family’s life can leave little time for additional education. In response to their physically     8     lifestyles, parents who work as herders often send their children to boarding schools. They hope that their children will secure a more comfortable future. Paradoxically, such parental ambitions may result in the eventual disappearance of a culture and way of life that has survived for generations.

    9    , documenting the traditional ways of life in western Mongolia stands in contrast to my time spent photographing scenes of conflict and suffering in Iraq. The two subjects, however, share a common theme: the human struggle not just to survive, but to build a better future for oneself and one’s family. Despite the differences in the surroundings and the     10     of the challenges faced by the people I met, I felt a connection with the Kazakh horsemen, through our mutual affection for horses.

10 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. claimed     B. evacuate     C. fabrics     D. regular     E. significantly     F. sink G. rainstorms     H. similar     I. initially     J. swallowing     K. thought

“It was a wave of water,” says Oulimata Sambe. She points out the still-sodden(湿透的) armchairs, muddy wardrobe and the water stain a metre and a half up the wall in her small house in Ngor, a fishing village within Dakar, the capital of Senegal. “I had two grandkids on my bed, I had to     1     them out of the window,” she adds. Not faraway, underpasses on Dakar’s scenic corniche(滨海路) became car-    2     lakes. Just weeks earlier another downpour had turned quiet streets in Dakar into raging rivers and collapsed a section of motorway.

    3     events regularly occur across the region. Recent flooding and landslides also killed eight people in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. In June flooding killed 12 people in Abidjan, the commercial capital of Ivory Coast. Floods in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital,     4     another seven lives. Even when they are not deadly, city floods ruin lives and livelihoods. Storm water recently flooded the biggest textile(纺织业) market in Kano, a city in northern Nigeria, destroying hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of     5    .

Unusually heavy rains have become     6     more common over the past 30 years, leaving huge numbers of people at risk. In places this is partly because of deforestation. A recent study by Christopher Taylor of the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, a research institute, and his coauthors found that afternoon     7     in deforested parts of coastal west Africa happen twice as often compared with 30 years ago. Their frequency went up by only about a third in places that kept their forests.

Yet     8     flooding of cities in west Africa is not only caused by heavier rain. Unplanned urbanization is also to blame. As cities have grown, builders have thrown up concrete walls with little     9     about providing drainage, making it harder for water to find a clear path to the sea. As ever larger areas have been paved over, there has been less exposed soil into which water can gently     10     away. And as cites get more packed with new arrivals, their few functioning drains get overwhelmed or clogged.