1 . Unbelievable Stories of Animals Acting Just Like Humans

Horses are picky eaters

Horses have an even better sense of smell than humans do. When horses raise their noses and open their nostrils (鼻孔), their nervous system allows them to sense smells we can’t sense. This might explain why they refuse dirty water and carefully move around meadows, eating only the tastiest grasses, experts say.

Whale says thanks

In 2018, a whale expert spotted a humpback whale trapped in a fishing net and spent an hour freeing it. Afterward, in an hour-long display of thanks, the whale swam near their boat and leaped into the air about 40 times.

Pandas like to be naughty

Is there anything more lovely than a baby panda, except maybe a human baby? In fact, baby pandas sometimes behave like human babies. They sleep in the same positions and value their thumbs. Pandas are shy by nature for its shy behaviors such as covering its face with a paw or ducking its head when confronted by a stranger.

A cat honors its owner

Paper towels, and a plastic cup are just a few of the gifts that Toldo, a devoted three-year-old gray-and-white cat, has placed on his former owner Iozzelli Renzo’s grave every day since the man died in September 2018. Renzo adopted Toldo from a shelter when the cat was three months old, and the two formed an inseparable bond. After Renzo passed away, Toldo followed the coffin to the cemetery, and now “stands guard” the grave for hours at a time.

1. What can horses do to pick delicious grasses?

A．Feel them.

B．Taste them.

C．Smell them.

D．Observe them.

2. What do the whale and the cat have in common according to the passage?

A．They are clever.

B．They have a grateful heart.

C．They are active and lovely.

D．They have a good sense of smell.

3. Which of the following acts like a human baby according to the passage?

A．The whale

B．The cat.

C．The horse.

D．The panda.

2 . The UK will ban all new petrol and diesel-powered vehicles from its roads beginning in 19 years for environmental reasons, a government report says.

The plan aims to start removing petrol and diesel engines in 2040. It follows a similar official statement in France and comes after the British government was ordered by the High Court to develop new plans to reduce NO2 in the air. Judges ruled that previous clean-air plans were not enough to meet European Union pollution limits in the coming years.

The British government has said the poor air quality has an unnecessary and avoidable negative effect on citizens’ health, and costs up to $3.5 billion in annual lost productivity.

Part of the new plan involves an offer of $260 million to local governments to change rules where vehicle emissions (排放量) are over EU standards. Ideas so far include changing road layouts, reprogramming traffic lights and charging a fee for the oldest and most polluting cars on the road.

The plan also includes $1.3 billion for government purchase of extreme-low-emission vehicles, nearly $130 million to improve infrastructure for electric vehicle charging stations and $378 million for remodeling existing vehicles.

Climate change is also a reason for the plan to get these vehicles off the road. “We can’t carry on with petrol and diesel cars,” Environment Secretary Michael Gove said. “It’s important that we all prepare for a significant change which deals not just with the problems of health caused by emissions, but the broader problems caused in terms of accelerating climate change.”

Gove added that local communities are partly responsible for coming up with ways to limit emissions, including possible limitations on commuters (上下班往返的人) and the addition of cleaner mass transportation options. Local leaders are called on to draw up “appropriate plans” to deal with climate challenges related to emissions, he said.

1. Why does the British government decide on this ban?

A．To focus on its citizens’ health.	B．To promote solar energy in transport.
C．To respond to the court’s request.	D．To follow in France’s footsteps.

2. Which measure may the British government take to achieve its plan?

A．Limiting the number of traffic lights.

B．Changing the way roads are arranged.

C．Spending some money on electric vehicles.

D．Removing old and high-emission vehicles.

3. What can be inferred from Gove’s words?

A．Convenient public transportation is badly needed.

B．Petrol and diesel cars may hold back economic progress.

C．Vehicle emissions are the key factor in climate change.

D．United efforts are required to achieve the plan.

4. What is the suitable title for this passage?

A．Practical ways to reduce vehicle emissions.

B．The UK plans to take petrol and diesel engines off roads.

C．The EU forces the UK to improve the poor air quality.

D．Relationship between vehicle emissions and climate change.

3 . More and more birds are flying to settle at Qinghai Lake, one of the highest inland lakes in China, thanks to the protection efforts of local governments. Covering an area of over 4,000 square kilometers. Qinghai Lake is also the country's biggest saltwater lake. Located in Northwest China's Qinghai Province, the lake is famous for the two islands at its northwest point--Cormorant Island and Egg Island. The two islands have plenty of floating grass and various schools of fish, offering rich food sources for birds. The islands have become a paradise(天堂) for different kinds of groups of birds and have been called"Bird Islands".

Each March and April, when ice and snow covering the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau starts to melt, over 20 kinds of birds fly to the Bird Islands to lay eggs. During the months, flocks of birds cover the whole sky over the islands and birds eggs can be found everywhere. Visitors can hear the singing of birds from miles away. These have become a world famous symbol of the lake.

To protect this paradise for birds and support calls for ecological protection, China set up the Qinghai Lake Natural Protection Zone at the end of 1997. Meanwhile, the State has pointed out the Bird Islands and Spring bay of the Qinghai Lake as central protection zones.

Inspection(视察) officials and management employees often patrol（巡逻） the lake, improving local residents' knowledge of related laws and spreading knowledge about animal protection to visitors. They are making great efforts to call on people to love and protect the birds. At the same time, they have built special fences around the island area to prevent wolves, foxes and other carnivorous(食肉的) animals, as well as illegal hunters from breaking up the birds’nest building,egglaying and breeding. As a result, more and more birds are coming to the islands for sheltering and breeding.

1. Why are more and more birds coming to the biggest salt-water lake in the Great Northwest?

A．Because it is getting warmer and warmer.

B．Because it is being reformed.

C．Because environments there are getting more and more agreeable for them to live in.

D．Because the people there are becoming richer and richer.

2. The birds feed on________according to the passage.

A．floating fish and various grass.

B．grass moving on the water surface and different kinds of fish.

C．salt water and plenty of grains.

D．corn from the local farmers.

3. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The ice and snow covering the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau doesn't change into water.

B．Flocks of birds fly up to the whole sky over islands to lay eggs.

C．Visitors can listen to the singing of birds from miles away, but they couldn't see any bird.

D．"The ice on the Plateau begins to change into water" means spring is coming.

4. The officials go around the lake mainly to

A．let the farmers there know the animal protection law.

B．tell the farmers there some knowledge about animal protection.

C．call on people to love and protect the bird.

D．all of the above.

4 . Baby giraffes inherit(经遗传获得) aspects of their mothers’ patterning — which could give them a survival advantage if good camouflage(保护色) runs in the family. Just like humans have unique sets of fingerprints, every giraffe has a unique set of spots.

Derek Lee is a wildlife biologist and population ecologist at Penn State, and with the Wild Nature Institute, a research consulting group. He and his colleagues have been tracking giraffes for seven years, throughout 1,500 square miles in Tanzania.

Now, they’ve used image analysis software to study the spots of mothers and their babies. And they found that baby giraffes inherit at least some particular elements of their patterning from their mothers, like how circular the spots are. They also found that baby giraffes with larger spots have better chance to survive their first months, because the spots are more like the dappled(斑驳的) sunlight in the bushes where baby giraffes like to hide from hungry lions and hyenas (wild animals like dogs).

The results — and a lot of giraffe patterns — are recorded and explained in the journal PeerJ. [Lee et al., Seeing spots: quantifying mother-offspring similarity and assessing fitness consequences of coat pattern traits in a wild population of giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis)]

It’s perhaps not surprising that a physical characteristic that protects an individual from being eaten passes the test of Darwinian natural selection — and get passed along to later generations. “The fact that these things are inheritable and they did affect survival of baby animals makes us feel like evolution is embodied exactly by these spot features.” So if a mom’s camouflage is good, her babies, too, might have the spots that keep them safer.

1. Why are baby giraffes with larger spots more likely to survive?

A．Their spots match surroundings better.	B．They keep away from lions and hyenas.
C．Their mothers tend to protect them more.	D．They barely move around in the bushes.

2. What does the author intend to do in paragraph 4?

A．Summarize the previous paragraphs.	B．Add some background information.
C．Provide evidence for the findings.	D．Introduce a new topic for discussion.

3. What does “embodied” underlined in the last paragraph mean?

A．Promoted.

B．Represented.

C．Questioned.

D．Prevented.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Animals have their unique sets of patterning	B．Mom’s genes make some giraffes hard to spot
C．Derek Lee has been studying animal patterning	D．Animal physical characteristics are similar to family’s

5 . Jane Goodall is the world’s most famous expert on chimpanzees(黑猩猩). She has ______ observed their behavior for many years in the jungles of the Gombe Game Reserve in Africa, living in the chimpanzees’ environment and gaining their ______. Chimpanzees love to make friends with her.

Her ______ and discoveries are internationally reported. Her research and writing have made ______ in scientifically thinking about the evolution of humans. The ______ started by Jane Goodall in 1960 is now the longest field study of any species in their natural habitat. Research continues to this day and is_____ by a team of trained Tanzanians.          

Dr Jane Goodall is now the world’s ______ authority on chimpanzees. Having studied their ______ for many years, she has won a number of awards and has published many scientific articles. In 1984, Jane Goodall ______ the J. Paul Getty Wildlife Conservation Prize for “helping millions of people understand the ______ of wildlife conservation to life on this planet.” Her other ______ and international recognition fill pages. Her scientific articles have been ______ in many issues of National Geographic. She calls on thousands of people throughout the world to love and ______ creatures as the representative of her careerlong sponsor, the L. S. B. Leakey Foundation. Jane Goodall believed that her mother’s support ______ to her success. Her mother Vanne Goodall, has been supporting her work ______.          

In 1985, Jane Goodall’s many years of conservation research results were______, helping us see how ______ chimpanzees and humans are and better understand the relationship between all creatures.          

Dr Jane Goodall has ______ her global “business” with the founding of the Jane Goodall Institute based in Ridgefield, CT. She now teaches and ______ young people to appreciate the conservation of chimpanzees and all creatures great and small. She lectures, writes, teaches and _______ continues her work in many inventive ways, including the Chimpanzee Guardian Project.

1.

A．occasionally

B．legally

C．closely

D．distantly

2.

A．confidence

B．sympathy

C．assistance

D．punishment

3.

A．inventions

B．productions

C．creations

D．observations

4.

A．difference

B．progress

C．trouble

D．mistake

5.

A．performance

B．trend

C．job

D．study

6.

A．set up

B．given up

C．carried out

D．put off

7.

A．responsible

B．aggressive

C．leading

D．active

8.

A．diseases

B．shape

C．histories

D．behavior

9.

A．received

B．missed

C．established

D．renamed

10.

A．direction

B．importance

C．possibility

D．awareness

11.

A．ideas

B．suggestions

C．awards

D．principles

12.

A．copied

B．selected

C．changed

D．found

13.

A．respect

B．protect

C．control

D．trade

14.

A．related

B．belonged

C．challenged

D．contributed

15.

A．partly

B．positively

C．secretly

D．unwillingly

16.

A．published

B．recorded

C．modified

D．corrected

17.

A．similar

B．friendly

C．interesting

D．clever

18.

A．controlled

B．expanded

C．destroyed

D．discontinued

19.

A．begs

B．forces

C．encourages

D．forbids

20.

A．still

B．even

C．never

D．almost

6 . When Simon Cane was in the second grade, he began learning about all the ways humans have an impact on the environment and really took those classroom lessons to heart in a way that set him apart from his schoolmates at his elementary school, P. S. 81, in the Bronx. “He told me we drove too much and made too much pollution,” his dad, Jonathan Cane, told Runner’s World. So Simon convinced his parents to start hanging their clothes to dry, taking the stairs instead of elevators, and other “green” measures.

“For much of kindergarten and first grade I rode my bike to Simon’s school with him on the back,” Jonathan said. “We had a lot of fun being outdoors. We’d stop to give our dog treats and generally enjoyed it.” As Simon got bigger, though, it wasn’t practical for him to ride on his father’s back, but it also didn’t make sense to ride together — both because of safety concerns and because there was no place to put away Simon’s bike. So, most of the time they drove the 1. 5 miles to school.

But in 2019, when Simon was going into third grade, the 8-year-old came up with a new way to help the planet: running the 1. 5 miles to P. S. 81. And Jonathan promised his son he’d join him for as long as he wanted.

“We did a test run one day in August, and decided to give it a go. To be honest, I thought he’d blink (眨眼)after it got really cold or rainy, but he never did,” Jonathan said. He recalled one day when the weather was particularly bad. “It’s really raining out there today,” he told Simon. “And Simon said, ‘Well then we’re going to get wet!’ He took pride in toughing it out, and it became a really fun family routine.”

Since the start, Simon has run with his dad and their black dog, Lola, and has even inspired his mom, Nicole Sin Quee, to join in. They soon became known as “the family that runs to school”.

1. What makes Simon different from his classmates?

A．Washing his clothes by himself.	B．Taking many classes after school.
C．Raising strange questions in class.	D．Taking green measures to protect the environment.

2. How did Simon usually go to school in second grade?

A．By car.

B．By cycling.

C．By running.

D．By school bus.

3. What can be inferred from paragraph 4?

A．Simon has trouble with his eyesight.	B．Simon is really stubborn and inflexible.
C．Simon is much tougher than expected.	D．Simon didn’t get support from his father.

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

A．The Best Way to Go to School

B．Father and Son Run for the Environment

C．A Teenager Keeps Running to Inspire Father

D．Three Inspiring Running Athletes to Protect the Environment

7 . Conservationists have long known that using pandas, tigers and other charismatic(有号召力的) species to front their campaigns is a good way to raise money. But some people argue that focusing on these “flagship” animals can ignore equally threatened but less cute ones.

Now Jennifer McGowan at Macquarie University in Sydney and her colleagues suggest that we can have it both ways, after finding that funding for flagship species also helps other threatened species in the surrounding areas. McGowan’s team first drew up a list of 534 flagship species in wildlife-rich hot spots around the world. The biodiversity areas were each split into grids (网格) of 100 by 100 kilometre squares. The researchers then compared two conservation approaches across eight simulated scenarios(模拟场景) which assumed different levels of human activity and protected areas.

The first focused on protecting flagship species, while the second aimed to protect the maximum number of species in an area, regardless of their fundraising potential. Their study has found that targeting grid squares with flagship species also protected 79 to 89 per cent of the non-flagship species in that area. The figure rose to 97 per cent in some scenarios. “The findings could help when choosing which species to promote. Flagship species are very effective at getting the public to care,” she says.

Morgan Trimble, the author of a paper that has found scientists also have a bias towards charismatic animals, says the results don’t surprise her. “While I think it’s important that we don’t lose sight of the bigger picture --- conserving species is about conserving all the component parts of ecosystems, even the not-so-cute species --- I think highlighting flagship species in fundraising and education is a practical idea and appeals to human nature,” she says. Trimble also asks what the alternative to using flagship species would be: randomly picking species? McGowan’s study found a random approach to choosing where to spend conservation funds only protected 39 to 55 per cent of the non-flagship species.

1. What kind of animals do conservationists usually use to raise funds?

A．Less attractive animals.

B．Endangered flagship animals

C．Threatened but not necessarily cute species.

D．Charismatic but not necessarily threatened species.

2. What has McGowan and her team’s study revealed?

A．It’s fair enough to focus on flagship species.

B．There are very few flagship species in grid squares.

C．Non-flagship species are poorly protected in general.

D．Flagship species are getting more than enough attention.

3. What does Trimble think of the study’s outcome?

A．It needs to be further confirmed.	B．It is in line with her expectations.
C．It is beyond her comprehension.	D．It goes right against human nature.

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

A．How to choose a charismatic species

B．The effects of human activity on animals

C．How to best channel conservation efforts

D．The role of fundraising in saving animals

8 . On a chilly day in February 2012, two Russian hunters discovered a limp bundle of fur lying in the snow. It was an orphaned cub! The cub hadn't eaten in days, and was________enough for the hunters just to pick her up. Dr. Dale Miquelle, director of the Wildlife Conservation Society's Russia Program, said, "A healthy tiger cub, even a three-month-old one, would give you reason to________before you stuck your hand too close to its teeth and claws. But this cut) had no________left in her.

The hunters wrapped the cub in a coat and________her to a local wildlife inspector, Andrey Oryol. Over the following weeks, Oryol________the orphaned cub back to health. But now he had a new problem: What could he do with an________three-month-old tiger?

The cub was an Amur tiger________a small number of Amur tigers remained in the wild, so scientists wanted to return________cubs to their natural habitat. The orphaned cut) was taken to a new wildlife center. The center was designed for raising wild animals without________them to people. It uses hidden cameras and covered fences to keep workers out of________. That way, the animals don't become________on humans.

The cub, now named Cinderella, became the center's first tiger. Over the next year, she grew into a big, healthy tigress. In the center, she learned to hunt. By the spring of 2013, experts agreed she was________to return to the wild.

They chose the perfect new________for their tiger princess: the Bastak Nature Reserve. During the next two years, researchers watched Cinderella's________. They set up cameras to snap photos. When Cinderella passed in front of one of these camera________, it took her picture. Cinderella not only________, but grew healthy and strong.

Then, in December 2015, the cameras________exciting news: Cinderella had become a mother! For the first time ever, a tiger that humans had________and returned to the wild had given birth to two cubs of her own.

Tigers are some of the most admired animals on our planet, but they are also________. Thanks to the work of conservationists like Dr. Miquelle, there is new________for these magnificent cats.

1.

A．lazy

B．pale

C．hungry

D．weak

2.

A．pause

B．hurt

C．wonder

D．hide

3.

A．mercy

B．effort

C．fight

D．will

4.

A．reported

B．returned

C．guided

D．delivered

5.

A．taught

B．nursed

C．pulled

D．trained

6.

A．energetic

B．intelligent

C．excited

D．amazing

7.

A．Almost

B．Still

C．Even

D．Only

8.

A．newly-born

B．hunted

C．wounded

D．rescued

9.

A．exposing

B．sending

C．offering

D．selling

10.

A．place

B．order

C．sight

D．mind

11.

A．dependent

B．defensive

C．concentrated

D．keen

12.

A．welcome

B．interested

C．eager

D．ready

13.

A．continent

B．neighborhood

C．border

D．habitat

14.

A．progress

B．reaction

C．appearance

D．figure

15.

A．types

B．traps

C．shots

D．scenes

16.

A．succeeded

B．survived

C．recovered

D．explored

17.

A．edited

B．expected

C．prepared

D．revealed

18.

A．witnessed

B．traded

C．raised

D．examined

19.

A．dominated

B．endangered

C．preserved

D．stressed

20.

A．passion

B．home

C．hope

D．help

9 . The morning was dark and cold. Stars twinkled down from the sky and a half _______was still hanging there. “Varrow, wake up,” Gramps whispered,_______me gently, “It’s sea turtle time.” I rubbed my eyes and_______my way in the dark, dizzy and woozy. Then, the repeated “sea turtle time”_______me completely.

Gramps and I_______our heavy waterproof boots over our pajamas and threw rain jackets on our shoulders_______. I pushed the front door open and ran out onto the_______, Gramps not far behind. There, I held my_______. Thousands of baby sea turtles were_______out on the endless stretch of sand and racing to the ocean. We took in the amazing scene________. But Gramps and I weren’t there just to watch. We had a________.

________, we made our way through the mess of broken shells and the little lovely sea turtles to________those that needed help. Soon enough, I________one. A baby turtle was flipped (翻转) on its back,________to roll over no matter how hard it kicked its legs. Reaching my hand down, I gently picked the fragile baby up and flipped it over and got it right back to its________to the ocean. “Nice job, Varrow.” Gramps patted me on the shoulder, his eyes twinkling and his mouth stretching into a smile. I felt a rush of pride and became even more________because of Gramps’ compliment for the next few hours. By 7:00, the last sea turtles had crawled into the water and we finally sat down on the soft sand,________. We couldn't be more satisfied with our hard work.

As the sun rose from the horizon, golden beams of sunlight stretching ever outwards onto the deep________. The colourful world woke up. What a________for those in their deep sleep! They missed the amazing natural gifts right under their nose.

1.

A．sun

B．moon

C．ray

D．shadow

2.

A．waving

B．moving

C．shaking

D．observing

3.

A．felt

B．pushed

C．changed

D．made

4.

A．covered

B．awoke

C．struck

D．surrounded

5.

A．relied on

B．gave away

C．pulled on

D．kicked off

6.

A．hurriedly

B．formally

C．awkwardly

D．unwillingly

7.

A．board

B．boat

C．square

D．beach

8.

A．attention

B．breath

C．strength

D．records

9.

A．hatching

B．breaking

C．sleeping

D．sliding

10.

A．in response

B．in detail

C．in horror

D．in wonder

11.

A．mission

B．rest

C．curiosity

D．secret

12.

A．Hopefully

B．Luckily

C．Carefully

D．Confidently

13.

A．dig out

B．take away

C．pass by

D．search for

14.

A．realised

B．released

C．stopped

D．spotted

15.

A．uncertain

B．unable

C．struggling

D．managing

16.

A．shell

B．desire

C．journey

D．space

17.

A．comfortable

B．independent

C．touched

D．motivated

18.

A．exhausted

B．curious

C．defeated

D．astonished

19.

A．red

B．blue

C．island

D．ground

20.

A．surprise

B．relief

C．pity

D．passion

10 . It is not just doctors and nurses that work at Children' s National Hospital in Michigan. There are also two furry friends on the staff.    1    

Their main responsibility is to comfort the young patients at the hospital. Their work called animal-assisted therapy.     2    Research shows that animal therapy can lower stress and anxiety levels, increase patient mobility, and provide an alternative focus from pain.

Facility dogs are expertly trained dogs who partner with a facilitator working in a health care, visitation or education setting. They would visit kids for a hug or paw shake. More than just dogs can be animal therapists.    3     They are kids favorites to comfort patients and families through bedside visits, as well as motivating and assisting during certain types of therapy and rehabilitation(修复).

    4    Therapaws of Michigan uses a strict screening agreement to ensure the selection of well-mannered dogs of sound temper and good health. Under the supervision of trained volunteers, these special animals visit patients in a variety of settings: in their inpatient rooms; in waiting rooms and in other settings considered appropriate by hospital staff. Then they were specifically matched to patients based on needs and types.

This year, for safety reasons, the hospital had to pause the animal therapy program. But Allison Proctor still runs her program.    5    Even special requests for dog visits outside regularly schedule can be accommodated as long as her team is available.

A．The program focuses on a medical goal

B．Small horses would sometimes hang out

C．Each has an important job as a facility dog

D．It is known to have many positive effects on patients

E．These animals usually have to go through special training

F．Each team had one dog, plus one human in charge of the dog

G．Her commitment to the treatment with the human-animal bond never stops