1 . Scientists say they have found high levels of small plastic particles(颗粒) in Arctic snow. A German-Swiss research team collected snow samples(样本）from the Arctic and other areas. They included northern Germany, the Bavarian and Swiss Alps, and the North Sea island of Heligoland.When the researchers examined the samples in a laboratory, they were surprised to find very high levels of microplastics.
Microplastics are very small pieces of plastic. These plastic particles are generally smaller than 5 millimeters in length. They come from the breakdown of man-made plastic products and industrial waste.
The study found the highest levels of microplastics came from the Bavarian Alps. One snow sample from the area had 154,000 microplastic particles per liter. Samples collected from the Arctic had much lower levels. However, even samples from the Arctic contained up to 14,000 particles per liter.
The study also attempted to explore how some of the material could have been carried in the atmosphere. A limited number of earlier studies did find microplastics in the air of some cities, including Paris, Tehran and Dongguan, China.
Bergmann Melanie co-wrote the report on the new study. She believes the new study clearly shows that “the majority of the microplastic in the snow comes from the air.” The new study suggests that much of the microplastic found in Europe and the Arctic comes from the atmosphere and snow.
While there is growing concern about the effect of microplastics on the environment, scientists are still studying their possible harmful effects on humans and animals. “I hope the new study will lead to more research on this issue. I think microscopic plastic particles should be included in worldwide observations of air pollution levels.We really need to know what effects microplastics have on humans, especially if inhaled with the air that we breathe.” Bergmann said.
1. Why did scientists collect samples from so many places in paragragh 1?| A．To make the research convincing. |
| B．To attract people to explore there. |
| C．To measure the length of microplastics . |
| D．To examine the samples easily in the lab. |
| A．The risks of microplastics. |
| B．The transport of microplastics. |
| C．The breakdown of plastic products. |
| D．The description of microplastics. |
| A．Many people threw them away at the Alps. |
| B．They were delivered to remote areas through air. |
| C．They could be caught sight of in the air. |
| D．They had no great effect on the environment. |
| A．Scientists are worried about the the influence of microplastics. |
| B．We have found a practical solution to the environment problem. |
| C．The effect of microplastics on human must be urgently researched. |
| D．There is no need to change observations of air pollution levels. |
2 . Some plants get so hungry that they eat flies, spiders, and even small frogs. What’s more amazing is that these plants occur naturally (in special environments) in every state. In fact, they’re found on every continent except Antarctica.
You’ve probably seen a Venus’ flytrap. It’s often sold in museum gift stores, department stores, and even supermarkets. A small plant, it grows 6 to 8 inches tall in a container. At the end of its stalks (茎) are specially modified leaves that act like traps. Inside each trap is a lining of tiny trigger hairs. When an insect lands on them, the trap suddenly shuts. Over the course of a week or so, the plant feeds on its catch.
The Venus flytrap is just one of more than 500 species of meat-eating plants, says Barry Meyers-Rice, the editor of the International carnivorous (食肉的) Plant Society’ s Newsletter. Note: Despite any science-fiction stories you might have read, no meat-eating plant does any danger to humans.
Dr. Meyers-Rice says a plant is meat-eating, only if it does all four of the following “attract, kill, digest, and absorb” some from of insects, including flies, butterflies, and moths. Meat-eating plants look and act like other green plants -- well, most of the time.
All green plants make sugar through a process called photosynthesis (光合作用). Plants use the sugar to make food. What makes “meat-eating” plants different is their bug-catching leaves. They need insects for one reason: nitrogen. Nitrogen is a nutrient that they can’t obtain any other way. While almost all green plants on our planet get nitrogen from the soil, “meat-eating” plants can’t. They live in places where nutrients are hard or almost impossible to get from the soil because of its acidity. So they’ve come to rely on getting nitrogen from insects and small animals. In fact, nutrient-rich soil is poisonous to “meat-eating” plants. Never fertilize them! But don’t worry, either, if they never seem to catch any insects. They can survive, but they’ll grow very slowly.
1. According to the passage, carnivorous plants ________.| A．only grow in wild field | B．are rare to see |
| C．are as common as flies | D．cannot grow on Antarctica |
| A．its numerous long an thin stalks | B．a container where it grows |
| C．its insect-catching leaves | D．the lining of tiny trigger hairs |
| A．carnivorous plants are dangerous |
| B．carnivorous plants are fictional |
| C．carnivorous plants occasionally eat book |
| D．carnivorous plants are harmless to humans |
| A．Carnivorous plants cannot grow in acid soil |
| B．Carnivorous plants can grow in nutrient-poor soil |
| C．Carnivorous plants will die if they cannot catch any insects |
| D．Carnivorous plants can get nitrogen from nutrient-rich soil |
3 . I woke up by my dog barking in the early morning. I went outside to find a koala（考拉） at the yard gate wanting to enter. It was the first time that I had
I was wondering why he was here, as Koala
He just sat there, apparently
I rushed into my room and came out with some iodophor（碘伏药水）, It was not a
After the treatment, I watched the koala finally
| A．grabbed | B．encountered | C．investigated | D．tackled |
| A．chance | B．relief | C．surprise | D．message |
| A．frequently | B．slightly | C．mostly | D．rarely |
| A．Once more | B．Ever since | C．Just then | D．Then again |
| A．pursued | B．drove | C．followed | D．cast |
| A．in pain | B．in order | C．in comfort | D．in disappointment |
| A．quick | B．close | C．eager | D．anxious |
| A．features | B．symbols | C．signs | D．series |
| A．crucial | B．small | C．distinct | D．tricky |
| A．ignore | B．answer | C．understand | D．anticipate |
| A．touched | B．felt | C．tapped | D．treated |
| A．appealed to | B．referred to | C．occurred to | D．addressed to |
| A．help | B．advice | C．approval | D．forture |
| A．exploring | B．rushing | C．jogging | D．disappearing |
| A．experience | B．survive | C．escape | D．have |
Alexis Vaughan, 17, sat quietly in the passenger seat of her dad's car. She stared out the window at the Preston, Idaho, cornfields.
Alexis, a high school student, let her eyes lazily scan the landscape for wildlife. Still, she was terrified when a deer came into view about 200 yards in front of them, just a few feet off the road. "Dad, there's a deer, there!" Alexis said, rolling down the window for a better look. It was a three-point buck (雄鹿) — a male deer with sharp, three-pronged antlers (角) on each side of its head.
As the car moved closer, Alexis saw that the buck's head was bent toward the ground. Then she heard a scream. A few seconds later, she saw an arm fly up near the buck's head. Alexis realized the buck was attacking a woman. Sue Panter, a 44-year-old mother, had been out for her morning run. The buck had come out from the tall corn and began following her. Having lived in rural Idaho for years, Sue knew that most bucks got frightened by humans. But this buck edged closer, even when she threw at it with a handful of gravels (石子).
Sue went to pick up a log to use for self-defense, and the buck attacked her. It lifted her with its antlers (角) and threw her into the air. Sue could feel the horns punctured (刺穿) her leg and blood flowed down her leg. Within seconds, the buck had pushed her off the road and into the cornfield.
When Alexis and her father pulled up, the buck was rolling Sue like a rag doll. Alexis looked into the woman's terrified eyes, and before her father had even stopped the car, the 104 pound teenager jumped quickly out of the car and down the slope toward the buck. She was kicking and hitting it to get its attention. Then Michael, her father, who had followed his daughter, wrestled the buck away from the women by holding the antlers.
注意：
1）所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2） 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
Paragraph 1:
Alexis helped Sue up the slope.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
Then she heard her father yell.
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5 . ＂Has anyone seen Charge?"I asked,only half expecting a reply.The kids were running around the house,each doing their own thing,and my husband was watching the football game. Since she had only been out of sight for a few hours,I wasn't overly concerned.I thought she must be under one of the kids' beds,hiding from all the mess that was normal for a Sunday afternoon in our home.
Charge was not good looking,to put it kindly.It wasn't her fault;she was simply gifted with the worst appearance in her background.
My husband had found Charge wandering along the freeway one day on his way home from work.She looked as though she hadn't eaten in weeks,so he stopped and fed her with bits of his leftover lunch.Not knowing what to do,he brought her home with the hope of finding her owners or at least a loving family that would take her.However,once she was in the house,the kids were determined not to let her go.After a day or two of begging,we unwillingly gave in and told them we could keep her.
After observing her actions for a few days,I found she was extremely distrustful and afraid of everyone.In time,though,she came to love the kids and slept on their beds every night.I wondered if what she had experienced had conditioned her to be protective of those who were hurting.Every time the kids cried,Charge would run to them and gently offer her comforting paw. Unlike our cat, who had recently given birth to five kittens,Charge would have been a great mother.
When I was finally able to get everyone's attention at the dinner table,I asked again if anyone had seen Charge.After an all-in-one voice"No",I decided to take a look around the neighborhood.
"Who wants to go look for Charge with me?" I asked as I opened the door of the hall closet and reached in to gel my shoes.
“Charge!"I cried,because there she was in the closet!She looked up at me from inside the little cats'box as if to say,"Shhh,I just got them to sleep!"
We usually kept the closet door open a bit so our mamma cat could go in and feed her kittens, but she always left as soon as she finished nursing.Obviously,Charge knew they needed more mamma time and was more than willing to help out.
The kids smiled upon seeing the dog with the kittens.My husband shook his head and said,“Only you,Charge.Only you!"
Charge continued to mother the kittens until they were placed in their new homes.Charge may not have been an attractive dog,but she truly had her inner beauty.
1. It can be inferred from the first paragraph that_| A．the kids were not willing to play with Charge |
| B．the author didn't worry too much about Charge |
| C．Charge liked playing hide-and-seek games with the kids |
| D．the author's husband was watching the football game with the kids |
| A．fed her with his lunch |
| B．decided to adopt her |
| C．felt pity for her |
| D．helped to find her owner |
| A．It was really an energetic hunter. |
| B．It was too selfish and lazy. |
| C．It was quite clean and lovely. |
| D．It was not a very caring mother. |
| A．prove one's past could influence their characteristics |
| B．indicate those who love the kids will be loved by others |
| C．inform a pet dog can bring both joy and sadness to its owner |
| D．show beauty isn't in the face but from the bottom of the heart |
| A．The most beautiful Charge |
| B．The greatest mamma |
| C．A loving story |
| D．A special Sunday |
6 . Disappearing because of disease and changes in the market,the Rutgers tomato may be making a comeback.Scientists have brought the tomato back to life again that mid-century Americans fell in love with and have liked ever since.
Introduced in 1934 by Lyman Schermerhorm,a plant scientist at Rutgers University in NewJersey,the Rutgers tomato was a cross between the sweet Marglobe tomato and the sour JTD.It was the perfect tomato for its time,when the fruit was still picked by hand,fresh produce wasn't transported long distances and people didn't expect picture-perfect tomatoes all year round.Farmers liked the plant because it produced early-season fruit and could resist disease.It was the basis for Campbell's tomato soup.By 1947,two out of every three tomatoes grown across the United States were the Rutgers tomatoes.The newspaper called it the"super tomato”。
Then,in the 1960s,a deadly new form of tomato disease,coupled with the needs of industry for fruit that was not easily damaged and could be picked by machine and shipped longer distances,spelled the end."The Rutgers tomato may be compared to the old Ford Model T,"said a professor of the university expressing regret for it in 1962."It did its job well,but times have changed."The university stopped producing Rutgers seeds,but widespread use of the tomato in processed(加工）foods had shaped how Americans thought a tomato was supposed to taste.
Several years ago,Dot Hall,a former Campbell food scientist,set out to recreate the early Rutgers,starting with seeds from its parents,the Marglobe and JTD tomatoes,which Campbell had stored.Hall turned to Rutgers University plant scientists,who did not set out to produce the same copy but"something as good or better,"said Peter Nitzsche,one of the researchers.It's called the Rutgers 250,and the seeds now can be bought by gardeners.It's a very good tomato, Nitzsche said,but he added that it might not live up to everyone's expectations because"people are comparing it to a memory.”
1. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?| A．How the Rutgers tomato was created |
| B．The popularity of the Rutgers tomato. |
| C．The ways of storing the Rutgers tomato |
| D．How food companies used the Rutgers tomato. |
| A．it didn't look good |
| B．it had limited production |
| C．it couldn't be carried far |
| D．it contained a deadly chemical |
| A．It is tastier and healthier |
| B．It could have had a better taste |
| C．It has become a hit in America. |
| D．It may let some Americans down. |
| A．By providing examples. |
| B．By using numbers. |
| C．By following the order of time |
| D．By telling an interesting story. |
7 . Simba lives with his owner Arjanit Mehana in an apartment building. Despite （不管）how Simba has always been a
One elderly woman who lived on the floor below Mehana and Simba always took particular care to
Mehana and Simba had recently been returning to their apartment from a walk when the pup suddenly started
The elderly neighbor had
“She said, 'Thank you for
| A．smart | B．sweet | C．calm | D．distant |
| A．expected | B．allowed | C．judged | D．encouraged |
| A．how | B．when | C．where | D．why |
| A．feed | B．avoid | C．help | D．walk |
| A．greet | B．warn | C．attract | D．disturb |
| A．saved | B．recognized | C．deserted | D．cursed |
| A．rolling | B．advancing | C．attacking | D．barking |
| A．desired | B．waned | C．refused | D．decided |
| A．pulled on | B．took off | C．reached out | D．stepped up |
| A．peaceful | B．mild | C．sharp | D．weak |
| A．struggled | B．panicked | C．fallen | D．suffered |
| A．reflected | B．stuck | C．sunk | D．limited |
| A．services | B．treatment | C．attention | D．emergencies |
| A．informing | B．comforting | C．hearing | D．inspiring |
| A．doctor | B．doggie | C．neighbor | D．ambulance |
8 . The Wall Street Journal recently published an excellent article penned by Wendy Bounds on a hot topic here at MNN: the air-purifying qualities of the common houseplant. Given that the air inside your home can be 2 to 5 times more polluted than the air outside of it, making it clean with plants like peace lily(百合花)and asparagus fern(芦笋蕨)is an economical, artistically pleasing alternative to air purifiers. So, it's been acknowledged that a bunch of pretty potted houseplants can help you maintain a healthier home, but a smarter home?
That's the question in light of a recent study published by the Journal of Environmental Psychology showing that the presence of plants in a room, particularly in an office environment, can shrink attention span(范围). Struggling directive attention (the kind of attention that takes effort) can be refreshed through exposure to naturalistic environments. Basically, taking a walk through the park can clear one's head. But can a head be refreshed simply by being surrounded by houseplants?
To test their theory, the study's authors rounded up a bunch of participants, put some of them in a room with no plants and put others in a room with four plants placed around a desk, and put them all to the same series of tests. First was a Reading Span Test, which involves reading a series of sentences aloud and remembering the last word in each sentence. This task requires that you fluently switch between attention demanding tasks: from reading and memorizing at one moment, to writing and recalling at the next. Next came a proof-reading task followed by another Reading Span Test.
The results? Participants working in the room with the plants improved their performance from the first Reading Span Test to the second while those working in the room lacking in greenery did not. Consequently, the benefits of working among plants is indeed evident.
1. What do we know from the first paragraph?| A．Staying indoors can help avoid the poorer air outdoors. |
| B．Houseplants can function as beautiful cheap air purifiers. |
| C．Planting potted flowers as decorations is very interesting. |
| D．Air purifiers are the most effective to create a healthy home. |
| A．Focus one's attention. | B．Disturb one's attention. |
| C．Weaken one's attention. | D．Turn one's attention away. |
| A．Working in nature helps increase productivity. |
| B．Houseplants will be in great demand in our life. |
| C．Greenery creates healthier naturalistic atmosphere indoors. |
| D．Working among houseplants improves mental functioning. |
| A．Flowers: Grand Feast to Eyes | B．Greenery: Effective Air-purifier |
| C．Houseplants: Visual Brain Food | D．Potted Plants: Great House-beautifier |
Only three percent of water on Earth is fresh water and the majority of it exists in the forms of glaciers（冰川）and the polar ice caps. This leaves most people on Earth to depend on rivers, lakes, and groundwater. These water resources are becoming subjects of increasing problems.
At one time, there was not a great deal of attention paid to water resources for humans. In modern times, however, people are beginning to realize that the subjects cannot be ignored. Experts foresee problems for much larger portions（部分）of the population in the future if prevention measures are not taken.
There are a number of things that are responsible for the present water problems. Pollution, climate change, and urbanization（城市化）are a few of the common examples.
Climate change is affecting resources by causing rivers and lakes to dry up. Many of these water resources have been used for centuries to support household and agricultural uses.
Urbanization affects water resources because many cities are growing, but their water supplies are not. More people living in one place means that the water requirements in that place are greater. Unfortunately, it is not a choice to make limitless supplies of water available to them.
Pollution involves（涉及）people dirtying their water resources. Dealing with pollution often is not simple. In some cases, even when it is technically possible, there is a lack of resources to do so.
Saltwater sources can in some cases be used as water resources. This is done by way of a process known as desalination（脱盐）.This is an expensive process, so it is not generally promoted as a solution for water problems.
Much effort is being invested（投入）by governments and civil society organizations to make people aware of the issues surrounding water resources for humans. Tips and solutions often are offered to educate people on how to change their habits. It is generally believed that sustainable solutions much include the efforts of all levels of society.
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10 . Climate change, not human hunting, may have destroyed the thylacine （袋狼），according to a new study based on DNA from thylacine bones.
The meat-eating marsupials （有袋动物）died out on mainland Australia a few thousand years ago, but survived in Tasmania, an island of southeast Australia separated from the mainland, until the 1930s. Until now, scientists have believed the cause of this mainland extinction （灭绝）was increased activity from native Australians and dingoes （Australian wild dogs）.
Scientists behind the University of Adelaide study, which was published in the Journal of Biogeography on Thursday, collected 51 new thylacine DNA samples from fossil （化石）bones and museum skins. The paper concluded that climate change starting about 4,000 years ago was likely the main cause of the mainland extinction.
The ancient DNA showed that the mainland extinction of thylacines was rapid, and not the result of loss of genetic diversity （基因多样性）.There was also evidence of a population crash （大跌）in thylacines in Tasmania at the same period of time, reducing their numbers and genetic diversity.
Professor Jeremy Austin said Tasmania would have been protected from mainland Australia's warmer, drier climate due to its higher rainfall. He argued that climate change was "the only thing that could have caused, or at least started, an extinction on the mainland and caused a population crash in Tasmania.”
"They both occurred at about the same time, and the other two things that have been talked about in the past that may have driven thylacines to extinction on the mainland were dingoes and humans. So the only explanation that's left is climate change. And because that population crash happened at the same time that the species （物种）went extinct on the mainland, our argument is there's a common theme there and the only common theme is that there is this change in climate."
1. What did scientists believe in the past according to the passage?| A．Marsupials were all meat-eating animals. |
| B．Dingoes should be removed from Australia. |
| C．Thylacines had no enemies on mainland Australia. |
| D．Human activities may cause the extinction of thylacines. |
| A．Tasmania has more dingoes. |
| B．Tasmania has more rainy days. |
| C．Tasmania has a higher temperature. |
| D．Tasmania has more native activities. |
| A．something similar occurred on mainland Australia and Tasmania |
| B．Tasmania were protected from mainland Australia's warmer climate |
| C．humans and dingoes may have driven thylacines to extinction |
| D．mainland Australia suffered from much higher rainfall in the past |
| A．The cause of disappearance of thylacines |
| B．The ways of protecting meat-eating animals |
| C．The result of warmer climate in Australia |
| D．The effect of climate change on wildlife |
