1 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

As is well-known to us all, ants move between their home and sources of food frequently,     1     which their survival depends. Motsch and his colleagues wondered if ants on the move could get     2     （stick）in the jams.

Therefore, they controlled traffic density（密度）by constructing bridges of a     3     （vary）of widths between ants' home and a source of food.     4     only goal was to try to find out at what point they would have a traffic jam. They just waited and watched. But the ants never, at one point, just stopped.

The flow of ants did increase as ants started to fill the bridge. But it never slowed down, even when the bridge was crowded with ants. The researchers then     5     （far）looked at how the behavior of an individual ant affected traffic. They found when ants     6     （sense）overcrowding, they adjusted their speeds and avoided entering high-density areas and running into each other, thus     7     （prevent）jams.

Can ants help us solve our own traffic problems? “Not likely,” says Motsch. That's     8     when it comes to getting from point A to point B as fast as possible, human drivers put their own goals first. Ants have no choice but     9     （be）more cooperative in order to feed     10     （they）.

2 . In 1968, William Anders took what has been described as the greatest environmental photograph of all time while venturing farther than any other human had travelled before aboard the Apollo 8 spacecraft. He was orbiting the Moon when a half-illuminated slice of our home planet suddenly emerged beyond the lunar horizon.     1     people called that photograph Earthrise.

    2    . In the 19th century, Tomas Moran’s painting from a little-explored comer of Wyoming helped to inspire US President Ulysses S Grant to create. Yosemite National Park.     3     His description of what Carl Sagan later described as our ‘pale blue dot’, far out there in space, was an artwork that had relevance to everyone.

    4     In the 52 years that have passed since Earthrise was taken, the humans on that little speck in space have increased the concentration of carbon dioxide in their atmosphere by almost 30 per cent, wiped out 60 per cent of its mammal, ‘bird, fish and reptile populations, and now teeter on the brink of environmental catastrophe.

    5     Perhaps the result justified the carbon-intensive moans- but what about today’s explorers? What expectations and values should we place on modern-day adventurers as they travel and return, often with stories from our last remaining wildernesses?

A．Impressed deeply by the splendid scene, Anders never forgot it in his life.

B．This wasn’t the first time that art had proved to be an important tool for environmentalists.

C．Grabbing his camera, Anders captured the image that later moved the world.

D．Yet while Yellowstone, the world’s first national park, today enjoys a little of protection, our planet is in serious trouble.

E．Though Yellowstone still exists, people ignore our planet.

F．But Anders’ adventure on Apollo 8 went beyond national boundaries.

G．A lot of Co2 was produced when Apollo 8 was launched into orbit.

3 . Not in history has a modern city been so completely destroyed. San Francisco is gone. Nothing remains of it_________memories and a few homes that were near the edge of the city. The factories, great stores and newspaper buildings, the hotels and the huge homes of the very_________, are all gone.

Within_________of the earthquake the fires began. Within an hour a huge tower of smoke_________by the fires could be seen a hundred miles away. And for three days and nights this huge fire moved in the sky,_________the sun, darkening the day and filling the land with smoke.

There was nothing_________the flames. There was no organization, no communication. The earthquake had destroyed all of the modern_________of a twentieth century city. The streets were broken and filled with pieces of fallen walls. The telephone and telegraph systems were broken. And the great water pipes had_________. All inventions and safety plans of man had been_________by thirty seconds of movement by the earth.

By Wednesday afternoon, only twelve hours after the__________, half the heart of the city was gone. I watched the huge fire. It was very__________. There was no wind. Yet from every__________wind was__________upon the city. East, west, north and south, strong winds were blowing upon the__________city.

The__________air made a huge wind that pulled air into the fire,__________into the atmosphere. Day and night the calm continued, and yet, near the flames, the wind was often as strong as a storm.

There was no water to fight the fire.__________decided to use explosives (炸药) to destroy buildings in its__________. They hoped this would create a block to__________or stop the fire. Building after building was destroyed. And still the great fires continued. Jack London told how people tried to save some of their__________from the fire.

1.

A．but

B．and

C．when

D．because

2.

A．poor

B．strong

C．rich

D．weak

3.

A．weeks

B．minutes

C．days

D．years

4.

A．affected

B．destroyed

C．protected

D．caused

5.

A．whitening

B．brightening

C．reddening

D．enlarging

6.

A．shaving

B．opposing

C．entering

D．rejecting

7.

A．inventions

B．telegraphs

C．pipes

D．telephones

8.

A．repaired

B．replaced

C．burst

D．produced

9.

A．created

B．removed

C．protected

D．destroyed

10.

A．earthquake

B．fire

C．storm

D．wind

11.

A．noisy

B．fierce

C．calm

D．boring

12.

A．pavement

B．building

C．orbit

D．side

13.

A．pouring in

B．taking in

C．bringing in

D．resulting in

14.

A．lively

B．dying

C．energetic

D．positive

15.

A．fresh

B．heated

C．cool

D．frozen

16.

A．raising

B．rising

C．lowering

D．keeping

17.

A．Firefighters

B．Engineers

C．Designers

D．Managers

18.

A．platform

B．shape

C．path

D．scan

19.

A．spring

B．sponsor

C．spin

D．slow

20.

A．cars

B．furniture

C．possessions

D．houses

4 . If you have ever tried to catch a resting butterfly, you know it is surprisingly difficult. A new study helps explain why.

Previous research had suggested that a butterfly's overhead wing clap forces the insect forward. Researchers thought the wing clap likely formed a pocket of air that shoots out like a jet. But no one had tested that until now.

To analyze their flight, they placed six butterflies one at a time inside a wind tunnel which was filled with smoke and then used a laser to light up the smoke just behind the butterfly. Four high-speed cameras were placed in the tunnel to take photos of the movement of the butterfly and the smoke as the butterfly was taking off. This let the researchers create a 3D picture of that air movement as the insect flapped its wings.

They analyzed a total of 25 takeoffs by six butterflies. Each included up to three wingbeats after takeoff. The butterflies proved more likely to clap their wings together during the first few wingbeats than later in flight.

The photos show that forces created by the wings give rise to a flight path. The butterflies rise as their wings move down and shoot forward as their wings move up. A wing clap on takeoff, paired with a quick turn, allowed the butterflies to fly away quickly. They also noticed the wings formed an air pocket just before clapping and that the wings' flexibility and this pocket improved the jet force created by the clap.

“The study is exalting,” says Ayodeji Bode-Oke, a mechanical engineer in Charlottesville. That means “we have solved the longtime puzzle about how butterflies fly, and it proves nothing is impossible on the road of scientific research. I can't wait to learn about how the study might inform designs for small flying vehicles.”

1. Why was laser used in the experiment?

A．To frighten the butterflies into flying.	B．To help researchers observe the butterflies.
C．To help take clear photos of air movement.	D．To guide the butterflies through the smoke.

2. What is the finding of the research according to paragraph 5?

A．Butterflies fly forward as wings move down.

B．An air pocket forms after butterflies clap wings.

C．Butterflies beat wings three times before taking off.

D．Upward wing movements help butterflies fly forward.

3. What does the underlined word “exalting" in the last paragraph probably mean?

A．Puzzling.

B．Exciting.

C．Simple.

D．Impossible.

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

A．Why Can Butterflies Fly Like a Jet?	B．How Can Butterflies Make Wing Claps?
C．How Can Butterflies Make Quick Turns?	D．Why Can Butterflies Run Away Quickly?

6 . When Joseph Cook first landed on the Greenland ice sheet in 2010, he was expecting to see a primitive white environment. What he found was "colorful mix"-from blacks and grays to greens, purples and browns, with blue streams cutting through the ice. the rainbow colors Cook encountered are created by a collection of tiny life forms that reproduce on the surface of the ice sheet. Biodiversity is usually considered a good thing, but in this case the abundance of tiny life is speeding up ice melt, and likely causing global sea levels to rise faster than scientists have predicted

Cook says the tiny life forms he studies are contributing to the problem. One of these organisms is an algae(海藻) that grows in the thin layer of water on the surface of the ice. it produces purple-brown- pigment(色素) which acts “like a natural sunscreen, "says Cook, protecting the algae from the full force of the Arctic sunlight. The pigment also causes the ice to heat up and melt.

“If you go out on a hot day wearing a black T-shirt, you get warmer than if you go out on a hot day wearing a white T-shirt. The same thing happens on the ice," says Cook. "These algae, like the black T-shirt for the glacier, are causing it to warm up in the sun and melt faster.”

Cook’s research on a part of the Greenland ice sheet covering 3, 900 square miles revealed that algae is responsible for up to 13% of the ice melt. In some localized areas, the algae boosted melting by up to 26%.

Glacier algae are not a new phenomenon-there are records of them in the diaries of polar explorers from the 1870s, says Cook. What's becoming clear is that ice sheets are surprisingly dynamic and complex environments. "There are so many questions to answer, "says Cook. "It's kind of like a theme park for a scientist because there's just so much to do.

1. What is quickening the ice melt?

A．The algae.	B．Human activities.
C．Global warming.	D．Blue melt streams.

2. Why is the example of wearing a black T-shirt mentioned?

A．To clarify a rule.	B．To explain the phenomenon.
C．To add humour.	D．To make a conclusion.

3. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．Scientists will avoid exploring polar regions.

B．Cook feels proud of the current results.

C．A theme park will be built on ice sheets.

D．There's a long way for research into ice sheets.

4. From which is the text probably taken?

A．A news review.	B．A travel brochure.
C．A geography textbook.	D．A science magazine

7 . The measurable threat to the environment has been worsened by the spread of COVID-19 that increases the need for plastic protective equipment. Most plastic is made from fossil fuels. Millions of tons of greenhouse gas are released from the development of these resources and plastic production and burning.

The end life of plastic is just worrisome. Less than 10% of the plastic produced has been recycled. Even more of it has been burned. But the vast majority of plastic has been buried inland, and it is increasingly polluting the environment. We hear mostly about ocean plastic and the harm done to sea creatures that mistake plastic bags and bits for food. But microplastic is even more worrisome. Plastic doesn't break down biologically but instead breaks down into tiny particles（a very small piece of something）, which have been found in every corner of the planet, on land and in the air, in drinking water and food sources.

Yet the public has not given this global environmental disaster the attention it requires. Instead, they have viewed single-use plastic—which makes up about 40% of plastic used each year—as a litter issue that can be solved through better recycling and waste management. That attitude must change because the recent global breakdown of the market for recycling has made it clear that it has never been, nor ever will be, able to keep up with plastic trash use.

California has been the forerunner of plastic waste reduction—it was the first state to ban single-use plastic bags and may be the first state to transform the way goods are packaged. The state also came close to passing an act which would have required that products sold in plastic packaging in the state have a proven recycling rate of 75% by 2032. California, though influential, can't solve this crisis alone. The US has long been producing a great amount of plastic trash and it should engage in reducing the use of plastic as well.

1. Why does the author mention the release of greenhouse gas in paragraph 1?

A．To show the harm of plastic

B．To warn of the climate change.

C．To call for the development of fossil fuels.

D．To highlight the importance of plastic equipment.

2. What's the author's attitude towards the public opinion on single-use plastic?

A．Favorable.	B．Tolerant.
C．Curious.	D．Opposed.

3. What's California's role in reducing plastic waste?

A．A pioneer.	B．A failure.
C．An objector.	D．A predictor.

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

A．Microplastic Products Are Harmful

B．Waste Recycling Is an Urgent Matter

C．Plastic Waste Pollution Is a Wake-up Call

D．Global Environmental Disasters Are Increasing

8 . Now Sea World on the Gold Coast is the only dolphin park in Australia to continue keeping dolphins in captivity. This wouldn't have been possible without thousands of warm-hearted supporters being a voice for dolphins protection over many years.

In August last year, Ben Pearson, our head of campaigns in Australia and New Zealand, appeared before the NSW upper house inquiry into the use wild animals for entertainment to put forward our case for ban on captive Dolphin breeding in the state. “If a dolphin were bred today, it may still be alive in 2070. This regulation frees future dolphins from being kept in lockdown at a time when the public acceptability of keeping dolphins in captivity for entertainment is declining. As the tide turns against using marine mammals in captivity for entertainment, conversation about what will happen to the dolphins at Sea World needs to start now. First step is a ban on further breeding,” Ben Pearson said.

Major travel brands including Tripadvisor and Booking. com have already committed to stop selling tickets to dolphin shows and encounters. As well as these great changes for dolphins from the travel industry, Canada recently passed a ban on keeping dolphins and whales for entertainment. This is part of a global movement towards better treatment of these wild animals, which includes the nations of Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, India, Luxembourg, Norway, Switzerland, and the UK.

Dolphins are magnificent, intelligent animals. They belong in the wild and should not be bred in captivity for entertainment. In their natural environment, dolphins swim freely in 100 square kilometres of ocean, sometimes more, but the average dolphin in captivity has a fraction of that space. Together, we can make this the last generation of dolphins in captivity.

1. What makes Sea World on the Gold Coast the only dolphin park?

A．Dolphins take too long a time to feed.

B．People's awareness of protecting dolphins.

C．Sea World on the Gold Coast has enough money.

D．Dolphins in Sea World on the Gold Coast like people's voice.

2. What does the underlined word "tide" mean in the second paragraph?

A．Wave.

B．Support.

C．Opinion.

D．Doubt.

3. What is most likely the result of the measures of the travel industry?

A．More parks for dolphins will be built.	B．More dolphins will be kept in parks.
C．Wild animals will live a better life.	D．More countries will feed wild animals.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．Make Dolphins Live Freely	B．Protect Sea World on the Gold Coast
C．Change the Ways of Entertainment	D．Prevent People from Feeding Animals