1 . Victoria Falls is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Statistically speaking, it is the largest waterfall in the world. Victoria Falls is located on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. The falls are also close to the border of Botswana. The Zambezi River, which originates in northern Zambia, serves as the falls’ water source.

There are basically two seasons for the Victoria Falls area. The rainy season runs from late November to early April with the remaining months accounting for the dry season. One would imagine that the rainy season with more water would make the falls more spectacular (壮观的), however, the additional water and subsequent mist(水汽) in the air makes it nearly impossible to see the base of the falls.

The months of June and July are probably the best time to view the falls. The water levels are still high enough to show the beauty of the falls, but the amount of water is less, creating less mist and more visibility of the falls.

As you move into the later part of the dry season, August through October, it is quite possible that you will see more rock face than falls. However, this also opens the door for walking across the top of the falls, which can be a unique and exhilarating experience as well.

During the rainy season and high water, Victoria Falls can be a challenge to capture (抓拍) with a camera because of all of the mist in the air. However, this increases the probabilities that you will be able to capture rainbow images around the falls.

The lower water levels can create more dramatic pictures with various rocks cropping out between the falls. You should also be able to see the canyon and base of the falls. You will also be able to walk across the top of the falls and take images down the face of the falls.

1. Where does the water source of Victoria Falls originate?

A．In northern Zambia.	B．In southern Zimbabwe.
C．At the border of Botswana.	D．Between the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe.

2. When is the best time for travelers to walk across the top of the falls?

A．From November to April.	B．From August to October.
C．In the months of June and July.	D．In the months of May and June.

3. What does the underlined word “this” in paragraph 5 probably refer to?

A．A camera.	B．High water.
C．The rainy season.	D．All of the mist in the air.

4. What are the last two paragraphs mainly about?

A．Travel strategies at different water levels.	B．Challenges for falls travelers to overcome.
C．Photo opportunities in different seasons.	D．Different views of the falls all the year round.

2 . In 2015, the last golden eagle in England died at Haweswater in the Lake District National Park. Its death was the latest in a series of losses in the Lake District. In his book, Wild Fell, published by Doubleday on 24 February 2022. Haweswater Site Manager Lee Schofield calls on the local people to revive the landscape—telling the ups and downs of taking over the management of two hill farms in 2012 and how his team are combining ancient practices with new ambition so that farming and nature can develop well, and that one day eagles may surge once again.

In the Lake District, Lee and his team, working with landowner United Utilities, have changed a polluted river, restored wetlands, and equipped cows with GPS collars to protect endangered wildflowers. As well as helping wildlife, this is also good for people—there are twice as many people working at Haweswater than a decade ago, thousands of tons of carbon are being locked away in new woodlands and restored wetlands, and changing the river has added 180m to its length, slowing the flow of water and reducing flood risk. By restoring the habitats in the area, it will also finally help improve the water quality in the reservoir at Haweswater that provides water for more than two million people across North West England.

Lee says, “Change is possible, but we can’t depend on reserves as lifeboats for nature—we need a great transformation with people and wildlife at the heart of every decision made up and down this country. Wild Fell is not intended to be an instruction book, and there’s never a one-size-fits-all solution, but I hope it can serve as an example of what can happen when we work together to fight for our wildlife and our livelihoods.” Isabella Tree, author of The Return of Nature to a British Farm, says of Wild Fell, “It is an inspiring journey into the restoration of our lands. Reasoned, intelligent and well-informed, this is a story of hope and renewal for both nature and farming.”

1. What does the underlined word “surge” in paragraph 1 mean?

A．Increase greatly.	B．Hide safely.
C．Compete freely.	D．Differ slightly.

2. What does the author introduce about Lee and his team in Paragraph 2?

A．Their plans and principles.	B．Their problems and solutions.
C．Their contributions and limitations.	D．Their efforts and achievements.

3. What does Lee expect of Wild Fell?

A．It will be an instruction book.

B．It will inspire more people to fight for nature.

C．It will provide an example of building reserves.

D．It will change the way of linking people with wildlife.

4. What is Isabella Tree’s attitude to Wild Fell?

A．Doubtful

B．Negative.

C．Favorable.

D．Unconcerned.

3 . 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。

The terrifying flooding of Venice could and should have been avoided. It hasn’t been this bad since 1966, when the water reached 6 feet, 4 inches. Back then,     1     (frighten) Italians called for immediate action.     2    , once the water moved away, they didn’t take it as seriously as before and thought over the issue for almost 40 years. The massive MOSE flood     3     (protect) system that was finally approved in 2003 still hasn’t been completed.

“Meanwhile, Venice is disappearing beneath the water,” said Jacopo Giliberto. “Climate change and rising sea levels are     4     (blame). But so is the fact that we pumped water from an underground aquifer (蓄水层)     5     the 1930s to the 1980s,     6     (cause) the ground beneath us to fall with impressive speed. Proud Venice is     7     world treasure, an open-air art museum, so officials instead chose more expensive invisible dams that won’t disturb the view. So far, we     8     (spend) more than $ 6 billion on MOSE, which won’t be put into use until next year at the earliest.”

“The project is a disaster, and Italians just aren’t good at long-term planning,” said Maurizio Ferrera. “Look at our booming national debt,     9     now sits at $2.7 trillion, 138 percent of our GDP. If we are to save Venice, we’ll have to change our political culture.     10     is unclear whether we have the will.”

4 . He’s as big as a small golden dog and covered with scales (鳞片). He is the pangolin (穿山甲), an endangered animal.

According to the wildlife trade monitoring organization Traffic, about one million pangolins were killed from 2000 through 2013, mainly for their scales, which are used in medicine. Pangolins are sensitive creatures and picky eaters that only eat certain species of ants, a diet that’s very difficult to copy in the food chain.

“In the last decade, there’s been a huge growth trade in pangolins between continents, especially their scales,” says Dan Challender, chair of the pangolin specialist group. Previously, most pangolin killing happened within Asia, he says. This shift means that Asian pangolins are becoming difficult to find but that the value of the scales makes it worth the extra cost to take pangolins from Africa to Asia secretly.

All eight species of pangolins, four in Africa and four in Asia, are in danger of extinction due to the illegal trade. International trade in the four species of Asian pangolins has been banned since 2000. In the past few years, a ban on international commercial trade in all eight species has gone into effect. It was voted by 183 governments that are parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which is in charge of cross-border trade in wild animals and their parts.

Pangolins are eaten as bushmeat in western and central Africa and by some local groups in South and Southeast Asia. Their parts also are used in Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, and elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa as traditional medicine. Typically dried, ground into powder, and put into pills, pangolin scales are used in a range of traditional medicines to help mothers who have given birth to babies to recover. But they are now endangered. Perhaps no pangolins can be seen when our next generation grow up.

1. What do you know about pangolins from Paragraph 2?

A．Their meat is very delicious.

B．Their scales are of great value.

C．They are smaller than young dogs.

D．They are on the top of the food chain.

2. Why are pangolins brought from Africa to Asia?

A．Pangolins are cheaper in Africa.

B．No laws protect pangolins in Africa.

C．People in Asia can really save pangolins.

D．Pangolins have sharply decreased in numbers in Asia.

3. What does the fourth paragraph mainly tell us?

A．Pangolins have many different species.

B．The bans on pangolin trade are ineffective.

C．People used to take advantage of pangolins in different ways.

D．Governments have tried to contribute to the protection of pangolins.

4. What’s the author’s attitude towards pangolins’ future?

A．Positive.

B．Uncaring.

C．Concerned.

D．Confident.

5 . Plants don’t have ears or a central nervous system, but new research out of the University of Missouri has demonstrated that they might still have the ability to “hear”. More specifically, plants have been shown to exhibit an immune (免疫) response to the mere sound of a hungry insect.

For the study, researchers played the sound of a caterpillar chewing to a group of plants, which caused slight vibrations (振动) on the plants’ leaves. The plants were able to recognize these vibration patterns as danger, and responded by mounting the appropriate immune response. In other words, it appears that plants can “hear” themselves being chewed on.

Researchers assume that plants achieve this remarkable ability thanks to proteins that respond to pressure found within their cell membranes. Vibrations cause pressure changes within the cell, which can change the behavior of the proteins; however, additional study will be required to confirm or deny this theory.

Once researchers identify the exact mechanisms at play in this process, it could lead to advances in crop protection. Farmers could potentially learn to use sound to cause a plant’s natural chemical defenses against insect threats, rather than turning to poisonous chemicals.

“We can imagine applications of this where plants could be treated with sound or genetically engineered to respond to certain sounds that would be useful for agriculture,” said study author Heidi Appel.

The study adds to the growing list of ways that plants have been shown to sense their environments. They are not the boring organisms that many people assume they are. For instance, some plants are able to communicate with each other and signal upcoming danger to their neighbors by releasing chemicals into the air. Plants can respond to light (think about sunflowers) and temperature. Some can even respond to touch, such as the Venus flytrap (捕蝇草), which snaps shut when an insect stimulates its hairs.

1. Why did researchers carry out the study?

A．To find out if plants can react to sounds.

B．To learn how plants recognize dangers.

C．To discover if plants can shake their leaves.

D．To see how plants improve immune systems.

2. What’s the potential use of researchers’ discovery?

A．To remove insects.	B．To protect crops.
C．To treat plant diseases.	D．To produce chemicals.

3. What does the author intend to tell us in the last paragraph?

A．There are more plants than we know.

B．Plants are more active than we think.

C．Plants fit in well with their environments.

D．Lots of secrets about plants remain unclear.

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

A．Can plants “talk” with each other?

B．How do plants make use of sounds?

C．Can plants “hear” themselves being eaten?

D．How do plants defend themselves against attacks?