2 . Around the globe far more bird species are losing ground than gaining, according to an expansive review of a half-century of bird population research published in the journal Annual Review of Environment and Resources in May.

The review, entitled The State of the World’s Birds, showed that more than 5,200 different species of birds-just shy of half the world’s total-are known or suspected to be declining. Around 3,800 species are relatively stable, and fewer than 700 species show increases. Among birds on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, almost 400 birds worldwide have had their conservation status changed for the worse in the past three decades (moving from vulnerable to threatened, or threatened to endangered) — five times more than the number of bird species with an IUCN status that has changed for the better.

“After documenting the loss of nearly 3 billion birds in North America alone (according to a 2019 study published in the journal Science), it was disturbing to see the same patterns of population declines and extinction occurring globally,” says review coauthor Ken Rosenberg, a conservation scientist now retired from the Cormell Lab of Omithology.

The review points to disappearing and degraded habitat-resulting from climate change, urbanization, agricultural intensification, and international trade-as the leading driver of bird declines worldwide. In a note of hope, the authors cite a 2020 study indicating that restoring just 5% of habitat in priority areas around the world could avert 60% of likely extinctions.

Lead author Alexander Lees, a research associate at the Cormell Lab, also points to the need for substantial changes in human behavior to prevent further losses. “Loss and degradation of habitat is often driven by demand for resources,” says Lees. “We need to better consider how commodity flows such as beef, oil, and seed crops can contribute to biodiversity loss and try to reduce the human footprint on the natural world.”

1. In what order are threatened species arranged on the IUCN’s Red List?

A．Species quantity.

B．Living habitat.

C．Declining rate.

D．Conservation status.

2. How does Ken Rosenberg feel when saying the words?

A．Hopeful.

B．Relieved.

C．Doubtful.

D．Concerned.

3. What does the underlined “avert” mean in paragraph 4?

A．Prevent.

B．Increase.

C．Cause.

D．Face.

4. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．Extra reasons for bird extinction.	B．Possible solutions to habitat loss.
C．Substantial changes in human behavior.	D．The prospect of biodiversity loss.

3 . It was the day before Thanksgiving and Kaleb Benham, a 24-year-old strong man, was wandering around outside his home in Northern California. His 90-pound dog, Buddy, was playing around nearby, doing what dogs usually do. Only this time, Buddy was getting into a whole lot of trouble.

The sound that no one wants to hear alone in the woods caught Benham’s attention. It was the deep roar of a black bear. Benham drove around to see the beast, which weighed around 350 pounds, some 100 feet away. In a second, the bear grabbed(猛然抓取) Buddy’s head and started pulling him away.

Benham ran after them. “Honestly,” he told CBS13 in Sacramento, “the only thing I could think of was ‘save my baby’.” Rushing, he lowered his shoulder and crashed into the bear. But it only seized Buddy tightly. Benham’s heart jumped. He shouted and threw a stone at the bear. Nothing. He found out his can of hair spray(喷雾). He tried firing it immediately at the bear. A bright red cloud enveloped it, and the bear dropped the dog and ran off into the woods.

Buddy was in bad shape. He lay there almost out of breath and his face was terribly broken. “My first thought was that I was going to lose him,” Benham said. He picked up Buddy, put him into his car, and sped off to a nearby veterinarian (兽医). Buddy’s operation took nearly four hours.

This was the second time Benham had rescued Buddy, says CBS13. The first was from a shelter a few years ago. “If it was your kid, what would you do?” he asked. Nodding toward Buddy, he added, “That’s my kid.”

1. What do we know about Buddy?

A．Buddy weighed around 350 pounds.	B．Buddy fought with dogs in the street.
C．Buddy played with a bear in the forest.	D．Buddy got attacked by a bear in the woods.

2. How did Kaleb Benham finally rescue Buddy in the woods?

A．By crashing into the bear himself.	B．By throwing a stone at the bear’s eyes.
C．By beating the bear’s heart angrily.	D．By driving away the bear with a spray.

3. What can be inferred from the text?

A．Benham rescued Buddy for the first time.

B．Benham was interviewed by a mass media.

C．Benham found Buddy caused a lot of trouble.

D．Benham realized Buddy wasn’t in great danger.

4. Which of the following best describes Kaleb Benham?

A．Caring and friendly.	B．Honest and kind-hearted.
C．Brave and quick-minded.	D．Generous and determined.

5 . 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。

Mars is     1    (true) a fascinating planet for those of us here on Earth. As our nearest planetary neighbour, it is one of the few planets that we can see with our naked eye. Mars is the     2    (four) planet from the Sun and the second smallest planet in the solar system, about half of     3     size of Earth. Often it     4    (refer) to as the “Red Planet” because of its red surface. The Red Planet has the largest volcano in the solar system-Olympus Mons,     5     is roughly 27 kilometres high.

Many scientists believe that studying Mars can help us find answers     6     some key questions about our planet Earth, or even the universe. Since 1960, a large number of countries     7    (attempt) Mars missions. Although they have lost many spacecraft in their quest to explore the Red Planet, they will still continue their     8    (explore). Chinese experts are confident about their plan to explore Mars, despite so many challenges. “    9    (launch) the first Mars probe from Wenchang around 2020 is our first step. China will continue exploring strange new worlds     10    (find) out the secrets of the universe.”

7 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

As an enthusiastic climber, I would make an annual trip to the peak of Mount of the Holy Cross. This year, my new running partner, Merle—a young and athletic dog—would climb with me. I hadn’t thought twice about taking Merle; actually, I’d expected him to beat me to the peak.

Before setting off, I filled my pack with water bottles, dry food, and a can of fish. Having put the collar—with his name and my phone numbers—on Merle, I started my big adventure with him. Several hours later, when we were rushing towards the peak, Merle still seemed energetic and I also felt energized by the clear mountain air.

When reaching the peak, I heard a short bark but thought Merle would be seconds behind me. He was always incredibly bonded to me. I shot a photo of the view, called out to the dog and headed back down the trail. However, Merle was nowhere to be seen.

“Merle! Merle!” I called. “Where are you?” I felt a tickle of panic in my throat as I still saw no signs of him.

Then I saw something moving in the basin below. It was Merle! After nearly an hour, I made it to the basin and saw Merle standing on a large rock. Relief washed over me. Soon, I was close enough to see that he looked oddly swollen and was badly injured. When I got within a few feet of him, he dived into a crack at the edge of a field of rocks.

I immediately struggled to clear snow and rocks, but could only stick my head in the crack. Peering into the darkness, I just heard the rings of Merle’s collar. I yelled. No response. Then I went to the scene of the fall and saw the path Merle had taken: He’d slid some 700 feet down the upper snowfield, fallen off a 40-foot cliff, and then rolled down another 100-foot cliff to the lower snowfield.

“It’s typical of a dog in great pain to hide, who is on the edge of dying.” My vet’s words flashed across my mind.

注意:
1. 所续写的短文词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Para l:

I returned to the crack and called his name again.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Para 2:

Three weeks later, I received a call claiming to have found Merle.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8 . Humans across the planet were once hunter-gatherers, with insects widely featuring on the menu. Studies have shown that early humans used tools made of bone to dig into termite mounds(白蚁丘).

Later, it quickly became apparent that, when it came to the needs of a growing human population, keeping animals on farms was far more beneficial than catching and eating insects. Farm animals delivered high yields of meat and milk products; provided skins, wool and fur for clothing; and were useful as a means of transport. They were also far more reliable in comparison to the unpredictability and seasonality of insects—particularly in colder countries, such as the UK, where many species hibernate(冬眠)or die in winter. Insects were soon degraded as pests that threatened food production, rather than being considered a source of food themselves.

Our current eating habits are harming the planet. Food production is responsible for almost 60 percent of global biodiversity loss, and contributes to overfishing, climate change and water shortages. Insects offer a promising alternative to a low-ecological-footprint diet: They are genetically very different from humans, so viruses are unlikely to make the jump; they produce only small amounts of greenhouse gas, compared to livestock; they can be fed on organic waste, such as vegetable peelings; and they require only tiny quantities of water. We simply need to accept that eating them is OK.

But a dislike of eating bugs is a largely western phenomenon. Two billion people across South America, Asia and Africa currently eat insects regularly and generally always have done that. Their choice to consume something with six legs rather than four has nothing to do with a lack of alternative food options or income—many are even considered delicious food. Ants, for example, are highly sought after in many parts of the world, and dozens of grasshopper species are consumed across the globe.

While there isn’t enough science yet to conclude the environmental impact of large-scale insect consumption, there is certainly research to demonstrate the huge environmental benefit that eating insects has in comparison to our over consumption of meat and dairy.

1. Which is NOT the advantage of keeping animals on farms?

A．Changing with the seasons.	B．Serving as means of transport.
C．Providing materials for clothes.	D．Giving high output of meat and dairy.

2. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Insects are more reliable than farm animals.

B．Humans are less likely to get virus infection by eating insects.

C．People currently eat insects because of a lack of alternative food options or income.

D．It has been concluded that insect consumption has a great effect on environment.

3. What can be a suitable title for the passage?

A．Bad Effects on the Planet	B．A Dislike of Eating Insects
C．Putting Insects on the Menu	D．Benefits from Keeping Animals

4. What’s the author’s attitude towards eating insects?

A．Disapproving.

B．Supportive.

C．Ambiguous.

D．Sympathetic.

9 . Bloomberg reported on the status of Tokyo Bay, the open water swimming venue for triathletes (铁人三项运动员). Bloomberg’s report actually sums itself up quite nicely in just two words: “It stinks.”

The question of water quality first came up in 2019. During a water test prior to a paratriathlon race, E.coli was detected in more than double the amount allowed for competition by the International Triathlon Union. A local newspaper quoted one athlete as saying the bay “smelled like a toilet”.

Where the problems lie in this specific case is that there have been concerns over the pollution in Tokyo Bay for a very long time. This is due to the Tokyo metropolis having a mixed sewage (污水) system. In a mixed sewage system, drainage (排水系统) for rainwater and sewage are combined, not separate.

According to Bloomberg’s report, during times of flooding, untreated sewage system gets flushed directly into the bay in an effort to avoid flood damage. So, what happens to the untreated waste water that gets pumped directly into the bay? For the most part, it simply stays in the bay. According to research by Koibuchi, due to the size and depth of the bay, approximately 60 percent of the water in the bay is from the rivers and Tokyo’s drainpipes.

In response to that water test, Tokyo put forward new efforts to clean up the pollution in the bay. These steps include dumping massive amounts of sand into the bay, putting in polyester screens to protect against E.coli, and installing new storage tanks to hold flood runoff, so it can be treated before being released into the bay. Despite these measures, the bay has been emitting an unpleasant smell for a few weeks, according to Bloomberg’s report.

1. According to the passage, E.coli ______.

A．can be a harmful substance	B．comes from the body of a sea animal
C．may help clean the sea	D．is a kind of household waste

2. What causes Tokyo Bay to smell unpleasant?

A．Rainwater trapped in it.	B．The old storage tank.
C．Untreated sewage system.	D．Floodwater from the ground.

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A．The sand dumped into the bay works well to reduce the smell of the bay.

B．The efforts newly made greatly prevent the bay from emitting a bad smell.

C．The measures taken lately in response to the water test are not so effective.

D．Frequent water tests help to prevent against water pollution.

4. What will possibly be discussed in the paragraph that follows?

A．The bad effect of sewage.	B．The further measures to be taken.
C．Different opinions about the previous measures.	D．Athletes: attitude to the unpleasant smelling.

10 . Australia officially listed koalas across its eastern coast as “endangered” on Friday. Conservationists (自然环境保护者) said koala populations had crashed in much of eastern Australia over the past two decades, warning that they were now sliding towards extinction.

The koala a globally recognized symbol of Australia’s unique wildlife, had been listed as “vulnerable (易危)”   on the eastern coast just a decade earlier. “We are taking unprecedented (史无前例的) action to protect the koala,” the Minister of Environment, Sussan Ley said, highlighting a recent government promise of Aus $50 million to protect and recover koala habitats.

Environmentalists welcomed the koalas’ new status (地位) but blamed Australia’s failure to protect the species so far. “Koalas have gone from no-listing to vulnerable to endangered within a decade. That is a shockingly fast decline,” said WWF-Australia conservation scientist Stuart Blanch. “Today’s decision is welcome, but it won’t stop koalas from sliding towards extinction unless it’s accompanied by stronger laws to protect their forest homes.”

Alexia Wellbelove of the Humane Society International said east coast koalas could be extinct by 2050 if no action was taken. “We can’t afford any more clearing,” she said. “The extinction of koalas does not have to happen,” she added, “we must stop allowing their homes to be cleared for mines, new houses, agricultural projects and industrial logging (伐木).”

Australia’s koalas had been living on a “knife edge” even before the “Black Summer” bushfires of 2019-2020 because of land-clearing, drought, disease, car strikes and dog attacks, said Josey Sharrad, wildlife campaign manager at the International Fund for Animal Welfare. “We should never have allowed things to get to the point where we are at risk of losing a national icon (象征),” Sharrad said, “The bushfires were the final straw. This must be a wake-up call to Australia and the government to move much faster to protect critical habitat from development and land-clearing, and seriously deal with the impacts of climate change.”

1. Why did Environmentalists welcome the koala’s new status?

A．This would stop koalas from extinction.

B．This could lead to action to protect koalas.

C．They could blame the government’s failure.

D．They may have time to recover koala habitats.

2. What does the underlined sentence mean?

A．Land-clearing costs a lot of money.

B．Homes for koalas should be offered.

C．Land-clearing can cause koalas to die out.

D．No money can be spent on wildlife protection.

3. How does Sharrad feel about the present state of Koalas?

A．Concerned.

B．Disappointed.

C．Frightened.

D．Satisfied.

4. Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A．Koalas: Australia’s National Icon	B．Koalas Will Live on a Knife Edge
C．Australia Lists Koalas as Endangered	D．Bushfires: Koala Killers in Australia