2 . With needle-like teeth and sharp pointed nose, a gray nurse shark isn’t a creature that most people would want to meet. But Shalise Leesfield isn’t one of them.

The Australian teenager couldn’t think of a better creature to meet when scuba diving off the coast of South West Rocks, near her home in Port Macquarie, a coastal town north of Sydney.

“Many people say gray nurse sharks look frightening, but I think they are the sweetest animals ever,” she says.

The slow-moving sharks, which like to stay near the sea floor in warm, shallow waters, are — for the most part — harmless to humans. But the gray nurse shark is under threat. Populations have fallen and habitats have been lost due to ocean warming and human development, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which lists the species as seriously endangered.

One area where they can still be seen is Fish Rock, an underwater cavern (洞穴) with a unique ecosystem, 40 miles up the coast from Leesfield’s home. But fishers are allowed access within 200 meters of Fish Rock. This is leading to a drop in the number of gray nurse sharks and increased pollution, says Leesfield. She wants to enlarge the no-fishing area, establishing a protected zone.

With Leesfield’s efforts, the area has been nominated as a Hope Spot, which is part of the mission Blue program launched by famous oceanographer Sylvia Earle that identifies places as critically important to the ocean’s health and supports protection.

“When people think about Hope Spots, they think about Sydney Harbour or the Great Barrier Reef. So to get Fish Rock up on that list is just such incredible news,” she says.

Now, Leesfield is working with politician Cate Faehrmann, marine spokesperson for the Australian Greens party in New South Wales, to legalize protection of the sharks and make the no-fishing zone protected by the law.

1. What does “them” refer to in the first paragraph?

A．Gray nurse sharks.	B．Common people.
C．People fearing gray nurse sharks.	D．Fishers.

2. What has led to gray nurse sharks’ being seriously endangered?

A．The development of tourism in the ocean.

B．The sharks’ preference to stay in shallow waters.

C．The feature of gray nurse sharks’ slow-moving.

D．Fishers’ being permitted within 200 meters of Fish Rock.

3. What will Leesfield and Faehrmann do to protect gray nurse sharks?

A．Recommend the Fish Rock as a Hope Spot being protected.

B．Identify the Hope Spot area as being critically important.

C．Make Fish Rock more popular among fishers nearby.

D．Make laws to protect the no-fishing zone near Fish Rock.

4. Which might be the best title of the article?

A．The Australian teenager is on a mission to protect sharks

B．Increased pollution leads to gray sharks endangered

C．Gray nurse sharks are in danger!

D．Let’s establish a protected zone!

4 . Long ago, there lived a group of pigeons (鸽子) in the forest. Among them was a wise old pigeon. Every pigeon looked up to the wise old pigeon.

One day, while searching for food, they saw rice spread on the ground. All pigeons, at once decided to fly down and eat the rice. But the wise pigeon thought, “How could so much rice be found in this thick forest?” He tried to stop all other pigeons but he failed.

When all pigeons finished eating the rice and tried to fly back, they were unable to move as their feet got stuck in a net. Soon, bird catcher saw pigeons trapped (陷入困境). He shouted, “Ah! So many pigeons, I will put them in cages and sell them in the market.”

Nothing could help pigeons to get free from the net. They all cried, “What should we do now?” They looked at the wise old pigeon and said, “Please save us.” The wise pigeon advised, “Stop pulling the net in your own direction. Instead, try to fly up together and carry the net with you.” All pigeons listened to him and started to pull together and in no time started to fly away together.

Then the wise old pigeon said, “Unity (团结一致) has great strength to protect you from harm. It’s your act of unity that saved your lives today.”

1. What did pigeons decide to do when they saw rice spread on the ground?(不超过10个词)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Why were pigeons unable to move?(不超过10个词)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
3. What does the story tell us?(不超过15个词)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

5 . When you turn on the tap (水龙头) in your house, water comes out. This water has _________ a long way. This water comes from rain in the sky. The _________ that water arrives to the tap in your house is called the “water supply”.

Most of the water on the earth is in the _________. This water has a lot of salt in it. We cannot drink this water. Salt water makes us ill. But when the sun shines, it _________ a part of the ocean. This water rises up to make clouds in the sky. The more water rises up, the heavier and larger the clouds become. The clouds will get so heavy and large that they will change colour from white to _________. The water will fall down into rivers and lakes _________ rain and travel back to the sea. This is called the “water cycle”. We use half of the rain water _________ falls over the earth.

There are parts of the world where there is _________ fresh water. In the Arab countries, salt water can be made safe to drink. This is done by freezing or boiling it. The salt is left _________ and the clean water is then taken off. This process (过程) is very __________, but in some areas this is the only way to get clean drinking water.

1.

A．pulled

B．jumped

C．rushed

D．travelled

2.

A．way

B．path

C．method

D．condition

3.

A．stream

B．ocean

C．river

D．lake

4.

A．takes in

B．gives off

C．heats up

D．cools down

5.

A．purple

B．grey

C．blue

D．pink

6.

A．on

B．with

C．as

D．in

7.

A．it

B．that

C．this

D．what

8.

A．few

B．much

C．enough

D．little

9.

A．behind

B．alone

C．forward

D．off

10.

A．rapid

B．cheap

C．simple

D．expensive

6 . 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。

The four mountain climbers were still breathing heavily as they looked out into the distance. The views from the top of the mountain were breathtaking. In all directions, valleys, forests and other mountains were laid out before them. They could even see the small wooden houses of the village where they had spent the night and the route they had taken to reach the top of this small but dangerous mountain. Laughing loudly, they were surprised at their courage in climbing such a steep and rocky mountain slope. Filled with an enormous sense of achievement, the four young climbers patted each other on the back.

As the other three continued to enjoy the views, Jason, the leader of the group, stared at the horizon with a troubled look on his face.

“What is it, Jason?” Sofia, the youngest of the group, asked.

“Those dark clouds in the distance mean a heavy storm is fast on the way,” Jason replied. He remembered the villagers had warned him of the unpredictable weather conditions on top of the mountain and that a terrible storm could appear from nowhere.

“But it's so warm and sunny here. I don't think the storm is coming this way,” Sofia said, more in hope than expectation.

However, Jason feared the worst and knew only too well what would happen if the storm caught them in the open. He addressed the group in a calm but serious tone, “If the storm hits us, the temperature will fall dramatically. The rain and mist will make it difficult for us to see where we are going and we could easily get lost or fall off a cliff. The wind will take our strength, so we need to get moving fast.”

The four mountain climbers packed up their facilities and immediately started back down the mountain. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, the storm was upon them sooner than expected. The wind screamed in their ears, the driving rain stung (刺痛) their eyes and the mist made it impossible for them to see clearly.

注意：
1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

With it getting dark, Jason decided that it was just too dangerous to continue.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Finally, the storm showed signs of stopping and the climbers decided to continue their way down the mountain.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8 . There are many birds that visit our leafy garden. But it’s the pair of orange frogmouths (蟆口鸱) that have been returning for years to ________ their young that bring the most excitement. It’s been wonderful to ________ how both parents take on the serious duty of caring for their young.

Last summer the frogmouth family, parents and two babies, was ________ sitting in a tall tree close to our backyard enjoying the late afternoon sunshine. With little ________, a light rain began to fall.

At first the birds seemed to ________ the rain and moved out along the branch, loosing their ________ to take advantage of the wet weather. But within minutes, day turned to night. ________ clouds gathered. Crashing thunder and blinding lightning, wild winds and driving rain ________ the small garden into a(n) ________ place for the little family.

Through the flashes of lightning, we watched in ________ as the parents guided their little ones back along the branch to the tree trunk, both parents ________ their wings over the young to protect them from the powerful rain. When the ________ passed, the family moved back out along the ________, bathed in the sunshine.

When I look up at the pair of yellow frogmouths who continue to visit our ________, I know I’m not just looking at devoted parents, but very ________ ones.

1.

A．raise

B．train

C．adopt

D．entertain

2.

A．evaluate

B．observe

C．predict

D．realize

3.

A．cautiously

B．secretly

C．happily

D．carelessly

4.

A．urgency

B．fortune

C．relief

D．warning

5.

A．take delight in

B．put up with

C．keep away from

D．lose sight of

6.

A．tails

B．feathers

C．heads

D．paws

7.

A．Soft

B．Furry

C．Dark

D．Thin

8.

A．expanded

B．divided

C．extended

D．transformed

9.

A．unsafe

B．cool

C．ideal

D．private

10.

A．silence

B．amazement

C．peace

D．despair

11.

A．folding

B．examining

C．pressing

D．spreading

12.

A．eruption

B．test

C．storm

D．flood

13.

A．branch

B．corridor

C．pipe

D．beach

14.

A．zoo

B．garden

C．school

D．farm

15.

A．honest

B．polite

C．wise

D．generous

9 . With a number of rivers globally in crisis due to pollution, damming, and reduced rainfall, there’s never been a better opportunity to appreciate everything that rivers give to the world.

Rivers provide drinking water

Two thirds of the UK’s tap water is either from a river or from a river-fed body of water.     1    . For example, the Colorado River alone supports nearly 40 million Americans. That’s why it is vital to keep rivers clean and free of pollutants.

    2    

Ancient farming depended on these life-giving waters, so does modern agriculture. During the rainy season, many rivers overflow their banks, nourishing the soil with minerals and nutrients. Besides, rivers act as water sources for irrigation.

A good source of food comes from rivers

A fifth of the fish that are fished globally come from rivers and other freshwater sources. Another two thirds of fish that people eat rely on rivers for breeding, nutrients, or other reasons.     3    .

Human culture is tied to rivers

    4    . The names of the rivers in England including Thames, Leith, and Taff, disclose the island’s history. Other examples are the religious connections to the Ganges in India or the Jordan River in Israel.

Rivers provide leisure activities

    5    . River sports, boating, fishing, swimming, braving rapids, and visiting waterfalls are all ways that rivers add value and entertainment. It’s essential to work to conserve rivers for generations to come.

A．Rivers are important for agriculture

B．Rivers are more than just water under the bridge

C．Rivers are closely connected to ancient civilizations

D．A large part of our modern life is involved with rivers

E．The organization American Rivers gives a similar figure for the US

F．Consequently, rivers can provide homes for a diversity of plants and animals

G．Protecting rivers and their biodiversity is a good way to protect this valuable source of food

10 . Think of a monarch butterfly (帝王蝶), and a unique image pops up: black-and-orange wings, with some white spots around the black edges. Those white spots may actually help monarchs complete their long-distance migration by changing the airflow around their wings. This is the new idea of a team of researchers that has analyzed hundreds of monarch wings collected along their migration routes.

“If you have larger white spots, you’re simply more successful at reaching Mexico,” says Andy Davis, a researcher. He and his colleagues believe that the pattern of color could interact with sunlight to create some temperature differences on the wing that can change airflow, easing the butterflies’ flight.

Monarch butterflies definitely need to fly well to complete their annual fall migration of up to 3,000 miles. Monarchs from as far north as Canada fly south every fall all the way to some mountain top sites in central Mexico. Most research on butterfly coloring focuses on its use as a warning to predators (捕食者). Since monarchs eat milkweed that contains poisons, their bright orange color serves as a signal that they’re unpleasant prey (猎物).

Andy Davis had studied the black-and-white patterns on migrating birds, and concluded that black coloring could affect temperature and airflow in ways that might improve their flight performance. So the researchers decided to look at the black-and-white pattern in the edge of monarch wings. What they found is that the wings of the summer monarchs that aren’t migrating have less white, while those that are migrating but haven’t made it all the way to Mexico have more. And monarchs that successfully reached Mexico have even more white.

“It is a totally new idea,” says Marcus Kronforst, a biologist. “I’ve worked on butterfly color patterns my whole life, but it’s never crossed my mind that it might influence how the butterflies fly. I do think that this aerodynamic (空气动力学) explanation is exciting. It’s definitely different. But I just think there are potentially some other explanations that could be explored.”

1. What is the new idea of monarch butterflies’ white spots?

A．They serve as a warning to predators.

B．They improve butterflies’ flying performance.

C．They attract the attention of butterfies’ mates.

D．They help butterflies hide in their surroundings.

2. How does Davis think white spots help monarch butterflies?

A．By changing the flow of air.

B．By making butterflieslighter.

C．By guiding migratingbutterflies.

D．By turning sunshine into energy.

3. What’s Kronforst’s atitude towards Davis newy finding?

A．Unconcerned.	B．Supportive.
C．Skeptical.	D．Disappointed.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Monarch butterflies migrate the longest distance

B．Monarch butterflies use airflow to help their flights

C．Monarch butterflies have more white spots than others

D．Monarch butterflies’ white spots may help them fly farther