1 . In Florida’s Everglades, few species are more closely tied to the habitat’s health than an endangered bird, the snail kite. The Everglade snail kite is a raptor (猛禽), similar to a hawk, that eats just one thing: snails, a species that relies almost entirely on a resource usually abundant in the freshwater marshes (沼泽).

Over the last century, as much of the Everglades dried up, droughts contributed to the snail kite’s decline, and by 2007, there were fewer than 800 remaining. But the kite has bounced back recently thanks to an exotic (外来的) snail. It’s a rare case of an invasive species having a positive impact.

Robert Fletcher, a University of Florida professor who directs a snail kite monitoring program, said the invasive species was first spotted in 2004. Within a few years, it had expanded through much of the Everglades. “And it was around that time,” he said, “that we started to see snail kite number increase.”

No one’s sure about how the exotic snails were introduced into the Everglades. They’re related to Florida’s apple snails and are commonly used in home aquariums. The invader, the island apple snail, is larger than its Florida cousin. It lays eggs in the thousands in pink clusters visible on the stalks of many of the marsh plants.

Efforts to restore Florida’s Everglades have helped the snail kite and restored native vegetation. It’s been in the works for more than 30 years with a cost of more than $20 billion. But progress is increasing gradually, albeit hard to measure. In the meantime, scientists say the invasive snail may have helped pull Florida’s endangered snail kite back from the threat of extinction.

But Fletcher is concerned about the potential impact the species will have on the Everglades over the long term. He said, “What we should be thinking about is how we restore native snails to get those benefits rather than relying on this non-native species that can have damaging impacts on the ecosystem.” The invasive snails may already have caused losses to some native marsh plants, which indicates that trouble may come very soon.

1. What does the underlined phrase “bounced back” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Jumped.

B．Moved.

C．Recovered.

D．Returned.

2. What is a major cause of the snail kite’s decline?

A．The loss of habitat.	B．The lack of food due to droughts.
C．The increasing number of hawks.	D．The introduction of an invasive species.

3. What do we know about the invasive snails?

A．Their eggs are hard to spot.

B．Aquariums are an ideal habitat for them.

C．They are smaller than native apple snails.

D．They quickly increased in population around the Everglades.

4. What conclusion can be drawn from the last two paragraphs?

A．Restoring the native ecosystem is costly and time-consuming.

B．The invasive snails pose little threat to the local ecosystem.

C．The benefits of the invasive snails outweigh the harms.

D．Human efforts apparently have proven to be effective.

2 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What is the aim of the campaign?

A．To remind people of Earth Day.

B．To encourage people to reduce garbage.

C．To warn people of the bad effects of pollution.

2. What will be the task on the second day?

A．Planting trees.

B．Designing posters.

C．Collecting garbage.

3. What does the man expect the teachers to do?

A．Paint paper.

B．Stop driving cars.

C．Decorate classrooms.

4. How does Sara find the man’s ideas?

A．Terrible.

B．Confusing.

C．Wonderful.

3 . 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。

Braving the Waters

Joel Boyers and his wife Melody Among were heading home from the Nashville airport. Among had just earned her helicopter pilot’s licence when Boyers received a call from a stranger. The caller told him that her brother and his two daughters were trapped on their roof in Waverly, 60 miles from Nashville. They were surrounded by rising floodwaters caused by the heaviest rainfall that year.

Desperate, the caller begged, “Could you please, please rescue my loved ones?”

Boyers, 41, looked at the address the caller mentioned while glancing at the storm clouds. “Ma’am,” he said, “no one will fly in this weather ...” But even before he finished the sentence, Boyers knew they would go back up. “I’ve got a daughter myself,” Boyers says. “I’ll see what I can do.” He put the brother’s address into his phone and they drove back to the airport.

Before long they were in the air, unprepared for what they were about to see. It was nothing but raging water below them. There were two houses on fire. Cars in trees. Tons of debris (残骸). No one was going to be able to swim in that.

The flooding also took out cell phone service, meaning that Boyers couldn’t use his phone to pinpoint (精确定位) the house he was looking for. He flew on regardless.

As Boyers controlled the helicopter, Among began searching for people caught out on rooftops, bridges — anywhere they could land and get them on board. Suddenly, she saw a teenager trapped in a tree. The teen, soaking wet and exhausted, was barely out of the water. Since there was no place to land, Boyers lowered the helicopter until it approached to just above the water line. Among jumped out and swam to the tree, where she helped the teen into the helicopter. The teen was shaking and looking behind anxiously when she said, “Thank you so much, but my sister and uncle ... please help them ...”

Boyers dropped off the teen on a patch of land across the street. Then he and Among were back in the air.

注意：1. 续写词数应为150词左右；
2. 请按如下格式在相应位置作答。

Seconds later, they spotted two people on the roof of a destroyed house.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Their mission ended 90 minutes after it began, when professional rescue teams showed up.   

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4 . Cornwall Council apologised to the public after a citizen complained that one of its buildings was lit up “like a Christmas tree” at midnight during an energy crisis.

On Saturday, a dog walker, Stuart, discovered a brightly-lighted Chy Trevail building in Bodmin, which accommodates more than 600 staff. The witness said, “How can the council explain for leaving all the lights and TVs on? We’re constantly told there is an energy crisis. They put our council tax up. For what reason? Because they employed staff that forget how to use a light switch?”

There were complaints about a similar issue last summer when Lys Kernow, formerly the New County Hall in Truro was pictured with all the lights on past midnight both inside and outside.

A council spokesman admitted it was an error. “Following an investigation, we can confirm some lights at Chy Trevail were left switched on accidentally,” he said, “Training will be given to the workers who made the mistake to ensure this is not to happen again. Cornwall Council is committed to reducing its energy use and has taken many steps to do so, including the installation (安装) of solar panels at both County Hall in Truro and at Chy Trevail. A new lighting control system has also been installed in Truro to ensure the amount of time lights are left switched on is minimised.“

Chy Trevail includes a central hall for the main reception and public facilities, as well as open- plan flexible workspaces over three floors. The building has “a special design driven by a challenging display energy certificate rating and includes 200kw photovoltaics (太阳能光伏) to generate on-site renewable energy, low energy LED lighting, improved insulation, air-tightness and measures to reduce water consumption.

Cornwall Council previously declared a climate emergency and hopes to be carbon neutral by 2030.The local authority has invested in LED lighting at Lys Kernow and uses renewably-sourced energy to power the building, including solar energy from panels installed on the roof.

1. What did Stuart see on Saturday night?

A．Over 600 staff working overtime.

B．A Christmas tree being decorated.

C．Bright lights burning in a council building.

D．Council workers turning on office lights.

2. How will the workers involved be dealt with by the council?

A．They will be educated.	B．They will be fired.
C．They will be blamed.	D．They will be fined.

3. Which word can properly describe the Chy Trevail building?

A．Peaceful.

B．Convenient.

C．Low-cost.

D．Energy-efficient.

4. What’s the main idea of the text?

A．Council staff learn a lesson from leaving lights on.

B．Cornwall Council is accused of wasting tax money.

C．A council building is equipped with high technology.

D．A dog-walker made a complaint about an energy crisis.

5 . On Monday, 2023, people across Kenya took part in the country’s first national tree-planting holiday. The holiday was created by Kenya’s president to encourage people to plant trees as part of a plan to fight the climate crisis.

Kenya is famous for its beautiful forests and wildlife. But large areas of Kenya’s forests have been cut down. Those trees would normally help absorb carbon dioxide.     1    

Currently, just 7% of Kenya is covered by trees. Kenya has been seriously affected by the climate crisis. The country has been hit by a severe drought, and the area’s rain patterns have been changing for the worse.

An app is created to help organize the tree planting.     2     It helps people collect seedlings, find places to plant, and record their efforts. The app will also help the government track how many trees have been planted in different areas around the country.

On Monday, people all over Kenya turned out in large numbers to take part in the holiday. In the capital, Nairobi, hundreds of people joined in, even though it was raining.     3     But the government had a goal of planting several hundred million more before the end of December.

    4     But some people were upset because the holiday was announced too late for them to be able to take part. Still others have criticized the government for a decision made earlier this year to end a ba n on cutting down older trees.     5     Some hope that it will happen every year.

A．Most Kenyans supported the event.

B．It’s not yet clear how many trees were planted.

C．It’s a greenhouse gas that causes the climate crisis.

D．Even so, people were very excited about the holiday.

E．The app is called JazaMiti, meaning   “filling with trees”.

F．Government leaders led planting efforts all over the country.

G．To prepare for the day, the government got young trees ready.

6 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Which is the highest mountain in this area?

A．Mount Karen.

B．Mount Heather.

C．Mount Brown.

2. What is the most popular activity in this mountain?

A．Skiing.

B．Seeing wildlife.

C．Having snowmobile tours.

3. How is the weather in the mountain in summer?

A．A bit cold.

B．Quite cool.

C．Very hot.

4. In which season may the tour be?

A．Winter.

B．Autumn.

C．Summer.

7 . Wildlife conservation is the practice of protecting plant and animal species and their habitats. As part of the world’s ecosystems, wildlife provides balance and stability to nature’s processes. Wildlife conservation is aimed to ensure the survival of these species and educate people on living sustainably with other species.

The number of people has grown to more than eight billion today, and it continues to rapidly grow. The economic growth endangers the habitats and existence of various types of wildlife around the world, particularly animals and plants that may be displaced for land development, or used for food or other human purposes. This threat is at top of the list and means natural resources are being consumed faster than ever by the billions of people on the planet. The introduction of invasive species from other parts of the world is another threat to wildlife. Other threats include climate change, pollution, fishing and hunting.

International organizations like the World Wildlife Fund, Conservation International, Wildlife Conservation Society and the United Nations work to support global animal and habitat conservation on many different fronts. They work with the government to establish and protect public lands, like national parks and wildlife protection areas. They help write legislation(法规), such as the Endangered Species Act(ESA)of 1973 in the United States, to protect various species. They work with law enforcement to charge those with wildlife crimes. They also promote biodiversity to support the growing human population while preserving existing species and habitats.

National Geographic Explorers, like conservation biologists Camille Coudrat and Titus Adhola, are working to slow the extinction of global species and protect global biodiversity and habitats. Environmental filmmakers and photographers, like Thomas P. Peschak, are essential to conservation efforts as well, documenting and bringing attention to endangered wildlife all over the world.

1. Which is a goal of wildlife conservation according to the text?

A．To stop introducing invasive species.	B．To encourage harmonious coexistence.
C．To control the number of world people.	D．To increase the use of natural resources.

2. What is the biggest threat to wildlife?

A．Hunting.

B．Human activity.

C．Pollution.

D．Climate change.

3. What is paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．The activities of protection areas.

B．The importance of biodiversity promotion.

C．The relevant efforts of international organizations.

D．The great impact of wildlife crimes on ecosystems.

4. What does the author want to present in the last paragraph?

A．The necessity of legislation.

B．The wildlife conservation’s achievements.

C．The individuals’ contributions to the environment.

D．The statistics about the wildlife conservation efforts.

8 . Many years ago, we came across a dog at an animal shelter ( 收 容 所) while looking for a companion (同伴) for our dog, Bear. This dog seemed to be meant for us and we _______ him, so we took him home. We thought the _______ name for the new dog was Bear Junior, and so it was.

Bear Junior would wake me up every morning at 4: 30 a.m. to go for a _______. He’d touch my face with his nose and I would soon _______. I once had to _______ for two days after an illness. My wife got up to _______ him for his morning walk. He held a sit-down strike (罢工) next to me and _______ to move. It worked.

Bear Junior felt it was his _______ to help all who needed it, no matter where he went.

One day, I took Bear Junior to the dog park. We had just started our walk when a small dog was barking (吠叫) for _______. We could see a big dog cornering him. Bear Junior went into ________, placing himself between the two, facing the big dog. I shouted, “Bear Junior! This is not your ________!” But he refused to let anything ________ until the owners were able to take control.

One winter, I was playing with Bear Junior in the snow. Across the street, an elderly lady ________ on a block of ice. Bear Junior ________ me, ran across the street, and sat right against her side. She used his collar (项圈) to pull herself up. Two days later, she came to our door with dog goodies to ________ Bear Junior.

1.

A．lost

B．saved

C．remembered

D．loved

2.

A．popular

B．perfect

C．real

D．short

3.

A．walk

B．show

C．test

D．swim

4.

A．awake

B．worry

C．return

D．change

5.

A．stay

B．wait

C．rest

D．practice

6.

A．ask

B．meet

C．punish

D．take

7.

A．forgot

B．feared

C．refused

D．continued

8.

A．chance

B．responsibility

C．promise

D．ability

9.

A．help

B．food

C．praise

D．reply

10.

A．training

B．game

C．action

D．treatment

11.

A．mistake

B．business

C．answer

D．question

12.

A．happen

B．disappear

C．stop

D．follow

13.

A．worked

B．stood

C．played

D．fell

14.

A．accepted

B．left

C．saw

D．protected

15.

A．attract

B．catch

C．guide

D．thank

9 . 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。

Known for its beautiful scenery, Mount Wuyi is the only place in the country     1     is home to Wuyi rock tea.

With tea farming dating back over 1,000 years, the mountain’s tea industry has a rich history. The area     2     (provide) tea for people at home and abroad since the first century CE, and in the     3     (eighteen) century, Wuyi rock tea was the most popular tea in Europe. However, its     4     (popular) was gained at the cost of the local environment. Illegal land reclamation (开垦) of tea mountains and the destruction (破坏) of plant resources have occurred frequently,     5     (damage) the environment in the area around Mount Wuyi.

The need to strike a balance between farmers’ livelihoods and the local environment has appeared as     6     unique challenge for the Wuyishan National Park, which covers 1,280 square kilometers as it straddles (横跨) the eastern provinces of Fujian and Jiangxi.     7     (found) in 2021, it was among the first batch of China’s national parks.

The park has a tea farming area of 34.54 square kilometers, accounting     8     2.7 percent of its total expanse. The     9     (authority) have cooperated with tea experts to develop measures for the protection and improvement of the Mount Wuyi tea industry and biodiversity, ensuring the sector’s sustainability for generations     10     (come).

10 . Yoriko, a sheepshead fish (kobudai in Japanese), first met Arakawa nearly 30 years ago. Arakawa started _________ at the age of 18. Now 79, he still loves his stays in the deep water. His _________ friendship with Yoriko is certainly one of the highlights.

“I’d say we _________ each other,” Arakawa said in an interview, “not that we talk to each other… I kissed her once. I’m the only person she’ll let _________ it.” Over time, the fish with an almost _________ face—“When looking close, you’ll think she looks like someone you _________,” Arakawa jokes—and her human companion became underwater best friends forever.

On one dive when Arakawa was visiting, he noticed Yoriko’s _________ had been badly injured. Even so, she came to greet him. Realizing she’d be _________ to catch her own food, Arakawa hand-fed Yoriko meat from crabs(蟹) he hammered open for her. _________, Yoriko bounced back from her injuries quickly. After her __________, the connection between the pair seemed to grow even stronger.

“I’m not sure if it’s the __________ of the kobudai or not. It’s probably because there is a sense of __________ between us. I guess she knows that I __________ her. So for me to be able to do that, I am __________,” Arakawa said. “I have an amazing sense of achievement.”

It sure sounds like this is one human who’s been truly caught in a net of __________—and we’ll bet Yoriko has no plans to toss(扔) him back, either.

1.

A．fishing

B．training

C．diving

D．swimming

2.

A．fast-developing

B．longstanding

C．open

D．regular

3.

A．understand

B．miss

C．please

D．support

4.

A．enjoy

B．do

C．make

D．change

5.

A．human-looking

B．good-looking

C．strange-looking

D．natural-looking

6.

A．admire

B．fear

C．perceive

D．know

7.

A．mouth

B．back

C．tail

D．head

8.

A．eager

B．happy

C．unwilling

D．unable

9.

A．Initially

B．Thankfully

C．Unexpectedly

D．Basically

10.

A．return

B．recovery

C．growth

D．arrival

11.

A．preference

B．gift

C．nature

D．habit

12.

A．trust

B．security

C．responsibility

D．fun

13.

A．cheated

B．caught

C．freed

D．saved

14.

A．unashamed

B．grateful

C．proud

D．regretful

15.

A．peace

B．hope

C．love

D．joy