1 . For eight years, Handshouse Studio has worked to create toys for Emily and Ruth, two Asian elephants at the Buttonwood Park Zoo in New Bedford.

The founders of the organization, Rick and Laura Brown, are both art teachers and created the “Toys for Elephants” program to challenge their students to make toys for Emily and Ruth and raise the quality of their lives at the zoo. Emily and Ruth were saved from a failed circus (马戏团) in Asia and were badly treated in their youth.

In the spring, the art students make the toys out of wood and other materials (材料). At the end of the semester, the class sends them to Emily and Ruth at the zoo.

This year, the Norwell Fire Department gave away old fire hoses (消防水龙带) to the class. “It’s interesting what use people find in old hoses,” Fire Chief Andrew Reardon said. “To create toys for elephants was certainly a first.” Reardon said they were happy to give Handshouse the old hose to make toys for the elephants and that it was a special chance to be a part of that. “It’s not every day you get to help make toys for elephants,” Reardon said.

Once at the zoo, the students set up their toys around the empty elephant house and quickly leave so Emily and Ruth may come in to play with their new toys. “The students have really embraced this and they really want to have a part to play in solving the serious problem of keeping animals in captivity (圈养),” Rick said.

Handshouse Studio decided to work with other zoos and art and design organizations around the world with the “Toys for Elephants” program. Already, they have been getting calls from all over the world, including New Zealand, Germany and Thailand.

1. What is the purpose of the program from Handshouse Studio?

A．To teach students how to design handmade toys.

B．To attract visitors to the Buttonwood Park Zoo.

C．To save wild elephants from circuses in Asia.

D．To improve the lives of elephants at the zoo.

2. How did the Norwell Fire Department support the program?

A．By volunteering at the park.

B．By making toys with the students.

C．By providing toy-making materials.

D．By raising money for Emily and Ruth.

3. What does the underlined word “embraced” in paragraph 5 mean?

A．Missed.

B．Accepted.

C．Needed.

D．Helped.

4. What can we say about the program?

A．It has drawn worldwide attention.

B．It has made the zoo very-famous.

C．It has been a big step in art education.

D．It has shown the public the value of zoos.

2 . Since the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was passed in 1973, it has helped hundreds of species avoid extinction in the United States. The strong conservation policy has been used as a model in other countries. But it’s not as successful as it could be, a new study finds.

Researchers have discovered most species are not being protected until their numbers have become so low that their chance of recovery is slim.

“The ESA is an incredibly powerful, ambitious law for protecting our endangered wildlife. Yet, for decades, the agency primarily responsible for operating the ESA — the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) — has been starved of resources,” lead author Erich Eberhard says.

“As a result, we are very slow to give species the protection that they deserve. We typically wait until species are extremely rare and thus at extreme risk of extinction, and then, when a species is finally listed, the USFWS is straining its resources to try to recover it.”

In 1993, a study found that few species received protection under the ESA until their populations became very small. For the new study, researchers repeated the methods used in the earlier research to see whether protections have become better since the problem was first noted. They also looked at trends in “wait times” — the amount of time between when a species is identified as potentially needing protection and when it actually receives protection under the ESA.

“Our analysis suggests that, in the nearly 30 years since attention was first brought to this problem, we have not become more active in protecting endangered species,” says Eberhard.

The researchers found that the population sizes of species when they first became protected under the ESA are not statistically different from those in the 1993 study. They also discovered that there are long wait times between when a species is identified as likely needing protection and when they actually receive them.

“I can say that our study paints the current state of the ESA as a bit of cautionary (告诫的) tale for the strong conservation policy,” says Eberhard.

1. What problem does the USFWS have protecting endangered species?

A．It takes ineffective measures.	B．It is lacking in resources.
C．It can’t get timely information.	D．It is an irresponsible organization.

2. What is the purpose of the new study?

A．To try out new ways to protect endangered species.

B．To find out the exact number of endangered species.

C．To check the time needed to save endangered species.

D．To see if endangered species have been better protected.

3. How can the study help with animal conservation?

A．It found out many more endangered species.

B．It pointed out the direction for the USFWS to act on.

C．It proved the role of the public in conservation.

D．It showed some effective ways to protect animals.

4. Which of the following could be the best title for the text?

A．The USFWS Needs Stronger Laws

B．The ESA Has Achieved Great Success

C．New Conversation Laws Are on the Way

D．Endangered Species Act Isn’t Working Well

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 chimes (钟声) of Big Ben are recognised by almost everyone in Britain, and by     1     (million) of people all over the world.

The name “Big Ben” is generally used     2     (refer) to the big clock tower itself; but in reality, “Big Ben” is just the name of the biggest bell in the tower, the bell that chimes on the hour.

The famous clock tower     3     (build) in the 1850s, after the Houses of Parliament burned down. The original “Big Ben” bell weighed 16 tons, and was made in the north of England. However, after it had reached London, it cracked. A new Big Ben bell,     4     (weigh) about 13.5 tons, was made to take the place of it. This bell was put in place in 1859.

Since then, there have been several incidents. Once the clock stopped when a pot of paint got stuck between     5     (it) hands. And in 1976, the clock stopped for 26 days,     6     a part of the mechanism broke.

Between 1983     7     1985, the clock tower was     8    (complete) cleaned and repaired; but thirty years later, engineers thought that the tower and the clock were both in need of immediate repairs. The work began in 2017, and Big Ben will finally begin     9     new life in the year 2022.

At night, the clock faces are lit up from inside. Originally they were lit up by gas lamps; then, for most of the twentieth century,     10     electricity. Now the faces are lit up by “green” low-energy light bulbs.

4 . A Fish and Wildlife Service proposal would protect the whitebark pine as an endangered species. Whitebark pines can live for up to 1,000 years and grow at elevations (海拔) as high as 12,000 feet. Environmentalists had requested the government in 1991 and again in 2008 to protect the trees. A nonnative fungus (真菌) has been killing whitebark pines for a century. More recently, the trees have proved vulnerable (易受伤的) to tiny insects that have killed large areas of forest.

The whitebark pines have almost disappeared in some areas, including the eastern edge of Yellowstone National Park, where they are a source of food for threatened grizzly bears (灰熊). This makes the government’s declaration of the Yellowstone area’s grizzly bears as a restored species a lie.

After being blamed for not taking steps to protect the trees, wildlife officials in 2011 admitted that whitebark pines needed protection, but they didn’t act rapidly, saying other species faced more immediate threats.

A lawyer for the Natural Resources Defense Council, which made the formal request for protection in 2008, expressed his disappointment that it took so long but said the proposal was still worth celebrating.

The government’s proposal described the threats to the trees as immediate and said the whitebark pines were one of many plants expected to be harmed as climate change moves faster than they can adapt. “Whitebark pines survive at high elevations already, so there is little remaining habitat in many areas for the species to move to higher elevations in response to warmer temperatures,” Fish and Wildlife Service officials wrote.

Government officials are working with researchers and private groups on plans to gather seed from trees, grow them in greenhouses and then plant them back on the landscape, according to Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Amy Nicholas. A proposal of that nationwide restoration is expected by the end of this year. “We do have options to restore this species,” Nicholas said.

1. What do we know about whitebark pines?

A．They are long-lived, high-elevation trees.

B．They have a strong resistance to nonnative fungi.

C．The government used to care about protecting them.

D．They and small insects depend on each other for survival.

2. What makes the government’s announcement about grizzly bears a lie?

A．Grizzly bears are no longer threatened.

B．The whitebark pines have almost disappeared.

C．The population of grizzly bears has increased greatly.

D．The government is actually doing nothing to protect bears.

3. Which of the following would the lawyer agree with?

A．Better late than never.	B．All roads lead to Rome.
C．Never do things by halves.	D．The first step is the hardest.

4. What is Amy Nicholas’ attitude toward saving whitebark pines?

A．Irresponsible.

B．Doubtful.

C．Optimistic.

D．Uncertain.

5 . Global light pollution has increased by at least 49% over 25 years, new research shows. This data (数据) only includes light which can be seen through satellites, and scientists think the true increase may be significantly higher — up to 270% globally, and 400% in some areas.

This study shows not only of how bad light pollution has become as a problem of the whole world, but also that it is continuing to get worse, probably at a faster and faster rate.

The study highlights the “hidden impact (影响)” of the LED technology. LEDs send out more blue light than previous lamp technology, but satellite sensors can’t discover this blue light and so underestimate (低估) the level of emissions (排放物). The authors say the actual increase in the power sent out by outdoor lighting, and thus of light pollution, may be as high as 270%. “To take the UK as an example, if you pay no attention to the effect of the change to LEDs, you get the false impression that light pollution has recently weakened,” said researcher Dr Sanchez de Miguel. “However, it has really increased, very remarkably.”

Contrary to popular belief, the LED streetlights, while potentially providing some energy savings, has increased light pollution and also the impacts on flying insects (昆虫).

Ruskin Hartley, Executive Director of the International Dark-Sky Association, said, “Over the past 25 years, the use of LED lighting has been accompanied by rapid increases in light pollution all over the world.”

If no action is taken to change this trend (趋势), the impact on the natural environment will speed up, further worsening the biodiversity (生物多样性) crisis and wasting energy. Many studies have now shown that light pollution, from streetlights and other sources, can have major impacts on the natural environment. Such pollution is likely to have played a role in the huge decrease in insect populations.

1. How does the author illustrate that light pollution becomes worse?

A．By referring to certain theories.

B．By providing comparative data.

C．By listing a lot of opinions.

D．By giving some examples.

2. Why was light pollution in the UK underestimated?

A．Emission levels of LEDs are low.

B．Satellite sensors are blind to LEDs.

C．Outdoor lighting is limited in the UK.

D．LEDs are less and less used in the UK.

3. What’s the general belief of LED streetlights?

A．They are good for insects.	B．They save lots of energy.
C．They cause light pollution.	D．They are environment-friendly.

4. What does the last paragraph focus on?

A．The harm of light pollution.

B．The causes of biological crises.

C．The trend of insect populations.

D．The importance of the natural environment.

6 . 阅读下面材料, 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 Perseverance Rover on Mars continues to perform amazing feats of science. Most recently, an instrument on the Perseverance     1     (turn) carbon dioxide into oxygen, a process that could one day help astronauts breathe on the red planet.

96%of the Martian atmosphere is carbon dioxide, which doesn’t do much for humans who need oxygen     2     (breathe). Scientists say it is a critical first step in     3     (change) carbon dioxide into oxygen on Mars. The experimental instrument aboard Perseverance     4     (know)as MOXIE.

“MOXIE has more work to do. It is helping us move toward our goal of one day seeing humans on Mars, ”scientists say. “Oxygen serves a much     5     (great) purpose than just being the air we breathe. The rocket propellant (推进剂) depends     6     (heavy) on oxygen,     7     future explorers will depend on producing propellants on Mars to make the trip home. Whether for rockets     8     astronauts, oxygen is the key. ”

MOXIE works     9     separating oxygen atoms from carbon dioxide molecules, which are made up of one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms. A waste product, carbon monoxide, is emitted into the Martian atmosphere. Much larger and better     10     (version) of MOXIE could be used to turn huge quantities of carbon dioxide into oxygen.

7 . Plastic is low-cost and long-lasting. It is not easily degraded(降解) because natural degradation processes can’t deal with its chemical components(成分). It takes in other ocean-present harmful substances. These chemical and dangerous components are gradually got into the atmosphere with additives such as color, which turns out to be really harmful when the plastic breaks down.

The design and development of new plastic products was sped up after World War II. Life without plastic seemed impossible in the modern age. But even though plastic was quite convenient, the dark side of it was seen as people began to enjoy the throw-away community. Many plastic products, such as plastic bags, have a lifetime of a few minutes to hours. However, they’ll stay in the environment for hundreds of years. We are destroying the very world that nurtured us.

Just 9% of plastic has been recycled and 12% burnt after production rose in the 1950s, which leave s about 79% of the 8.3 billion tons produced sitting in landfills(垃圾填埋场) or damaging our fields, oceans, and waterways. And each year the plastic ends up as contaminants. So to beat plastic pollution, we need to work together.

While plastic burning reduces the amount of waste dumped into oceans and lands, harmful gases are still produced, which also leads to greenhouse gases. However, if we make a firm decision and use modern waste management methods, we will be able to create a safe and healthy world. It is high time that we as responsible global citizens, took on the duty of protecting our environment and made great effort in saving our mother earth, instead of just leaving everything to our government. So, ladies and gentlemen, let’s make a promise to successfully deal with plastic waste and protect our world from all possible risks.

1. What is Paragraph 1 mainly about?

A．The harm of plastic.	B．The convenience of plastic.
C．The protection of plastic.	D．The use of plastic.

2. Which word can best describe the writer’s feeling in Paragraph 2?

A．Happy.

B．Worried.

C．Excited.

D．Relaxed.

3. What does the underlined word “contaminants” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Things that cause pollution.	B．Things that produce plastic.
C．Things that cost money.	D．Things that help people.

4. From which is the text most probably taken?

A．A short story.

B．A speech.

C．A newspaper.

D．A notice.

8 . 语篇翻译

藏羚羊(Tibetan antelopes)生活在西藏、新疆和青海的平原上。看着它们 (藏羚羊) 缓缓穿过绿色的草地，我被其美丽所震撼。然而，因其珍贵的羊毛，它们正遭受非法猎杀。我的向导，在当地自然保护区工作，说道，“我们不是在试图拯救它们。事实上，我们是在努力拯救自己。”

9 . Humans can race to get out of a hurricane’s path. Some animals can sense a hurricane coming and leave quickly, but there are animals that can’t simply get out of the way. Here are the various effects of hurricanes on animals.

Birds may be able to sense air pressure and other changes in the environment, which encourages them to get out of harm’s way. Some birds will even speed up their migration (迁徙) leaving earlier than usual if a serious hurricane is approaching. However, strong winds can push birds hundreds of miles away from their home. Young or weak birds can become separated from the rest of their group and often have difficulty making it home.

Fish can also be affected. After Hurricane Andrew in 1992, about 184 million fish died in south Louisiana’s Atchafalaya Basin alone. Strong winds blew leaves off trees, blowing them into wetlands. The rotting (腐烂的) organic material to extremely low levels of oxygen in the water, killing the fish. Some fish will often find sheltered areas during hurricanes, but they’re not always safe. Dolphins have occasionally been blown to shore during big hurricanes.

There are many other dangers that come with hurricane-related water. Sharp rise of saltwater onshore can harm wildlife and plants that live in the freshwater and can’t bear the salt content.Heavy rain can also affect the balance of fresh and salt water in some areas, harming the creatures that live in them.

Many animals lose their regular food supply when a hurricane arrives, as strong winds and rains destroy trees of fruits, nuts and berries. During Hurricane Andrew, about one-quarter of Louisiana’s public oyster seed (牡蛎种苗) grounds were destroyed. Because the oysters were an important food source for some birds on Louisiana’s barrier Islands, the birds suffered mass death as a direct result of the hurricane.

1. What can we learn from paragraph 2?

A．Birds are adapting to a changing climate.

B．Birds can sense the coming of a hurricane.

C．Birds migrate at certain times of every year.

D．Birds’ habitats are destroyed by hurricanes.

2. What causes fish in south Louisiana’s Atchafalaya Basin to die after Hurricane Andrew in 1992?

A．Poisonous leaves.	B．Air pollution.
C．A lack of oxygen.	D．The loss of shelters.

3. What could be the effect of hurricane-related water?

A．Ocean ecosystem is destroyed.

B．Sea salt production is reduced.

C．Many animals move away from their habitats.

D．There would be less fresh water on the earth.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Animals suffer more than humans during a hurricane

B．What happens to animals during a hurricane?

C．Why do animals migrate earlier than usual?

D．Animals might face serious threats

10 . On an early summer day in the fascinating landscape of Jiulong Peak Reserve, deep in Anhui province, Du Minghui, working in the reserve, was taking a group of 20 students on a study ________ With the symphony of birdsong ________ through the air, they went on the journey, winding their way through the forest to ________ the secrets and wonders of wildflowers and trees.

The tours primarily ________ nature education. They aim to allow children to gain a profound understanding of nature by acquiring knowledge of the animals and plants in the ________ Throughout the tour, students have the opportunity to acquire essential ________ skills in the wild, such as learning to tie knots and ________ simple stretchers (担架).

In recent years, the reserve has strengthened partnerships with scientific institutions, making use of its advantages to develop ________ tours and ecotourism. During the first three days of June, Du and his colleagues ________ three groups of students. With summer vacation approaching, they ________ a flood of children to appreciate the appealing beauty of nature.

The ________ in study tours is closely linked to the ________ environment of the mountains. In the past four years, the reserve has captured nearly 350,000 ________ of wild animals. With the environment becoming better, people are ________ to witness the return of animal species that had been ________ for years.

1.

A．schedule

B．task

C．tour

D．experience

2.

A．playing

B．echoing

C．releasing

D．composing

3.

A．keep

B．leak

C．spread

D．unlock

4.

A．center around

B．rely on

C．cope with

D．take over

5.

A．zoos

B．mountains

C．villages

D．cities

6.

A．writing

B．weaving

C．survival

D．withdrawal

7.

A．lifting

B．building

C．sending

D．borrowing

8.

A．recreational

B．commercial

C．educational

D．medical

9.

A．hosted

B．assessed

C．sponsored

D．rewarded

10.

A．persuade

B．anticipate

C．require

D．allow

11.

A．contest

B．prejudice

C．reform

D．boom

12.

A．improved

B．mixed

C．disturbed

D．exploited

13.

A．feelings

B．images

C．sounds

D．shapes

14.

A．confused

B．moved

C．delighted

D．shocked

15.

A．free

B．diverse

C．extinct

D．absent