1 . Microplastics, or tiny plastic particles - have been found in human blood for the first time.

In a paper published in Environment International, researchers in the Netherlands analyzed 22 blood samples from healthy donors and found that 17 or almost 80% contain microplastics.

The team tested for five types of plastics. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), commonly used in disposable water bottles, was the most common plastic type and found in about 50 percent of the donors. The second most common, polystyrene (PS) which is used for food packaging, was found in about 36 percent. Alarmingly, the researchers found up to three different types of plastic in a single blood sample.

Previously, microplastic pollution has been recorded to the summit of Mount Everest, oceans, seafood, water and air. It is the first study to find such tiny particles in human blood. “The particles are transported throughout the body and stay in internal organs,” study author Dick Vethaak, an ecotoxicologist in the Netherlands says to the Guardian.

The health effects of taking in microplastics are currently unclear. Today, the only data available are laboratory studies that show its unfavorable effects on mice or rats when given large quantities of microplastics. As Professor Mark Taylor of Macquarie University in Sydney told The Guardian last year, “nobody really knows.” However, as he stressed., “Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” If we’re to understand the effects, the first step underway at the moment is understanding levels of exposure.

It is estimated that since the 1950s, more than 70 million tons of microplastics have been dumped into the oceans due to industrial manufacturing processes. A WWF report also suggested we’re all unintentionally taking in 125 grams of plastic every 6 months. Despite the small number of donors in the study, pollution expert Fay Couceiro of the University of Portsmouth, who was not involved in the study, tells the AFP that the study was “solid and will stand up to examination.” Now, many countries are taking action to reduce microplastics in the environment.

1. What did scientists find in the study of 22 donors’ blood samples?

A．Half the blood samples contained microplastics.

B．PET was the most common plastic in the samples.

C．Altogether three types of plastics are detected in samples.

D．Donors were healthy despite microplastics in their blood.

2. What concerned scientists in the Netherlands?

A．Microplastics can damage human internal organs.

B．Microplastics have unfavorable effects on humans.

C．Multiple types of plastic were found in one sample.

D．Microplastics have polluted the peak of Mount Everest.

3. What does Mark Taylor’s words concerning microplastics mean?

A．Their effect is too weak to note.

B．Evidence shows no health impacts.

C．Lots of more study about them is needed.

D．Levels of exposure to microplastics matter.

4. What will the writer focus on in the following paragraph?

A．How microplastics get into the food chain.

B．How widespread microplastics have become.

C．Distribution of microplastics in the ecosystem.

D．Effective measures taken to restrict microplastics.

2 . I once rescued a distrustful horse and now he lives peacefully on my farm. But the________to Bob’s recovery was nothing I did. It was my grandson, Paul.

Paul came with his parents for a vacation. Bob kept his distance from the________, but he seemed________by this little visitor. So we decided to________them. “Move slowly, be quiet and bend down sometimes,” I told my grandson. Paul________approached Bob, step by step, holding a soft comb. He________Bob’s shoulders and neck softly with the comb, removing the remains of Bob’s thick winter coat. It’s hard for a four-year-old to stay________for long, but he did it. Paul made one quick move, and Bob shyly________. But they were not ready to give up. Paul approached again.

To________a preschooler’s learning to control himself in such a short time was________. As we watched, true love ________. Over the next few days, Bob let Paul throw his arms around his________, and pat his legs. And Paul felt________to sit at Bob’s feet while Bob carefully nibbled (咬) his shirt collar and hair. Bob even hugged Paul — yes, a horse can hug — without knocking him off________. Bob is now a(n)________and trusting horse and Paul a miracle worker.

1.

A．approach

B．key

C．road

D．answer

2.

A．lookers-on

B．passers-by

C．grown-ups

D．standers-by

3.

A．attracted

B．puzzled

C．surprised

D．annoyed

4.

A．support

B．treat

C．greet

D．introduce

5.

A．quickly

B．cautiously

C．casually

D．excitedly

6.

A．patted

B．held

C．embraced

D．rubbed

7.

A．calm

B．still

C．out

D．away

8.

A．backed off

B．stepped forward

C．jumped up

D．looked out

9.

A．appreciate

B．witness

C．allow

D．notice

10.

A．amazing

B．promising

C．rewarding

D．disappointing

11.

A．increased

B．restored

C．faded

D．developed

12.

A．body

B．cheeks

C．neck

D．tail

13.

A．free

B．uneasy

C．amused

D．scared

14.

A．position

B．chance

C．balance

D．stage

15.

A．interesting

B．satisfying

C．rescued

D．changed

3 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What might the speaker be?

A．A resident.

B．A fire fighter.

C．A news reporter.

2. Where did the fire start?

A．From a store.

B．From a park.

C．From an apartment building.

3. When did the fire happen?

A．Early last night.

B．Late last night.

C．An hour ago.

4. How did the people of Battery Park sound?

A．Surprised.

B．Calm.

C．Frightened.

4 . Dolphins are social and intelligent animals. And, like the way humans maintain relationships by hugging or giving a handshake, dolphins breathe together at the same time when they come up from the water for air. This shared act is important for creating social connections. But sharing the same air and area is also spreading an infectious and deadly disease among the dolphins.

Janet Mann and other scientists are trying to understand the virus. They discovered it in the water off the American states of Virginia and Maryland. It is now spreading to other Atlantic coast dolphins.

Mann explains that the dolphin virus is in the lungs. “When dolphins breathe together at the surface, they’re sharing tiny droplets just like we do when we’re talking with each other,” she said.

During her 35 years of studying dolphins, Janet Mann has noticed that even though dolphins have close friends, they visit other dolphins and leave the groups often. Following the social lives of dolphins in the Chesapeake Bay has permitted researchers to identify over 2,000 dolphin individuals. They can remember them by their special shapes and markings on their back fins.

Two researchers, Melissa Collier and Ann-Marie Jacoby, saw two dolphins. A third dolphin joined his friends. All three dolphins came to the surface of the water and breathed together. “This is typical, male behavior. The males stay pretty coordinated (协调) with each other. The females sync (同步), but not as regularly. They syne mostly with their offspring (幼崽).” Mann says. This behavior pattern might explain why more male dolphins have died in the most recent outbreak of the virus.

Viruses are naturally occurring in the wild, but human activities in the ocean can make the virus worse by wakening environments and populations even more. Pollution from carbon and plastics, limited food sources, along with ocean warming from climate change, harm the animals. These factors weaken the dolphins’ immune systems. “So, they are extremely vulnerable (脆弱的,易受伤的) to virus outbreaks.” Mann says.

1. What are Mann and other scientists trying to do?

A．Record the dolphins’ social habits.	B．Increase the population of dolphins.
C．Compare the viruses among dolphins.	D．Study the spread of the virus among dolphins.

2. What does the underlined word “them” in paragraph 4 refer to?

A．Researchers.	B．Close friends.
C．The social lives of dolphins	D．Over 2,000 dolphin individuals.

3. Why did more male dolphins die in the recent outbreak of the virus?

A．They absorbed more air than females.	B．They did more social activities together.
C．They came to the surface of the water more	D．They were more vulnerable to viruses.

4. Which is a cause of the decline in dolphins’ immune system?

A．Ocean warming.	B．Dolphins breathing together.
C．Researchers studying dolphins.	D．The growing population of dolphins.

5 . A set of tusks is usually an advantage for elephants, allowing them to dig for water, peel bark for food, and defend themselves. But during periods of intense ivory poaching (偷猎), those big tusks may invite danger.

During the conflict from 1977 to 1992 in Mozambique, fighters on both sides killed elephants for ivory to finance war efforts. In the region that’s now Gorongosa National Park, around 90% of the elephants were killed. The survivors were likely to share a key characteristic: Half the females were naturally tuskless—they simply never developed tusks—while before the war, less than a fifth lacked tusks. “The years of war changed the course of evolution in that population,” said biologist Shane Campbell-Staton.

After the war, those tuskless surviving females passed on their genes with expected, as well as surprising results. About half their daughters were tuskless. More puzzling, two-thirds of their offspring(后代)were female.

In Gorongosa, researchers collected blood samples from seven tusked and eleven tuskless female elephants, then analyzed their DNA for differences. The survey data gave them an idea where to look: Because the tuskless elephants were female, they focused on the X chromosome (染色体). They also suspected that the relevant gene was dominant, meaning that a female needs only one altered gene to become tuskless, and that when passed to male embryos, it may shorten their development.

“They’ve produced the smoking-gun evidence for genetic changes,” said Chris Darimont. “The work helps scientists and the public understand how our society can have a major influence on the evolution of other life forms.”

Now the scientists are studying what more tuskless elephants mean for the species and its savannah (大草原) environment. “Their previous analysis of fecal (排泄物) samples suggests the tuskless females ate mostly grass, without long tusks to peel bark from trees, whereas the tusked animals ate more legumes (豆类) and tough woody plants,” said Robert Pringle. “These changes will last for at least multiple elephant generations.”

1. What does paragraph 2 focus on?

A．Analyzing the natural growth of tusks.

B．Proving the value of tusks of elephants.

C．Explaining the cause of tuskless elephants.

D．Describing the characteristics of elephants.

2. How did the researchers in Gorongosa study elephants?

A．By collecting data.

B．By giving examples.

C．By analyzing cause and effect.

D．By gathering samples and studying them.

3. What does the underlined word “smoking-gun” in paragraph 5 probably mean?

A．Convincing.	B．Disturbing.
C．Puzzling.	D．Conflicting.

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．It won’t be long before tuskless elephants regain their tusks.

B．It will take ages for elephants to be affected by several changes occurring to them.

C．Tuskless elephants have a bad impact on their species and its savannah environment.

D．Many changes have happened to elephants and they will continuously affect them for ages.

6 . 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。

It is widely acknowledged that    1    (protect) the environment has become a prevailing trend, but the reality is far from satisfaction. Meanwhile, with the development of economy, people are beginning to attach great importance    2    their health. Nowadays, an environmentally friendly activity—plogging—has gained popularity, which helps get into shape and conserve the environment at the same time.

So, what is plogging? As    3    matter of fact, it is a combination of picking and jogging, which means    4    (pick) up trash while working out. Many people think    5    (high) of it because plogging benefits us a lot. It not only helps us keep physically and mentally healthy but also is of great    6    (significant) to protect the environment and our homeland. People of all ages can participate in this kind of exercise, which can help get rid of garbage and make    7    (we) neighbourhood clean and beautiful. More than that, what is the most important is that it makes the public aware of environmental issues and    8     (arouse) their sense of responsibility.

It is strongly suggested that everyone in the community should take an active part in the activity and making contributions to make our homeland a better place to live in. So why not    9     (take) a trash bag next time when you go jogging? Don’t hesitate to take actions,    10    we will make a difference.

7 . 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。

Coca-Cola is the world’s     1     (large) soft drink company. It has set     2     excellent goal to help solve the problem of packaging (包装) waste in the United States and around the world. It plans to recycle all of     3     (it) bottles and cans by 2030. The company wants to make a     4     (contribute) to saving our environment.

Coca-Cola has announced an activity     5     (call) “World Without Waste”. It says that food and drink companies are responsible     6     much of the waste on streets and beaches. Besides, the company says that it wants to increase the amount of material     7     can be recycled in its products. It also intends     8     (advise) users on how to recycle products best. And Coca-Cola plans to work together with local governments     9     environmental groups.

Greenpeace, one of the most important environmental organizations, has welcomed the move. But it points out the company should especially pay attention to reducing the amount of plastic that is being produced. Plastic is a major problem because plastic does not break down     10     (rapid) and it is often eaten by animals and fish and ends up in our food chain.

8 . Old Joe and his son Tony were on their way to catch fish. Old Joe drove the car and Tony _________ in the back seat. As he drove slowly along the empty road in the early _________, he looked down at his hands. Not long ago he had worked hard with those hands, but now, they did not do much. Suddenly, he _________ something in the middle of the road. He stopped the car _________.

“What’s wrong?” Tony shot up in the back seat and asked in a sleepy voice.

Old Joe turned on the high beams (远光灯) and said, “It’s one of those _________ fish-killing turtles.”

Tony opened his eyes wide and saw a strange thing. Suddenly it moved a little and left sharp marks in the dirt. Then it _________.

“These turtles kill fish. Let me _________ him,” Tony said.

“You are not going to kill it,” Joe said.

“Why not?” Tony asked. “Turtles kill our fish! The _________ fish they eat, the less we can catch.”

“Poor old thing,” old Joe said. “In the water you could cut down your enemies with those sharp claws (爪子). But here you are as _________ as a baby.”

“Dad, you talk like a tired old woman!” Tony said impatiently. “All right! You __________.”

“It would be different in the water, wouldn’t it, turtle?” old joe __________ his son and continued. “Only I can understand how you feel. It must be __________ to have no hope.”

Old Joe walked behind the turtle and __________ pushed the turtle to the side of the road. As old Joe waited until it __________ into the tall grass, Tony __________ the car and stood beside his father. The two men looked at each other in the bright morning sun.

1.

A．shook

B．played

C．slept

D．jumped

2.

A．morning

B．afternoon

C．evening

D．night

3.

A．missed

B．cut

C．lost

D．spotted

4.

A．slowly

B．violently

C．casually

D．gradually

5.

A．blind

B．dead

C．lovely

D．fierce

6.

A．escaped

B．screamed

C．stopped

D．laughed

7.

A．catch

B．save

C．hug

D．kill

8.

A．more

B．fresher

C．tastier

D．cheaper

9.

A．strong

B．unlucky

C．helpless

D．healthy

10.

A．leave

B．agree

C．insist

D．win

11.

A．punished

B．ignored

C．praised

D．found

12.

A．terrible

B．nice

C．impossible

D．happy

13.

A．gently

B．impatiently

C．angrily

D．excitedly

14.

A．fell

B．disappeared

C．turned

D．slid

15.

A．pulled off

B．looked up at

C．got out of

D．stepped into

9 . Chinese officials announced today that pandas in China are no longer considered an endangered species and they have been updated to “vulnerable” species.

Internationally, pandas in China have been considered “vulnerable” for five years. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) removed them from its list of endangered species in 2016 — a decision that Chinese officials challenged at the time. “If we relax the conservation work, our achievements would be quickly lost, because their natural habitats have been broken up by roads, railways and other forms of human development. The animals that live in small groups of as few as 10 pandas will struggle to reproduce and face the risk of disappearing altogether, although the total number of pandas in China seems big enough,” China’s State Forestry Administration said at the time.

At the end of 2016, when IUCN first made its decision, there were 1,864 pandas living in the wild. That number was a significant increase from less than 1,000 in the 1980s due to hunting and forest destruction until Beijing threw its full weight behind preserving the animal.

The Chinese government and the World Wildlife Fund first established the Wolong National Nature Reserve in Sichuan province in 1980. Then panda skin trade was banned in 1987. As wild panda numbers had increased in the 1990s, China gradually expanded its protected forest areas to 5,400 square miles in the 2000s.

In a statement, the World Wildlife Fund called the removal of pandas from the endangered list another sign of hope for the species. “Thanks to decades of cooperation among the Chinese government, local communities and companies, the pandas’ future is more secure,” it said. “China’s successful conservation of pandas shows what can be achieved when political will and science join forces.”

Animal groups around the world also welcomed the recovery of the pandas that have long been a symbol of China and the global conservation movement.

1. Why did China refuse to remove pandas from the list of endangered species in 2016?

A．The population of pandas was too small.

B．China did not finish the IUCN program yet.

C．Pandas had to be trained to live in small groups.

D．More efforts were needed to improve the habitats.

2. When did China start to significantly speed up its efforts to protect pandas?

A．In the 1970s.	B．In the 1980s.
C．In the 1990s.	D．In the 2000s.

3. What was unlikely the common threat to pandas in the 1990s?

A．Panda hunting.	B．Human development.
C．Forest destruction.	D．Railway construction.

4. What are the last two paragraphs mainly about?

A．Assessments from the World Wildlife Fund.

B．Positive reactions from international organizations.

C．The importance of political will and scientific methods.

D．The necessity of joint efforts from communities and companies.

10 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What are the speakers talking about?

A．Rights of animals

B．Tests on animals

C．Human rights

2. How does the woman feel about the man view?

A．Delighted

B．Annoyed

C．Puzzled

3. Why is the man unwilling to sign?

A．He doesn’t like animals at all.

B．He thinks the woman’s view unreasonable.

C．He can’t bear the woman talking like that