1 . The vicinity (地区), between southern Angola and northern Namibia, is home to a leafy green plant that can live up to 1,000 years. This “Immortal” plant’s lifespan encourages researchers wondering why, out of all climates the world has to offer, this plant finds itself to thrive in the harsh, dry, and quite unforgiving Namib Desert known to reach less than two inches of rainfall a year.

Welwitschia (千岁兰), meaning “two leaves that cannot die,” in Afrikaans, was discovered by biologists Charles Darwin and the botanist Friedrich Welwitsch, whom the plant was named after in 1859. Andrew Leitch, a plant geneticist at Queen Mary University of London, explains, “Generally speaking, this plant can live thousands of years. When it does stop growing, it’s dead.

Nature Communications, a study published in July, conducted research to discover and identify the magic within Welwitschia’s genetic makeup. Researchers were able to infer, “Approximately 86 million years ago, after a mistake in cell division, the entire Welwitschia genome (基因组) doubled during a time of increased and prolonged drought in the region.” Additional research concluded that repeated genes lost their defining purposes, allowing some to develop new functions. But because DNA reproduction consumes high levels of energy, repeated genes can at times cause more harm than good, especially in severe weather conditions.

This plant also has more magic coming out of its leaves. Unlike most plants, where the leaves grow from the ends of its stem and branches, the Welwitschia’s leaves grow from a “vulnerable” area called the basal meristem (分生组织), which supplies fresh cells to the growing plant. The combination of internal and external factors of the Welwitschia has allowed the plant to continue thriving in extreme temperature conditions. Researchers are hopeful that Welwitschia can also provide insight into the agricultural industry and how we can develop drought tolerant crops.

1. What does the underlined word “thrive” in paragraph 1 mean?

A．Grow well.

B．Fade away.

C．Rise up.

D．Break down.

2. What can we infer from the passage?

A．The Welwitschia must have a life span of several thousand years or more.

B．Copied genes can do more harm than good due to energy consumption.

C．Biologist Charles Darwin named the Welwitschia in 1859.

D．The Welwitschia’s leaves, like most plants, grow from the basal meristem.

3. What can Welwitschia do according to researchers in Paragraph 4?

A．Solve the crisis facing the agricultural industry.

B．Give a deeper understanding of the agricultural industry.

C．Be planted as drought tolerant crops in the future.

D．Not bear extreme temperature conditions.

4. Which can be the best title for the text?

A．Copied Genomes of a Long-lived Plant.

B．Two Leaves That Cannot Die.

C．The “Immortal” Plant Tells Its Tale.

D．Agricultural Development with Welwitschia.

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．Absurd.

B．Hollow.

C．Practical.

3 . I think I lived rather sustainably last year. I composted (堆肥) fruit and vegetable scraps, ________ my own clothes and even grew food on my balcony. I grasped every chance to make ________ in my lifestyle.

I became accustomed to getting up early, which I think came with various ________. I devoted the morning hours to breathing in the flesh air. I kept my evenings ________ to meet friends, read, or connect with family, and slowly get myself ________ to rest as dusk approaches.

The biggest ________ for me was to take a walk wholeheartedly. Having spent much time staying indoors, I wanted to take a ________ kind of exercise where I could enjoy the natural scenery, rather than an intense one. Walking not only ________ me to the beautiful creatures that lived among us, but helped me to ________ my own life.

I found out how much organic waste even a small household could ________. It is reported that U. S. households waste approximately one-third of food they buy, ________ $ 240 billion per year. Although I got my composting into place, I needed to find a ________ for the plastic waste from deliveries and takeaways. ________, I was offered a door-to-door recycling service that visited every two weeks and ________ the waste.

While I’ve always been getting clothes made by the family ________, this stopped during the pandemic. Last year, as the traveling exhibitions which ________ artisans and help them sell their products came back to the city, I bought some ________ which was made into fashionable sets and dresses. I also ________ an old block-printed dress into a jumpsuit.

Thanks to my ________, I found my life was eased back into a healthy one. I’ll stick to my ________ lifestyle from now on.

1.

A．purchased

B．mended

C．ordered

D．donated

2.

A．improvement

B．progress

C．promotion

D．sense

3.

A．doubts

B．results

C．benefits

D．challenges

4.

A．slow

B．active

C．quiet

D．free

5.

A．prepared

B．tired

C．trained

D．addicted

6.

A．task

B．change

C．moment

D．problem

7.

A．potential

B．rare

C．proper

D．gentle

8.

A．increased

B．surprised

C．connected

D．limited

9.

A．reflect on

B．send up

C．result in

D．slide into

10.

A．receive

B．resist

C．store

D．generate

11.

A．destroying

B．saving

C．totaling

D．sharing

12.

A．routine

B．solution

C．practice

D．rule

13.

A．Fortunately

B．Gradually

C．Accidentally

D．Regularly

14.

A．reduced

B．welcomed

C．abandoned

D．collected

15.

A．designer

B．tailor

C．assistant

D．consultant

16.

A．hold

B．excite

C．support

D．feature

17.

A．fabric

B．steel

C．wood

D．patent

18.

A．repeated

B．repurposed

C．included

D．decorated

19.

A．defense

B．decision

C．imagination

D．effort

20.

A．flexible

B．comfortable

C．sustainable

D．typical

4 . Cold weather not only threatens the life of human beings but also the survival of wild animals. In Houston, it has claimed some unusual animal victims-bats.

Mary Warwick is the wildlife director at the Houston Humane Society. She was doing shopping when the freezing winds reminded her that she had not heard how the area’s bats were going. So she drove to the bridge where over 100 bats looked to be dead as they lay frozen on the ground. But during her 40-minute drive home, they began to come back to life. The bats made sounds and moved around in a box she had placed on her heated passenger seat for warmth. She returned to the bridge twice a day to collect more.

Two days later, she got a call about more than 900 bats rescued from a bridge in nearby Pearland, Texas. On the third and fourth days, more people showed up to rescue bats from the Waugh Bridge, and a special transportation effort was set up to get the bats to Warwick, which touched her a great deal. Each of the bats was warmed in an incubator (恒温箱) until their body temperature rose.

However, there were too many bats for one person to care for. The society’s current buildings did not have the necessary space, so Warwick and others put the bats in her attic (阁楼). The bats were separated by group in containers usually used for dogs. There, they were able to reach a state of hibernation (冬眠). Over 100 bats died because of the cold and the fall from the bridge but the others are being or have been released.

The society is now raising money to build a special room for bats at the society. The society’s entire animal rescue team will be vaccinated (接种疫苗) and trained in rescuing bats as they prepare to move into a larger building with the special bat room. “That would really help in these situations where we continue to see strange weather come through,” she said. “We could really use more space to rescue the bats.”

1. Why did Mary War wick drive to the bridge?

A．To get rid of the dead bats.	B．To check what happened to the bats.
C．To reach home a little earlier.	D．To monitor the surviving bats.

2. Which of the following moved Mary Warwick deeply?

A．More people were willing to donate.

B．More people showed concern about her.

C．More people came up with good ideas.

D．More people joined her rescue.

3. What trouble did Mary Warwick have in saving the bats?

A．There was not enough space to warm the bats.

B．An increasing number of bats died from the cold.

C．It was difficult for her to get bats into hibernation.

D．The bats’ body temperature didn’t rise as expected.

4. What is Mary Warwick’s attitude towards the human e society’s efforts?

A．Critical.

B．Grateful.

C．Positive.

D．Doubtful.

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。

In early 2022, the Ministry of Water Resources in China planned to invest 800 billion yuan building water management projects during the year. But the country     1     (see) the funds reach 823 billion yuan by the end of September.

Last year, the large-scale development played a significant role in ensuring stable home fund     2     promoting employment. Over 2. 5 million workers     3     (employ) in the development, including almost 2.1 million people from rural China. People also noted the     4     (remark) growth in funds it raised for water management projects. Almost 1. 16 trillion yuan was collected across the country last year, 44 percent more than 2021. Over 203.6 billion yuan was raised     5     government bonds, roughly 1.5 times that of the previous year. Over 37.9 billion yuan was invested     6     (expand) and renovate (翻新) 529 medium and large-scale irrigated areas in 2022. Thanks to the     7     (invest), over 10,000 kilometers of irrigation channels were built or renovated.

During the rare drought in the Yangtze River Basin last year, the complete systems in many of those irrigated areas functioned     8     (efficient) in reducing the impacts of the drought and reducing losses. Such irrigated areas guaranteed water supply to 11.3 million hectares of farmland in     9     (strike) regions. Despite the drought, the basin saw     10     good harvest of grain.

6 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What does Cesar Millan do?

A．He is a TV host.

B．He is a dog expert.

C．He is a dog trainer.

2. What can we learn about the book?

A．It teaches dog owners how to punish their dogs.

B．It shows many important factors in training dogs.

C．It is a book without any pictures.

3. How can customers order the book?

A．By visiting www. good book. com.

B．By calling 698-8346.

C．By sending money directly.

4. How much will a customer pay for three copies of the book?

A．$67. 5.

B．$75.

C．$82. 5.

7 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. How does the woman usually go to work?

A．By subway.

B．By car.

C．On foot.

2. What do we know about the man’s brother?

A．He works near his home.

B．He doesn’t like driving a car.

C．He often goes to work on foot.

3. What does the man do to protect the earth?

A．He never drives to work.

B．He goes to work by bus.

C．He shares a car with Mary.

4. Why does the man speaker share a car with Mary?

A．Because he doesn’t have enough money.

B．Because Mary doesn’t have enough money.

C．Because they can not only save money but also protect the earth.

8 . What’s probably happening?

A．A heavy snow is coming.

B．An earthquake is coming.

C．The house is on fire.

9 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What is the coldest month in this city?

A．December.

B．March.

C．January.

2. What do people usually like to do in spring?

A．Go on picnics.

B．Go water-skiing.

C．Drive into the mountains.

3. What is the summer season like in this city?

A．Mild and windy.

B．Hot and dry.

C．Warm and rainy.

4. What is the man?

A．He is a teacher.

B．He is a weather forecaster.

C．He is a travel guide.

10 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. How old does a guide dog begin serious training?

A．At the age of four months.

B．At the age of fourteen months.

C．At the age of forty months.

2. How long does the intensive course last?

A．Three months.

B．Five months.

C．Three to five months.

3. Which is NOT a necessary skill for a guide dog to learn?

A．To bite the other animals.

B．To cross the street safely.

C．To obey some commands.

4. How long does the most important training course last?

A．About a month.

B．About two months.

C．About four months.