1 . Looking for meaningful volunteer opportunities in wildlife conservation? Check out these exciting programs!
Animal Wildlife Rescue1-12 weeks, Age 16-50+
We need passionate volunteers at Rescue Center Costa Rica to care for our injured and displaced animals, including monkeys, sloths, kinkajous, coatis, and exotic birds. Your kindness and generosity are essential for us to continue our missions of rescue, rehabilitation, and release.
Sloth Monitoring and Turtle Conservation2-28 weeks, Age 18-50+
Join us in Quepos to conserve sloths and turtles. We care for sea turtles, rescue their eggs, protect them until they hatch, and release them into the sea. We also gather scientific data and treat any wounds.
Animal Keeper Assistant1-50 weeks, Age 18-50+
Help the animal keepers provide the best care to animals in need and make a significant impact on conservation. Work hands-on with diverse wildlife in Costa Rica and learn about animal care. The shelter receives over 1500 rescue animals annually, requiring extensive work and crucial decisions to return them to nature.
Big 5 Monitoring, Conservation, Sustainable Living2-12 weeks, Age 18-50+
The LEO Africa research project aims to provide park wardens and ecologists with detailed wildlife information in Abelana Game Reserve. This data helps evaluate the impact of re-introduced animals and maintain balanced, sustainable ecosystems. LEO Africa is funded solely by volunteers, with all contributions supporting the project’s operations.
1. What will volunteers mainly do at the Rescue Center Costa Rica?| A．Protect turtles. | B．Look after animals. |
| C．Assist professionals. | D．Collect data from injured animals. |
| A．Animal wildlife rescue. |
| B．Sloth monitoring and turtle conservation. |
| C．Animal keeper assistant. |
| D．Big 5 monitoring, conservation, sustainable living. |
| A．They all involve teaching. |
| B．They all require a minimum age of 16. |
| C．They all focus on animal conservation. |
| D．They all take place in the same continent. |
2 . Researchers have developed a groundbreaking method of storing and handling valuable biological materials that removes the limitations of refrigerated storage. The novel method has potential applications in healthcare and scientific research.
Biological materials that come from human cells, like enzymes, proteins, and antibodies, are crucial to developing new medicines and diagnostic tests. And they’re fragile. Extremely temperature-sensitive, they require a constant temperature during storage, handling, and transportation. If not stored or handled correctly, these materials will be inactive, which can be costly.
Most biological materials are stored as liquids or freeze-dried powders and kept at low temperatures for the duration of their shelf life. This is achieved through a complex integrated system of refrigerators and freezers known as the cold chain. This requires a significant investment in equipment and infrastructure, making it expensive to maintain, and makes the cold chain prone to shipping delays, power outages, equipment failure and human error.
Inspired from the home medicine cabinet (储藏柜), where medications are stored in the form of liquids, powder-filled capsules, and tablets, researchers at California Polytechnic State University have developed a new storage platform based on the humble tablet that would enable biological materials to be compressed (压缩) into a solid state.
Tablets provide advantages to the storage and handling of biomaterials that the cold chain doesn’t. For one thing, they can be stored at room temperature. And, when they’re required, the tablet can be dissolved in water. “Our innovation makes storing and using biomaterials as straightforward as an effervescent tablet (泡腾片). Just drop it into water, mix, and it’s ready to go,” said the researcher of the study.
The researchers say their new tablet-based storage and handling method is easy to use and doesn’t require special training, making it suitable for many applications. They also see potential uses beyond just improving the storage and handling of biological materials. By modifying (修改) the tablet coatings, this solid-state storage platform could withstand extreme conditions like heat, humidity, and chemicals. These changes might eventually allow injectable medications, such as insulin, to be taken orally.
1. What is a special requirement to store biological materials?| A．Constant temperature maintenance. |
| B．Exposure to various temperatures. |
| C．Periodically freezing and melting. |
| D．Direct contact with air. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Skeptical. | C．Disappointed. | D．Grateful. |
| A．Demonstrate. | B．Stand. | C．Adopt. | D．Distinguish. |
| A．Challenges of storing biological materials. |
| B．The making process of effervescent tablets. |
| C．Healthcare applications of biological materials. |
| D．A new tablet storage method of biological materials. |
Looking for a right place to travel? | |
Western Australia On April 20, a total solar eclipse (月全食) will be visible over the northwestern edge of Australia. For an event that will likely last about one minute, the town of Exmouth and the greater Ningaloo Peninsula on which it sits have been planning for more than a year. There will be outdoor viewing platforms where spectators (观看者) can safely watch the solar miracle (with protective eyewear, of, course) as well as musical performances, educational opportunities to learn about science and astronomy, and a three-day Dark Sky Festival. | FIJI Brilliant, blue waters, expansive coral reefs and hundreds of peaceful islands. While the country is spoiled for underwater beauty, take an opportunity to explore its above-ground treasures, too. To learn about the local Indigenous communities, travelers can take part in a kava welcoming ceremony or enjoy a lovo, a meal cooked by hot coals in an underground pit covered with banana leaves. Fiji Airways now has direct flights from Los. Angeles and San Francisco, making it relatively easy to get to the islands. As the Fijians say, bulal |
Uganda There’s considerable change brewing (酝酿) in Uganda’s travel offerings at the moment with the East’ African country looking beyond the traditional staples of safari and wildlife spotting to appeal to both regional and international visitors. From the expansive shores of Lake Victoria to the snowy Rwenzori Mountains, Uganda is a beautiful wilderness playground, with opportunities for adventure including hikes through the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest or up to the craters (火山口) of the Virunga volcano chain or whitewater rafting along the Victoria Nile. | Thessaloniki, Greece Throw in a popular waterfront and approach to beautiful beaches and inland mountains, Thessaloniki is surely a contender (竞争者) for one of Europe’s best city-break destinations. What could make it even better? How about a gleaming (闪现) new metro system? All being well, November should see the opening of the main line of an infrastructure megaproject that will eventually connect the city’s downtown to its international airport. Driverless trains will whisk passengers through tunnels whose excavation (挖掘) has added to Thesșaloniki’s already rich catalog of archeological discoveries, many of which will be on display in specially created museum stations. |
1. Which of the following is the appropriate match between tourists and destinations?
| A．Deep diving lovers-Uganda. |
| B．Astronomy enthusiasts-Western Australia. |
| C．Archaeologists-Fiji. |
| D．Exploration fanatics-Thessaloniki. |
| A．Traditional wildlife spotting has been eliminated from the tourism in Uganda. |
| B．Visitors departing from Los Angeles have to transfer in San Francisco to fly to Fiji. |
| C．New archaeological findings for display were discovered during the tunnel excavation. |
| D．Outdoor viewing platforms make it possible to watch the total solar eclipse without tools. |
| A．They all feature local cultural activities to appeal to visitors. |
| B．They are all located next to the sea and have beautiful landscapes. |
| C．They all make a lot of effort to improve the quality of traveling. |
| D．They all focus on offering an adventurous but educational holiday experience. |
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. |
| A．Planting trees. | B．Designing posters. | C．Collecting garbage. |
| A．Paint paper. | B．Stop driving cars. | C．Decorate classrooms. |
| A．Absurd. | B．Hollow. | C．Practical. |
5 . Would you take a trip if you couldn’t use your cellphone? A new tour company called Off the Grid is asking travellers to put their cellphones away and not even use them for photos. The company founder, Zach Beattie, is developing his business, using money he saved from a tech job at a mapping company. He’s hired guides for every trip but will help lead the first few himself.
The first trip is to Lisbon, Portugal, in July. It takes 7 to 10 days, with small groups of up to 16 people. Prices range from $1,500 to $1,650, including accommodations, meals and ground transportation. The plan includes at least three excursions (远足) and two social events, with an emphasis on unique experiences over bucket-list sightseeing. The tour also includes surfing lessons, yoga on the beach, a day of sailing and dinner with a local family.
“When you’re somewhere new, there’s a lot to see and a lot of cool and interesting people to meet,” Beattie said. “Your phone can distract (使分心) you.” The phone ban won’t be enforced quite as strictly as it seems at first glance. “We want it to be voluntary,” he said. “We’re not collecting phones and throwing them in a locked trunk. It’s held by you, but put in your pocket, and you state your intentions for the week, whether that’s checking your social media once or twice a day or a total blackout.”
Tour-goers also get a “dumbphone” without Internet access that’s loaded with numbers for group leaders and other participants, both for emergencies and to promote socializing. Participants may bring regular cameras, but Beattie is hiring a photographer for each tour so there will be plenty of photos to remember the trip. Once the trip is over, participants will have access to those photos for use in social media posts.
1. What can be learned about Zach Beattie?| A．He set up his business at his own expense. |
| B．He is always guiding every trip personally. |
| C．He forbids tourists to take along cellphones. |
| D．He used to earn his living in a tour company. |
| A．The trip features sightseeing. |
| B．Participants live in homestays. |
| C．Air ticket is covered in the cost. |
| D．Tourists experience water sports. |
| A．Lock their phones in a trunk. |
| B．Post their photos on social media. |
| C．Free themselves from their phones. |
| D．Shift their focus onto dumbphones. |
| A．Take photos. | B．Access the Internet. |
| C．Record the trip. | D．Contact group members. |
6 . This question has fascinated behavioural scientists for decades: why do we give money to charity?
The explanations for charitable giving fall into three broad categories, from the purely altruisic (利他的)— I donate because I value the social good done by the charity. The “impurely” altruistic— I donate because I extract value from knowing I contribute to the social good for the charity. And the not-at-all altruistic— I donate because I want to show off to potential mates how rich I am.
But are these motives strong enough to enable people to donate as much as they would want to? Most people support charities in one way or another, but often we struggle to make donations as often as we think we should. Although many people would like to leave a gift to charity in their will, they forget about it when the time comes.
Many people are also aware that they should donate to the causes that have the highest impact, but facts and figures are less attractive than narratives. In a series of experiments, it was found that people are much more responsive to charitable pleas that feature a single, identifiable beneficiary(受益者), than they are to statistical information about the scale of the problem being faced. When it comes to charitable giving, we are often ruled by our hearts and not our heads.
The good news is that charitable giving is contagious—seeing others give makes an individual more likely to give and gentle encouragement from an important person in your life can also make a big difference to your donation decisions— more than quadrupling them in our recent study. Habit also plays a part— in three recent experiments those who volunteered before were more likely to do donate their time than those who had not volunteered before.
In summary, behavioural science identifies a range of factors that influence our donations, and can help us to keep giving in the longer term. This is great news not just for charities, but also for donors.
1. What can we learn about people who do charitable giving?| A．Most people support charity as often as they think they should. |
| B．Some people don’t want to leave a gift to charity until the time comes. |
| C．Those who donate because they can gain an advantage are purely altruistic. |
| D．Some people send money to charity simply to tell others they are wealthy. |
| A．Not revealing the names of the donors. |
| B．Showing figures about the seriousness of the problem. |
| C．Telling stories that feature a single, recognizable beneficiary. |
| D．Reminding people to write down what to donate in the will in advance. |
| A．People will learn from others and follow the suit. |
| B．Many people are familiar with charitable giving. |
| C．Charitable giving helps the beneficiary in all aspects. |
| D．Charitable giving can bring a lot of benefits to donors. |
| A．To persuade more people to donate. |
| B．To explain the science behind why people donate. |
| C．To criticize some false charitable giving behaviours. |
| D．To explore approaches to making people donate more. |
1. When did David come back last night?
| A．At 6:00 pm. | B．At 7:00 pm. | C．At 8:30 pm. |
| A．To watch a movie. |
| B．To read in a library. |
| C．To have some discussions. |
| A．Apply to work for the club. |
| B．Contact Lucy for more information. |
| C．Learn more about the neighborhood. |
内容如下：1. 写信目的；
2. 活动原因；
3. 活动建议（节约能源，垃圾分类，植树等 ）；
4. 呼吁加入。
注意：词数 80 词左右。
Dear friends,
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
With best wishes,
Li Hua
9 . When Hurricane Ian hit Florida, Karen Lauder refused to leave her home because she was wrong about the intensity (强度) of the storm. Karen is 84 years old and depends on a wheelchair to get around because she is missing a leg. Her son, Johnny Lauder, tried repeatedly to get her to leave, but she refused.
Johnny and his whole family live within a few blocks of one another. They kept in touch with Karen as the storm continued violently (猛烈地) outside, watching the water rising dangerously all around them. When Karen reported that the water in her house had reached her bottom, Johnny knew he had to take action.
First, Johnny ensured his sons and their pets were taken care of. Then, he jumped out of a window and began to swim. Johnny used to work as a rescue swimmer. He is obviously a strong swimmer, but the flood water was filled with dangerous materials. There was also a strong current (水流), and he had to swim against it for most of his trip to Karen’s. As he made his way through the water, Johnny stopped periodically to snap selfies (自拍) to show his worried family that he was okay.
Johnny was racing against the clock. He knew he only had a short period of time to get there before the water rose above Karen’s head. It took him 40 minutes to swim four blocks. The sound of Karen shouting inside was music to his ears!
“If it would’ve been 20 minutes later, she wouldn’t be here,” Johnny said.“She’s never been happier to see me.”
Karen is now safe, although she is in the hospital being treated for infections (感染) she got in the water. The family have all lost everything they owned, including their houses, but they’re grateful just to be here.
1. Why did Karen decide to stay in her house when Hurricane Ian came?| A．She had nowhere to go. |
| B．She was too old to move. |
| C．She thought the storm was not violent. |
| D．She lost her wheelchair and was unable to leave. |
| A．To record his swimming trip. | B．To show off his swimming skills. |
| C．To warn other rescuers of danger. | D．To report his safety to his family. |
| A．By shouting. | B．Over the phone. |
| C．Through e-mail. | D．With other’s help. |
| A．Curious. | B．Frightened. | C．Confused. | D．Relieved. |
It was the middle of July when we drove way up into the mountains and backpacked up a stream. The banks were lined with old trees. We waded (涉水) through the cold water, our backpacks balanced on our heads.
We set up camp on a sandy flat beside a pool. What a swimming hole! My brother and I swam, diving and playing in the clear water. We-hiked upstream, against little rapids. Suddenly we heard a roaring sound, and as we came around a bend, we saw what was causing it.
A huge waterfall! It rose high above us. “Wow!” I said. “Let’s climb it!” “No way,” said Dad. “End of the road.” We turned back but I couldn’t stop thinking about the waterfall and how much I’d like to climb it. Later, lying in my bag, I thought of the waterfall, wondering what was on the top... then finally I fell asleep.
The sun was hot as a bonfire. We cut leaves as wide as elephants’ ears, and tied them on our heads to keep us cool. Then we waded against the little rapids deep into the stream. I was the first one to the waterfall. “Let’s go up. I think there must be something unique out there,” I said. My brother smiled. “If you go, I will,” he said.
I found a way alongside the falls, and then we climbed like mountain goats. Mom shouted, “Be careful!” And we inched our way up and up—the tips of our toes gripping thin ledges (岩石突出部分), our fingers finding cracks. Sometimes rocks were unstable, but we clung (粘住) like glue. We had to.
The waterfall roared by our ears. “I’m scared,” said my brother. I said, “Just don’t look down.” Near the top, a tree grew out of the rock. It was just what we needed. When we stood at the top, we clapped our hands and shouted down, “Hey Mom, Dad! It’s like a whole other world up here! Come on up! You can do it!” And I did a little dance.
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。
Mom looked at Dad and Dad looked at Mom.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“We did it!” Mom shouted, breathing hard.
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