2 . Japanese researchers placed electronic devices(装置)on seals(海豹)in Antarctic waters to collect surprising information about the environment there. Japan’s National Institute of Polar Research started the research project in 2017. The team recently reported its results in a study in the publication Limnology and Oceanography.

Eight Weddell seals were fitted with the devices,which have antennas(天线)to send electronic signals.The 580-gram monitoring devices were attached(缚上;系上)to the animals’heads. They were designed to measure data such as water temperatures and sea salt levels.

Investigative teams on ships have difficulty reaching important research areas in Antarctica. These include areas along continental shelf formations where ice is attached to the shore, the National Institute of Polar Research said in a statement. Nobuo Kokubun led the project. Since the seals are active year-round, Kokubun added, “I thought we should have them collect the data.”

He told Reuters that the research also helps scientists follow the seals’ behaviors and learn about their relationship to the environment. “During the summer, we can go to Antarctica on icebreakers to conduct actual research activities, so that we can collect data there.” Kokubun said. ”But during the winter. such things cannot be done in so many places.“

Information gathered from the seals showed that one of the animals traveled as far as 633kilometers from Japan’s Showa Station in Antarctica. Another dove to a depth of 700 meters.Kokubun said the scientists learned from the data that warm seawater from the upper levels of the open sea reached Antarctica from March through the winter of 2017. The water flowed below the ice, bringing in sea creatures like Antarctic krill, an important food for seals.

Kokubun and his team plan to keep finding new ways to further examine the effects of climate change on Antarctic coastal areas. Next, he hopes to make the device small enough to fit on other animals at the South Pole, such as penguins,“The advantage with penguins is that they come back to the same place and we can collect data from them immediately,”Kokubun said.

1. What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A．The reasons why seals are a good pick.

B．The difficulties the researchers met with.

C．The disadvantages of the research.

D．The formation of Antarctic waters.

2. What can we learn from the information gathered from seals?

A．It challenges some traditional views.

B．It is an eye-opener for the researchers.

C．It is in urgent need of improvement.

D．It simply focuses on the seals’ behavior.

3. What can be inferred from the last paragraph about the research team?

A．They will further study the penguins.

B．They will make use of the same device.

C．They intend to expand the research further.

D．They plan to help the endangered penguins.

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

A．Increasing Temperature of Antarctic Waters

B．Seals Help Researchers Study Antarctic Environment

C．Seals Are in Danger of Dying out Due to Global Warming

D．Climate Change and Its Far-reaching   Consequences

3 . India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday developed a series of new high-producing rice species, including herbicide-tolerant（耐除草剂的）rice that can be directly planted into the soil, cutting the huge expenses on water and farm workers.

In India, the world's biggest rice exporter, the traditional method of rice growing requires farmers to grow seeds in nurseries, and then wait for 20 to 30 days before transplanting the small plants by hand into the fields that are ankle-deep in water.

With the new seed species, developed by the state-run Indian Agricultural Research Institute, farmers only need to water the field once to moisten（使湿润）the soil before planting the rice. Besides, the traditional method also uses a lot of water to control weeds as herbicides are costly and often do not distinguish between the rice and the unwanted weeds.

Government scientists said the new rice species contains a gene that would allow farmers to use a common, inexpensive herbicide without worrying about any side effects. “Our focus is very high on new seeds that can be adapted to new conditions, especially in changing climates,” Modi said.

Water conservation is likely to be the main attraction of the new rice species in India, where farmers rely heavily on monsoon（季风）rains. “The traditional method uses 3,000 to 5,000 liters（升）of water to produce 1 kg of rice. The new species could cut water use by at least 50% to 60%,” farmers and government officials say. "For farmers like us, the main concern was the management of water, and the new species takes care of that concern," said Ravindra Kajal, who grows rice on his 9-acre farmland in the northern state of Haryana.

1. What is the advantage of the new rice species?

A．It can remove all the weeds.	B．It can be planted in any field.
C．It needs less water to grow.	D．It needs less soil to grow.

2. Why can farmers use a common herbicide to the new rice species?

A．Because the new crop species contains herbicide itself.

B．Because the new crop species resists a common herbicide.

C．Because the common herbicide is relatively cheaper.

D．Because the common herbicide can moisten the soil.

3. What makes India consider planting the new rice species?

A．Its climate.

B．Its plentiful funds.

C．Its tradition.

D．Its lack of herbicide.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．India has completely changed its rice species.

B．The farmers prefer planting new rice species.

C．India is trying to promote its new rice species.

D．The new rice species produces the most rice in India.

4 . I'd shared my home with scorpions（非洲蝎子）in Africa before. But when we moved to Costa Rica which was an insect center, there were scorpions under the fridge, a stick insect and a tarantula（狼蛛）, the size of a dinner plate, wandering around the courtyard.

To begin with, I was scared to death, and got away from them as quickly as possible. But slowly things changed. With no TV, no radio and often staying at our house for days in this rainforest, I started to get used to these uninvited visitors. It was for a long time that I was gradually used to them. Then I kept an eye out for them and finally was delighted to see them no matter what they were.

Soon when a creature came to visit, I'd call the kids over, take photos and even pose with them. We'd try to work out what these creatures were doing, see where they were going and pick them up if they seemed safe. Not all the wildlife was traditionally frightening. We gently held panic-stricken hummingbirds that were trapped in the house and set them back in the wild. We listened out for the woodpeckers（啄木鸟）that decorated our garden. We practiced shouting like howling monkeys. Those feathered and furry creatures were easy to love, and we also grew to love the seemingly unlovable when traveling in Costa Rica.

Sweeping away the terror from this fresh new love, I started emailing photos of my new insect friends to human friends and family overseas. I was as proud as any new mother with my latest discoveries. Then when their replies came back saying “Disgusting!", “Ewww” or “Nasty”, I was saddened, and I could hardly remember that not so long ago I would also have been disgusted by the sight of a ten-inch cricket（蟋蟀）on my dining table.

Travel changes you in ways you never expect, and changes things you never want to change. You may not imagine you could find beauty in an insect, if you look closely at it there. You may not think you could love the unlovable. And if you take time to wonder and open your heart to the possibility, love can spread in anywhere.

1. What do we know about the author when she arrived in Costa Rica?

A．She missed TV and radio very much.	B．She quickly got used to the life there.
C．She enjoyed sharing her home with insects.	D．She was afraid of the insects at first.

2. Why was the author sad after getting the replies to her photos?

A．Because the insects looked really disgusting.

B．Because she was not so good at taking photos.

C．Because her love to insects was not understood.

D．Because she missed her friends and family overseas.

3. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．The insects are not poisonous as imagined.	B．Travel changes our views about the world.
C．Not all lives should be equally treated.	D．Travel helps us change nature as we like.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．How did I fall in love with insects?	B．Welcome to the insects centre!
C．Search for fun in Costa Rica!	D．How did I start my travel?

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。

Apple Farming Earns City Wide Recognition

Yuncheng kicked off     1     agriculture show on Oct 15. The highlight was a famous fruit     2     (grow) in the city, the apple.

In Yuncheng, the planting area of apples reaches 166,000 hectares, with an average annual output of about 6 million tons. However, what makes the local people     3     (pride) is not the output but the quality of the produce.

The city     4     (know) for selenium- rich apples. Selenium (硒) is a trace element that’s beneficial     5     human health. Selenium-rich apples can sell at prices about 15 percent     6     (high) than ordinary varieties.

The latest information technology is also used for     7     (improve) the output and quality of apples. An intelligent operational system,     8     is linked with various sensors on the farm, monitors the conditions of soil and air.

    9     (help) farmers expand their sales, the city has registered the “Yuncheng Apple” brand name. Meanwhile, the collective marketing strategy has improved the recognition of the produce among consumers both nationwide and across the world.

Yuncheng’s apples have been sold to 75     10     (country) and regions. The total export volume is about 300,000 tons a year, accounting for about 80 percent of Shanxi’s total exports of apples.

6 . Engineers at Deakin University have developed a new smart generation schoolbag that will end the days when students end up forgetting their homework, particularly since the smart schoolbag is capable of completing its own morning checklist.

According to a recent press release, the smart schoolbag comes with built-in hardware and software that works to ensure it is packed correctly for each day’s timetable, including lunch and sports equipment.

The bag was designed by Dr Hamid Abdi alongside Masters students at Deakin University. It uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags (标签) to detect items in the bag and Internet of Things (IOT) technology, which extends Internet connectivity to everyday objects. “RFID technology allows any user to detect items in the bag in a contactless way,” Dr Abdi says. The Internet of Things (IOT) technology is employed to check its contents against the daily school plan. Schools or parents can enter data about the activities of each day to the system’s IOT server. The server then links these activities to the RFID tags placed on the items needed. The smart school-bag can tell what items are not required, ensuring that the bag is no heavier than it needs to be.

The smart schoolbag will save a lot of time and stress that occurs when homework, hats or lunches are left home by mistake, especially if that requires parents to quickly race home to collect the missing item.

While the system can be fitted to any schoolbag, the team have designed a sample of the smart schoolbag that includes the smartphone application. Dr Abdi and his team are looking for commercial partners to take the project to the next level.

1. Why do the engineers develop the smart schoolbag?

A．To give a morning call.	B．To help homework correcting.
C．To reduce study pressure.	D．To remind pupils of school items.

2. What does Paragraph 3 mainly tell us about the smart schoolbag?

A．Its application.	B．Its working principle.
C．Its advantage.	D．Its characteristics.

3. What does Dr Abdi expect of the smart schoolbag?

A．I’ll replace parental duties.	B．I’ll ensure academic progress.
C．I’ll reach consumers soon.	D．I’ll be environment-friendly.

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

A．A Smart Schoolbag Saves Time and Stress

B．A Smart Schoolbag Will Replace an Ordinary Bag

C．The Latest System of Detecting Missing Items

D．The First Generation of a Smart Schoolbag

7 . From littering the highest mountain peak to the deepest sea, we have messed up the environment and not left a single spot clean. Plastic pollution was also the theme for the last year’s Environment Day, but has anything changed?

With a “hope” to change things, a 150 feet long and 12 feet high “Wall of Hope” has been constructed using 15,000 discarded bottles collected from various sources such as streets and roads in Mussoorie and the surrounding region, which encourages the tourists to keep the surroundings clean.

Mussoorie attracts armies of visitors from neighboring cities every month so that it sometimes gets choked by over-tourism. But then, people hardly paid attention to the “saving the environment” cried these days. So, in order to convey this message in a meaningful and beautiful way, the locals of Mussoorie came up with this unique concept to remind travelers of the litter they leave behind.

The wall was built by over 50 volunteers that are basically school and college students who stepped forward to help bring this idea to life. For establishing this, plastic bottles of different shapes, sizes, and colors have been collected and fixed in this wall. Seeing their tireless efforts, the village locals also joined in later to help turn this project into a success story and then it spread like wildfire. They are actually admiring this new addition to the landscapes of Mussoorie, saying that the town looks even more beautiful now!

The wall was designed by Subodh Kerkar, founder of the private art gallery Museum of Goa. Talking to Hindustan Times, Kerkar said, “The wall will draw structural strength from steel pillars (柱子) being fixed two feet deep into the ground. The structure is completely rain and wind proof. I hope the wall will inspire a sense of beauty and will add color to the peaceful background of the hills.”

1. What is the function of the question mentioned in Paragraph 1?

A．To introduce the topic of the passage.

B．To remind readers of the climate change.

C．To show the theme of the Environment Day.

D．To stress the bad effect of plastic pollution.

2. What does the underlined word “discarded” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Abandoned.

B．Decorated.

C．Broken.

D．Donated.

3. What can we know about "Wall of Hope" from the passage?

A．It was made of certain equal- sized bottles.

B．It was designed by some college students.

C．It attracts fewer tourists to visit Mussoorie.

D．It raises tourists’ environmental awareness.

4. Which of the following best describes “Wall of Hope”?

A．Towering and less known.	B．Common and well-received.
C．Unique and far reaching.	D．Huge and money consuming.