| A．could | B．must | C．needn’t | D．shouldn’t |
2 . Scientists have discovered a new structure that allows lunge feeding whales, also called rorqual whales (长须鲸), to take in massive amounts of water without choking.
To capture prey (猎物), rorqual whales use a method called lunge feeding. They speed up, and take in a volume of water large enough to fill their entire bodies.
Scientists didn’t know how these whales avoided choking on prey—filled water and flooding their respiratory tracts (呼吸道) during a lunge feeding event. Now Dr. Gil and his colleagues have discovered a large structure that they’ve termed the “oral plug” —a structure never before described in any other animal—that they think makes lunge feeding possible.
Dr. Gil and his colleagues analyzed dead fin whales. By physically dissecting (解剖) the mass of muscle and tissue that plug the back of the whale’s mouth, the researchers determined that when the animal is at rest, the plug blocks off the whale’s pharynx (咽道), a tube-shaped structure that leads to both the respiratory and digestive tracts. When a whale lunges, the “oral plug” protects both tracts from being flooded by the water and the living creatures that the animal has taken in.
When the animal is ready to swallow its latest meal, the oral plug shifts upward to protect the upper respiratory tract. At the same time, the larynx (喉) closes up and shifts downward, blocking the lower respiratory tract. In other words, during swallowing, the pharynx only leads to the digestive tract.
“This fills in a blank that we didn’t even know really existed,” said Dr. Gil of the team’s findings. Ari Friedlaender, who studies whale feeding behaviors at the University of California but was not involved in this research, sees great value in filling in these anatomical blanks about whales.
“The more we can understand how they develop these means for being able to eat so much, the more we understand about what their abilities are, and how they function as part of marine ecosystems,” Dr. Friedlaender said.
1. Which words can best describe the lunge feeding method of rorqual whales?①speedy ②massive ③precise
| A．②③ | B．①② | C．①③ | D．①②③ |
| A．It just blocks off the two airways when the whale rests. |
| B．It just protects the upper airway when the whale swallows. |
| C．It just blocks the lower airway when the whale lunges. |
| D．It ensures that the meals and water just go into the pharynx. |
| A．Dr. Friediaender shared his findings of whale feeding behavior with Dr. Gril. |
| B．Dr. Friedlaender praised the research for it further explains how marine ecosystems function. |
| C．Dr. Friedlaender will cooperate with Dr. Gil and his team for the future research. |
| D．Dr. Gil was probably surprised to find the existence of the “oral plug”. |
| A．Negative. | B．Indifferent. | C．Cautious. | D．Positive. |
| A．Why do whales lunge for food? | B．Why don’t whales choke? |
| C．Why do whales have respiratory tracts? | D．Why are whales unique? |
| A．motivating | B．motivated | C．being motivated | D．to be motivated |
4 . Every spring, as the weather warms, trees up and down the East Coast explode in a display of bright green life as leaves fill their branches, and every fall, the same leaves provide one of nature’s great color displays of vivid yellow, orange and red.
Thanks to climate change, the timing of these events has shifted over the last two decades, Harvard scientists say.
Andrew Richardson, an associate professor of organismic and evolutionary biology, and research associate Trevor Keenan worked with colleagues from seven different institutions on a study which found that forests throughout the eastern United States are showing signs of spring growth dramatically earlier, and that the growing season in some areas extends further into the fall.
Richardson said, “Climate change isn’t just about warmer temperatures. It’s also about changes in precipitation (降水) patterns... so in the future, an earlier spring might not help forests take up more carbon dioxide if they end up running out of water in mid-summer.”
The research combined information from three sources. Using satellite data, Keenan tracked when forests across the region began to turn green in the spring, and when leaves began to turn yellow in the fall. Ground observations made every three to seven days at the Harvard Forest in Petersham and a long-term research site in New Hampshire provided information about the state of buds, leaves and branches. When combined with records from instrument towers, the data sets allowed the researchers to paint a richly detailed picture that shows spring starting earlier, and the growing season lasting longer than at any point in the past two decades.
Another important result, Richardson said, was the discovery of a significant source of error in existing computer models on how forest ecosystems work.
“This shows an opportunity to improve the models and how they simulate how forests will work under future climate scenarios forecast.” he said.
The real power of the findings, however, may be in helping to make the effects of climate change clearer to the public, the researchers said.
1. What is the reason of the earlier spring according to the Harvard scientists?| A．The human activities. | B．The climate change. |
| C．The tree growth. | D．The reduction in water. |
| A．An earlier spring can only bring benefits. |
| B．The influence of climate change is complex. |
| C．The water in mid-summer will increase. |
| D．The role of forests becomes less important. |
| A．Change | B．Explain | C．Imitate | D．Create |
| A．It helps scientists to figure out how forest ecosystems work. |
| B．It reflects how the growing season is extending faster. |
| C．It provides an opportunity to improve the computer models. |
| D．It helps to make the effects of climate change clearer to the public. |
| A．To tell us people should be more aware of the climate change. |
| B．To tell us the climate change has some effects on the world. |
| C．To tell us the early spring in eastern USA is a good time to travel. |
| D．To tell us high technology is useful to detect the climate change. |
1. What does Bill have for lunch?
| A．A sausage. | B．A salad. | C．A hamburger. |
| A．To delay the aging process. |
| B．To prevent high blood pressure. |
| C．To lower the risk of heart attack. |
| A．Eat out. | B．Watch TV. | C．Join a health club. |
6 . Technological progress has transformed every aspect of my life. I bank online and learn online. Just like other young people, when I’m hungry and busy, I will order food through a food delivery app, especially during the pandemic. These apps are fast and convenient.
A survey of the food delivery service online conducted in the US shows that 26% of the people surveyed use food delivery service once a week, while 24% order food 2—3 times per week. Some have meals delivered even more often, with 8% ordering 6 times per week.
However, I deleted Uber Eats from my phone two months ago. Not because I didn’t like using it. I loved it. I can order precisely what I feel like eating. And I can have that hot meal delivered to my door within about 30 minutes with only a small fee. It’s the kind of on-demand service that used to be reserved for the ultra-wealthy. Now ordinary people, like me, lying on their couches, working late in their living rooms, or isolating themselves at home during the pandemic can enjoy it, too.
However, I was shocked when I knew that five delivery riders were killed in three months last spring. Some riders sometimes were paid at rates lower than the minimum wage or without much of the basic protection enjoyed by the rest of us. They were also doing their jobs in an unsafe working environment — our city streets. This is particularly the case in Sydney, where some major media organizations have complained about the construction of safe cycling infra-structure(基础设施)for decades and worse still, state governments have previously torn up bike paths.
So I deleted the app and haven’t used it, or any of its competitors, since then. I have no illusions that my standpoint will make a big difference. But I think our governments need to fight against the companies reshaping our lives and our communities for the worse to make our cities safer for everyone, including cyclists.
1. What does the survey conducted in the US tell us?| A．The use of food delivery apps. |
| B．The quality of food delivery apps. |
| C．People’s preference for certain apps. |
| D．Influences of the food delivery service on people’s life. |
| A．It used to deliver hot food. |
| B．It can satisfy different users’ demands. |
| C．It favors a particular group of people. |
| D．It was the most popular app during the pandemic. |
| A．The extra delivery fee. |
| B．The attraction from other apps. |
| C．Delivery riders’ safety problems. |
| D．Heavy traffic jams caused by delivery riders. |
| A．To ask us to rethink the advantages of technological advances. |
| B．To call on us to play a role in the community development. |
| C．To state the problems of commercial companies. |
| D．To appeal to governments to make some changes. |
| A．Why I gave up using food delivery apps |
| B．The rise and fall of Uber Eats |
| C．My addiction to social apps |
| D．How I can live with apps |
7 . Courage is a highly admired virtue. When asked to describe courage, most people conjure up (脑中浮现) the image of an individual running into a burning building, or maybe a hero saving the world. But there's another form of bravery that's much more important because it comes up more often. It's called moral courage.
Moral courage is the ability that allows us to face our fears and to conquer our darkest fears. It’s the ability to face the future without knowing what is certain. It’s the ability to stand tall and confront those who oppose us, those who prevent us from realizing who we are and what we are. But most importantly, it’s the ability to stand up for what’s right, even though there are risks that stand in your way. Sara Anderson once said that "It takes great courage to faithfully follow what we know to be true."
The potential of showing moral courage has the power of changing the world. It was because of the moral courage that Mahatma Gandhi was able to make India free from British rule. He fought bravely against them without the use of any weapon by presenting great moral courage. In this way, he also became a great example for the people of the whole world. It is not that we remember Gandhi because of his body or beauty. We remember him because of the great ideas and principles of his life.
Moral courage is essential not only for a noble life, but a happy one. Without moral courage, we have no control over our lives. Our fears destroy our spirit and make us trapped in depression. Mark Twain said, “Courage is not the absence of fear but the resistance of fear, the mastery of fear.” If our fears cause us to lose confidence in the power of virtue, we will lose something very precious.
People with moral courage rarely get medals, but it is the best marker of true character and a virtue others can be proud of. We must try to develop the power of moral courage that will surely help in ending injustice and wrong and grant us a better world.
1. What is the main function of Paragraph 1?| A．To make a comparison. |
| B．To propose a definition. |
| C．To introduce the subject. |
| D．To provide the background. |
| A．the willingness to face and conquer fears |
| B．the capacity to stick to what is right |
| C．the ability to confront opponents |
| D．the desire to control whoever opposes you |
| A．Moral courage can make a difference to the world. |
| B．Moral courage makes people faithfully follow the truth. |
| C．Moral courage is essential for leading a happy life. |
| D．Moral courage restricts great ideas and principles. |
| A．Courage is being brave without any fear. |
| B．Courage is a spirit to overcome the fear. |
| C．Having a fear can limit our future lives. |
| D．Fear can stop us from achieving our goals. |
| A．To end injustice and wrong. |
| B．To pursue excellent virtues. |
| C．To strengthen moral courage. |
| D．To create a better world. |
| A．Which | B．How | C．Who | D．What |
| A．priceless | B．worthless | C．valueless | D．costless |
| A．bring up | B．set up | C．pick up | D．build up |
