1 . Are there any lakes in your hometown? What color are they? Around one-third of the world's lakes are blue, according to a study in September 2022. But global warming may lead them to turn green or even brown.
Xiao Yang from Southern Methodist University in the US and his team analyzed the color of over 85,000 lakes based on satellite photos taken from 2013 to 2020. They found that lakes in places with cooler average summer air temperatures — below 19°C — were more likely to be blue than lakes in places with warmer summers.
The color of a lake is in part decided by what's in the water. Water molecules (分子) absorb the long wavelengths of sunlight, such as red, orange, and yellow, leaving behind the shorter ones presenting green and mostly blue. Simply put, the cleaner the water, the bluer it looks. In warmer lakes, algae (藻) and phytoplankton (浮游植物) develop easily. These microbes (微生物) contain colors from green to brown and red, giving the lake a different color. If the temperature continues to rise with climate change unchecked, one in 10 blue lakes might change color, according to the study.
Lakes serve as a vital part of nature, with their color being one of the oldest ways to determine the health of an ecosystem. Humans get their drinking water from lakes, streams and ground water. As lakes become greener, people may lose lots of clean water. Because of this, treating the water of such lakes becomes more expensive. For lake animals, the thriving (茁壮成长) of algae and phytoplankton in greener lakes can provide more food resources. However, an increase in these microbes may cause lake animals to die for lack of oxygen.
1. What decide the color of lakes in part according to the text?| A．Microbes. | B．Lake animals. |
| C．Shortages of oxygen. | D．Wavelengths of sunlight. |
| A．More microbes symbolize cleaner water. |
| B．Lakes in warmer places tend to be green. |
| C．Researchers took photos of over 85,000 lakes. |
| D．The higher the temperature, the greener the lakes must be. |
| A．Prevented. | B．Uncontrolled. | C．Quickened. | D．Unnoticed. |
| A．The significance of lakes. | B．The way to protect the lakes. |
| C．The potential impact of greener lakes. | D．The influence of global warming on people. |
1. What happened to Sam?
| A．He was knocked down by a truck. |
| B．He fell to the ground when crossing the road. |
| C．He stopped the truck driver when crossing the road. |
| A．The little boy. | B．The boy’s mother. | C．David. |
| A．She couldn’t walk. | B．She was David’s neighbor. | C．She couldn’t afford enough food. |
Tripod’s story started one spring morning as I was finishing a morning surgery at the veterinary clinic (兽医诊所) I owned. I was writing up medical records of the surgery patients when my receptionist (接待员) stuck her head into my office. She told me there was a big cat lying outside with a seriously injured front leg. What’s worse, nobody knew whom it belonged to.
Then I sent two of my pre-vet students to pick up the poor cat while I went back to my record-keeping. But it wasn’t long before I heard the students returning with this newest patient who seemed to be in pretty bad condition.
I carefully checked up the injuries which seemed to be caused by the pressing of a heavy object. With the extremely horrible smell, I knew from years of experience this cat didn’t have an owner. “Well, then,” I sighed, “I’m not sure whether we are able to bring this cat back to life, but let’s give him our best shot anyway. Afterwards, let’s see if we can find a home for him. ”
Just then, when one of the students began touching the cat’s head gently, somewhere deep in the cat’s throat, a weak purr (呼噜声) began. As the student continued to pet the cat, I noticed the cat’s breathing became less laboured (缓慢而困难的).
When I performed the complicated operation, I whispered, “You’re a fighter, aren’t you, boy? You deserve a chance to live.” However, after the surgery, he lost one leg, and still struggled with life and death. Over the next few weeks, Tripod, the cat, went through many ups and downs, but I was sure about his resilience (快速恢复的能力). News about Tripod spread. A number of customers stopped by regularly to check on the progress of his recovery, including Mrs Melson, a pet lover.
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。
The day finally came when I decided Tripod had really recovered.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Though unwilling to part with Tripod, we were happy to see Mrs Melson come for him.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1. What happened to Maya at age eight?
| A．She became speechless. | B．She went blind. | C．She lost her hearing. |
| A．To enter a competition. |
| B．To become a famous poet. |
| C．To influence others positively. |
| A．Still I Rise. | B．Phenomenal Woman. | C．Life Doesn’t Frighten Me. |
1. Why is Sarah calling?
| A．To change the delivery address. |
| B．To delay the delivery time. |
| C．To cancel the order. |
| A．It will be left at her door. |
| B．It will be returned to the supplier. |
| C．It will be kept at the local post office. |
| A．$150. | B．$160. | C．$170. |
| A．Have a business trip. | B．Visit a branch office. | C．Go downtown. |
6 . When I was a little girl, I knew that I had a gift for music. Playing was my love. While most kids were outside in the burning summer sun, playing childish games, I was happy to sit in the cool indoors for hours practicing my beloved piano. When I played, I felt like I was in a whole new world where I was free and easy. All I had to worry about was my music. Playing was never boring for me.
I had spent months practicing and the big day finally came. It was the day of the Alberta Music Competition. The music hall was packed with excited audience. I sat in the first row with my mother seated beside me. As the fellow competitors were playing, I couldn’t keep my mind on their music. I was just memorizing the notes and practising the fingerings. I had known my music was like the back of my hand. But this time, to my great surprise, I found my fingers completely out of my control. They kept shaking. I nearly burst into tears. Seeing this, mom held my hands tightly in hers. She even breathed into them as if she wanted to warm them up. Then she whispered to my ear, “Sweetie, take it easy. Just listen and enjoy the music.”
I looked up and turned my attention to the competitor in the center of the stage for the first time. A thin and tall boy was sitting at the beautiful red piano. He looked calm and confident. His fingertips danced on the keyboard. The soft and gentle sound of the piano flew in the air. For a moment, I totally forgot my nervousness.
注意：1. 续写词数应为100左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
温馨提示：
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Then I was announced to play next and I felt anxious again.
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One sunny Sunday morning, Lily woke up to an unusual silence in the house. Normally, the smell of pancakes would float through the air as her mom busied herself in the kitchen, but today there was nothing. Concerned, Lily decided to check on her mom.
She knocked softly on her bedroom door. “Mom, are you okay?” she called out. A raspy voice responded, “I’m not feeling too well, sweetheart. I’ve caught a bad cold. I don’t want you getting sick too. You can fix yourself some toast for breakfast, and I’ll stay in bed.”
Lily felt sympathy for her mom. She must be feeling really under the weather if she couldn’t even make breakfast. Determined to help, Lily decided to take charge of the morning routine. After enjoying her simple breakfast of toast, Lily noticed the sink (洗涤池) was filled with dishes. Without hesitation, she rolled up her sleeves and began washing them, just as her mom usually did. She washed each plate and glass thoroughly until they were shiny, determined to make the kitchen look as tidy as possible.
But Lily wanted to do more to help her mom feel better. Suddenly, inspiration struck. Lily remembered her mom mentioning that she had planned to plant flowers in the garden today. Maybe if she finished the job for her, it would bring a smile to her face. With newfound purpose, Lily put on her gardening gloves and headed outside. As she worked, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction as she carefully planted each flower, imagining her mom’s delight when she saw them producing flowers.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150个左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Entering the garden, she noticed that the leaves of some of the plants were turning yellow.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Later that afternoon, feeling a bit better, Lily’s mom stepped into the garden.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________8 . Two and a half months before the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season officially begins, forecasters have already predicted and warned that warm sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic and the development of a La Niña in the Pacific may create a “perfect storm” of the conditions needed for major hurricanes.
Key to the formation of any tropical cyclone (气旋) is the combination of warm ocean temperatures and the absence of what is known as wind shear. Alex DaSilva, a forecaster, explains that wind shear occurs when wind changes direction and speed at different heights in the atmosphere. When there’s much wind shear, it essentially knocks over those clouds and prevents tropical systems from really becoming stronger. Besides, hurricanes also need surface water to be at a temperature of 26 degrees Celsius or higher. That warm water, and the warm air just above it, provides fuel for the storm. The record data for February are 1.2 degrees Celsius above normal.
Over periods ranging from three to seven years, the waters of the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean alternately (交替地) warm and cool as a result of a repeatedly occurring climate pattern called the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). During an El Niño, sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific increase, and those warmer temperatures affect the path of the Pacific jet stream, which in turn brings drier, warmer weather to the northern United States and Canada, and wetter conditions to the Gulf Coast and southeast. El Niño reduces the possibility of Atlantic hurricane formation because it lowers hurricane activity and increases wind shear. La Niña has just the opposite effect of El Niño. During the 2023 season, ENSO was in an El Niño phase. By the time the 2024 season starts, it is likely to have shifted fully into a La Niña.
“If a tropical storm system comes into this area, it could rapidly intensify, potentially close to land,” DaSilva cautions. “And that’s why people need to be on alert and have their hurricane plans ready. Because any system with these kinds of conditions can explode very quickly. That’s what we’re concerned about.”
1. Where can you probably read this article?| A．www.huffpost.com/entertainment/ |
| B．www.bbc.com/innovation/science |
| C．www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/ |
| D．www.nytimes.com/spotlight/global-culture-sports |
| A．The explanation of wind shear. |
| B．The timing of the hurricane season. |
| C．The process of hurricane formation. |
| D．The reason for warmer surface water. |
| A．Generate less wind shear. |
| B．More rainfall in the Gulf Coast. |
| C．Block the path of the Pacific jet stream. |
| D．Higher temperature in the northern America. |
| A．To report the hurricane-struck areas. |
| B．To remind people of getting prepared. |
| C．To introduce some geographic knowledge. |
| D．To explain the features of El Niño and La Niña. |
1. increases your immunity
2. ecologist [ɪˈkɒlədʒɪst] n.
3. ecological [ˌiːkəˈlɒdʒɪkl] adj
4.
5.
6. substitute [ˈsʌbstɪˌtjuːt] n.
7. resemble v.
8.
9. precondition n.
10.
11. vulnerable [ˈvʌlnərəbl] adj.
12. fragility [frəˈdʒɪlɪtɪ] n
1. How did the speaker travel around the South Island?
| A．By car. | B．By bus. | C．By motorbike. |
| A．On the east coast. |
| B．In the northwest of the island. |
| C．150 kilometers north of Kaikoura. |
| A．Ocean birds. | B．Whales. | C．Dolphins. |
| A．A mask. | B．Paintings. | C．Jewelry. |
