We met Bailey 5 years ago. He was a standard poodle (髦毛小狗) born on Valentine’s day in 2020, and came to us in a small blue box. His previous owner posted the news online and we adopted him. Our only request was that he behave calmly and be able to put up with the pushing and hugging of our eight-year-old daughter and six-year-old son.
We were a sweet family: me, my husband, our children Angela and Tony. But for years. I’d felt that we wouldn’t be truly whole if we didn’t have a dog. Also, my husband worked for a commercial company and traveled around 200 days a year. and I knew that having a large animal sleeping by the door made me feel safer.
The last piece of our purzle fell into place when we opened the box. With his dark hair and smart eyes, Bailey was beautiful. He was so small that he could fit in the palm of my hand, his big paws (爪子) resting at his sides. He was a little scared, too. As I pulled him close, I felt his heart racing, and 1 wondered if we had done the right thing by taking him away from his mother. But it was too late. Angela and Tony were already arguing about who would carry him and who had the right to bathe him.
Over the following months, we spent countless hours watching Bailey play with his toys or roll around on the living room floor. Like most poodles, he was smart. He quickly mastered house-training and never chewed (咀) on our furniture or shoes. He considered himself one of us.
One night we were sleeping in the bedroom when I heard some strange noise.
At that time, Bailey ran towards me.
| A．I thought it was Bailey running and hitting something, so I kept lying in the bed and made an attempt to fall asleep again. However, the noise became louder and louder, which had already annoyed me. Quickly l got up from my bed. I opened the door and found Bailey running around the living room, trying to let all the things fall down. These abnormal behaviors really made me confused and a little afraid. |
| B．He firmly grabbed my trousers and pulled me to the kitchen. As I approached the kitchen could obviously smell a strong burning smell and immediately knew what had happened. When¹ aw the fierce fire in the kitchen, I dashed into my children’s room like an arrow(前), waking them up at my maximum voice. Rushing out of the house together with my family. I called 911 and asked our neighbors for help at the same time. Fortunately both my family and my house were saved Thanks to our smart Bailey, we did escape from death. |
| C．Angela and Tony completed the delicious breakfast and they could not wait to bring it to me who slept in the room. Their father praised their hard-earned work with his thumb up, informing them that I was sleeping on the second floor. To my surprise, their hand-made food was so delicious that l would never forget it. Obviously. what they had done for me would be rooted in memory. |
| D．I nodded with a smile and encouraged the children to get started. Quickly. Angela volunteered to get the big box of com and prepared to make popcorn. At the same time, Tony. my smart boy. went to buy some paper bags. I ran to Bailey’s home to invite him. Not surprisingly. Bailey was amazed at this great project and couldn’t wait to come. To our delight, the popcorn they made looked great and tasted delicious. Finally. they packed the sweet popcorn in the paper bags together. Laughter and happiness filled this house. |
2 . When 62-year-old fisherman Kpana Charlie finished the day’s catch, he liked to settle into a wooden chair, thinking about his childhood. Back then, his life on Sierra Leone’s Nyangai Island seemed excellent. He spent endless hours playing with his friends on the island’s white beaches. Whenever he wanted to avoid having to do his housework, he could simply disappear into the forest that covered much of the island. He remembers as recently as ten years ago, it still measured some 2, 300 feet from end to end.
Today, Nyangai is disappearing before his very eyes, covered by the endless sea. The forests are gone. And the land on which Charlie’s family home once stood, has long since disappeared beneath the waves.
In fact, the local government has responded to the sharp increase of sea level by building a concrete (混凝土制的) seawall along the length of the town. But in the many smaller coastal towns and villages in the area, there simply aren’t the resources. Then, the government made a project to protect some of the settlements by planting trees, but this has had limited success. With the population relying on woods for building and smoking-fish, few trees lived longer than the project, which ended in 2021.
Sierra Leone has been identified as one of the world’s most weak countries to the effects of climate change, despite having little influence on global CO2 emissions (排放). “Weak countries should be getting some support from wealthy nations to strengthen their climate defenses (防御),” says Gabriel Kpaka, the head of the country’s Meteorological Agency. “But we’re not really seeing that.”
With global sea level expected to rise by anywhere between 1 and 3 feet by the end of the century, along with an increase in extreme weather events, the experience of this West African island offers an understanding of the possible future of countless other low-lying areas around the world.
1. Why does the author tell Charlie’s story in paragraph 1?| A．To describe his wonderful life at present. | B．To offer-readers-background information |
| C．To call on local people to protect the seen | D．To attract more visitors to Nyangai Island. |
| A．The reasons for the changes on the island. | B．The rich natural species in coastal areas. |
| C．The measures taken to deal with rising sea level. | D．The way to build a concrete seawall on the island. |
| A．Local government should build a stronger seawall. |
| B．Local people on the island limit their CO2 emissions. |
| C．Countries in low-lying areas work together for their rights. |
| D．Rich countries should offer support about climate defenses. |
| A．Concerned. | B．Doubtful. | C．Uncertain. | D．Positive. |
3 . At a snow park in Zhangiakou, Hebei, Chinese teenage snowboarder Su Yiming won a silver in the men’s snowboarding competition on February 7, 2022. It was the first time that a Chinese snow boarder had ever competed in this event at any Olympics.
Su was introduced to snowboarding at the age of 4 by his parents who were both snowboarding fans. Su fell in love with the sport the first time they took him to a ski center. Later he kept on practicing after class. To save up more time for snowboarding, he would get up at 5 a. m. and finish his homework early. Su just saw snowboarding as a hobby in the beginning. However, on July 31, 2015, when he knew that 2022 Winter Olympics would be held in Beijing, his mind tuned to professional (职业性的) competition. He dreamed of joining in the Winter Olympics. And he decided to go professional.
In 2018. Su became a member of China’s national snowboarding team. In 2020 and 2021, he took home gold medals (奖牌) in all national competitions. In January 2021, he became the first Chinese male snowboarder to finish the Cab 1800-one of the most difficult snowboarding skills.
Behind his success is Su’s hard work. He has made full use of every chance to train more. Usually he arrived at the training center earlier than his teammates. In that way, he could practice more. He even broke several snowboards in one week because of heavy training.
1. How did Su feel the first time he tried snowboarding?| A．Disappointed | B．Interested. | C．Worried. | D．Moved. |
| A．Because his parents were snowboarding fans. |
| B．Because he could finish the most difficult skill. |
| C．Because he joined China’s national snow boarding team. |
| D．Because 2022 Winter Olympics would be held in Beijing. |
| A．Taking home gold medals. |
| B．Training hard day and night. |
| C．Being the first to finish the Cab 1800. |
| D．Getting much help from his teammates. |
| A．Sports. | B．Travel. | C．Health. | D．Science. |
4 . New research from the University of Portsmouth has shown a marked increase in shipping in the North East Atlantic. Scientists now warn that more monitoring is required to help protect sea life.
Researchers at the University of Ponsmouth have discovered that rates (率) of shipping in the North East Atlantic area rose by 34 per cent in a five-year period. The research is the first detailed survey of shipping activity in the North East Atlantic. Researchers used data from over 530 million vessel (船) positions recorded by Automatic Identification System(AIS). They looked at the change in shipping between 2013 and 2017 across ten different vessel types. In total the study area covered 1.1 million km², including waters off Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany,Iceland, Ireland, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal. Spain, and the UK.
Lead author, James Robbins said: “This change is likely to put more pressure on the marine (海洋的) environment, and may influence the protection of at-risk species. Renewed monitoring effort is needed to make sure that protective measures are enough to save species under threat in a changing environment.”
Some of the greatest shipping increases were found in areas close to the Spanish coast. The Espacio Marino de la Costa da Morte saw a rise of 413 percent in vessel activity. It is an area used to protect seabirds.
Dr. Sarah Marley, Visiting Researcher at the University of Portsmouth, said: “Shipping is the most widespread human activity in our oceans, carrying a set of threats-from unnoticeable effects like underwater noise pollution to serious results when ships hit whales.”
Professor Alex Ford. from the University’s Institute of Marine Sciences, said: “Given the well-documented effects that shipping can have on the marine environment, it is necessary that this situation continues to be monitored-particularly in areas used to protect vulnerable (脆弱的) species which may already be under pressure.”
1. What can we say about the new research?| A．It started in 2013. | B．It is the first of its kind. |
| C．It was carried out by AIS. | D．It covers the whole Atlantic. |
| A．Rapid population growth. |
| B．Rising global temperatures. |
| C．The huge increase in shipping. |
| D．The disappearance of marine life. |
| A．Shipping plays an important role in the local economy. |
| B．Shipping can be a danger to the marine environment. |
| C．Noise pollution is closely related to human activity. |
| D．Marine areas should be monitored more carefully. |
| A．New waterways across the Atlantic |
| B．The shipping industry in the North East Atlantic |
| C．New research opens windows into life under the water |
| D．Sea life needs better protection from an increase in shipping |
5 . Here is a story about social media bringing people together. 56-year-old Lucy Shepherd was
About her father, Lucy knew few
The pair then
“It’s
“Now there is someone else like me, loving me for me. I’m incredibly blessed to find him.” said Lucy excitedly.
1.| A．employed | B．treated | C．raised | D．adopted |
| A．pretended | B．continued | C．sought | D．refused |
| A．important | B．difficult | C．interesting | D．funny |
| A．details | B．words | C．secrets | D．happiness |
| A．failed | B．forgot | C．stopped | D．agreed |
| A．number | B．name | C．photo | D．address |
| A．caring about | B．depending on | C．looking at | D．turning to |
| A．practised | B．researched | C．debated | D．chatted |
| A．known | B．served | C．disturbed | D．contacted |
| A．significant | B．unbelievable | C．informal | D．impressive |
| A．divorced | B．overseas | C．apart | D．deserted |
| A．joining | B．winning | C．earning | D．meeting |
| A．reunion | B．wedding | C．graduation | D．concert |
| A．fingers | B．arms | C．letters | D．lips |
| A．finally | B．once | C．instead | D．again |
| A．Improving the judgment. | B．Avoiding judging by appearances. |
| C．Carrying out the real-name system. | |
1. What is the woman doing?
| A．She is buying a house. |
| B．She is checking a house. |
| C．She is repainting the walls. |
| A．Keeping the walls clean. |
| B．Signing the agreement now. |
| C．Paying three years’ rent in advance. |
| A．$900. | B．$600. | C．$300. |
8 . Bright and early on the morning of our first full day in Antarctica (南极洲), L’ Austral’s Captain Fabien’s voice woke us up as it came through a loudspeaker. If we looked outside right now, he said, we’d see a beautiful sea of icebergs (冰山) in the golden sunlight. My sister and I jumped out of bed, staring in amazement as we sailed past giant pieces of ice. In the distance, we spotted a group of humpback whales feeding on smaller fishes. Next door, my parents were also waking up to the sights of a new day in Antarctica. Over breakfast, my sister and I excitedly told them about the whales we saw from our room that morning.
You might not immediately think “family vacation” when talking about a trip to Antarctica, but tour companies like Adventures by Disney are changing that. The company offers guided group trips to destinations across all seven continents in the world.
Our adventure started when we flew to Buenos Aires and explored the beautiful Argentine capital for a day. After leaving Buenos Aires, we flew to Ushuaia on an Adventures by Disney plane. Then, it was the journey toward the Drake Passage. After a speedy Drake Passage crossing, we reached Antarctica early, adding a half day to our scheduled four days on and around the continent.
To those unfamiliar with Adventures by Disney, the fact that you can experience Antarctica — the most distant, extreme continent — with Disney might be surprising. During the trip, there were thoughtful acts, from stamped postcards to send from an Antarctica post office to a champagne (香槟) party on our final stop of the journey; Adventures by Disney truly thought of everything for us. Antarctica is a life-changing destination packed with experiences that can’t be copied. We experienced Drake Passage seasickness, hiked up ice hills alongside lovely animals, and had a taste of champagne. And honestly, it’s going to be hard for the next family trip we take to compete.
1. Why did Fabien speak to passengers early in the morning?| A．To ask them to remain seated. |
| B．To wake them up for breakfast. |
| C．To warn them of possible dangers. |
| D．To remind them of the beautiful sights outside. |
| A．Visiting Antarctica with children being a good idea. |
| B．Most people not being able to enjoy family vacations. |
| C．Most people not considering Antarctica as a family vacation place. |
| D．A guided trip being an uncomfortable way to explore a new destination. |
| A．What the author had learned during the journey. |
| B．How the author and his family traveled to Antarctica. |
| C．What the author and his family had seen in Antarctica. |
| D．How the author felt about the Drake Passage crossing. |
| A．It was tiring but extreme. |
| B．More time should be added to it. |
| C．It was a family journey of a lifetime. |
| D．There should be more thoughtful acts. |
A Four-legged Guardian Angel
I just finished cleaning up the snow in the pool in preparation for selling the house. The year before, I had lost my job with the provincial government, and now we almost ran out of all of our savings,
Deep in sadness, I sat typing up resumes for job. Out of the corner of my eye I could see my thirteen-month-old son Forrest playing near our big, gentle, intelligent dog Brigitte. And I recalled this family. the scene of adopting him on a cold winter night. It seemed as if Brigitte was always meant to be in this family.
Thinking of these, I couldn’t help letting out a sigh and continued working. Suddenly, Brigitte began barking furiously and running back and forth to the glass door overlooking our pool. I raced to see what was happening.
Finally, we arrived home, safe and sound. On seeing us, Brigitte began barking excitedly and turning in circles cheerfully Since then, Brigitte never left my son an inch.
The swimming pool witnessed the close bond formed between my families and Brigitte.
参考词汇/结构：
①companion; ②frightened; ③immediately, lift. . . up; ④despite;⑤it was. . . who
10 . Not all birds sing, but those that do—some several thousand species—do it a lot.
Iris Adam, a scientist at the University of Southern Denmark says, birds have “a drive to sing”. This means hours every day for some species, and that takes a lot of energy. However, singing can be dangerous. “As soon as you sing, you show yourself, for example, where you are and that you even exist—all of that immediately is out in the open for predators (捕食性动物) , for everybody,” she says.
In a new study published in the journal Nature Communications, Adam and her colleagues offer a new explanation for why birds take that risk and whether the muscles (肌肉) that produce birdsong require daily exercise. Adam designed an experiment on zebra finches—little Australian songbirds. Her experiment included keeping male birds in the dark to sever the connection between their brains and-their singing muscles, which prevented them from singing.
After a week, the birds’ singing muscles lost half of their strength. Three weeks later, they were back to the same level when they were juveniles (幼鸟) and never had sung before. When Adam played one of the male’s songs for: a group of female birds, six out of nine preferred the song that came from a male who had been using his singing muscles daily.
Adam’s conclusion (结论) is that songbirds need to exercise their singing muscles to produce top-performance song. If they don’t sing, they lose performance, and their songs get less attractive to females, which is bad.
“What they stress is that you need a lot of practice to improve what you’re doing,” says Ana Amador, a scientist at the University of Buenos Aires. It’s a good rule to live by, whether you’re a bird or a human—practice makes perfect, at least when it comes to singing one’s heart out.
1. Why can singing be dangerous for birds?| A．They can drive predators to sing. | B．They never protect their areas. |
| C．Their singing can attract predators. | D．Singing does damage to their muscles. |
| A．Remember. | B．End. | C．Risk. | D．Keep. |
| A．It mainly focused on male birds and juveniles. |
| B．It aimed to protect zebra finches from possible risks. |
| C．It strengthened birds’ singing muscles in four weeks. |
| D．It proved exercising singing muscles matters to birds. |
| A．Iris Adam’s work is a big success | B．Singing can be dangerous for birds |
| C．Birds sing to keep muscles in shape | D．Birds and human beings need practice |
