1 .

Discover some of the treasures of South Australia before you start an unforgettable cruise（乘船游览）along the fantastic Murray River Your adventure begins in Adelaide, one of the world’s most-liveahle cities. A full day tour takes you to South Australia’s wine region, where you’ll sample some of the Barossa Valley’s finest wines. You’ll then take a boat to Kangaroo Island, offering nature-based activities, and encounters with koalas, birds, and kangaroos. You’ll then go aboard the PS Murray Princess, a remarkable ship which was built specifically for the Murray River, for an unforgettable three-night cruise along the beautiful Murray River, highlights including river birdlife, nature walks, and delicious regional flavours.		Your holiday includes River Cruise ·3 night Murray River cruise on board PS Murray Princess with all ·meals and sightseeing ·Extend your Cruise! 7 night back to back Murray Princess sailings plus FREE Moarto Zoo visit from $1799 per person, twin share Hotel Stays ·3 night four-star hotel stay in Adelaide with breakfast ·1 night four-star hotel stay in Kangaroo Island with breakfast and lunch Fully Escorted（全程陪同）Tours ·Full day Barossa Valley tour with lunch and wine tastings ·2 day Kangaroo Island tour All flights, taxes and transfers
Departure	Inside Twin From	Outside Twin From	Stateroom（特等舱）From
19 Feb 2024	$3,199 pp	SOLD OUT	$4,199 pp
27 May 2024	$3,299 pp	$3,699 pp	SOLD OUT
5Aug 2024	$2,999 pp	$3;499 pp	$4,199 pp
30 Sep 2024	SOLD OUT	$3,999 pp	SOLD OUT
6Jan2025	$3,299 pp	$3,799 pp	$4,499 pp
24 Feb 2025	$3,499 pp	$3,999 pp	$4,699 pp

1. What is the highlight of the Barossa Valley tour.

A．Wine tastings.	B．Regional cuisines.
C．River birdlife.	D．Natural landscape.

2. What is included in the upgraded River Cruise package?

A．Free Moarto Zoo visit.	B．Fully escorted service.
C．3 night Murray Princess sallings.	D．Four-star accommodation.

3. Which departure date has the lowest price for an outside twin cabin?

A．27 May 2024.	B．5Aug 2024.
C．6 Jan 2025.	D．24 Feb 2025.

2 . How much water does the average adult need to drink every day? “Eight 8-ounce glasses” is common advice, but any truly serious answer to the how-much question will begin with some version of it depends.”

Researchers have long known that a region called SFO in the brain monitors the concentration (浓度) of water and salts in blood and triggers the urge to drink. But they failed to fully explain how we experience thirst. For example, when we gulp a drink, we feel almost instantly satisfied, and yet it takes 10 to 15 minutes for a liquid to enter our bloodstream. Recently neuroscientists have gained other remarkable insights into how thirst is monitored in the body and controlled in the brain.

In a series of elegant experiments with mice, Zimmerman, a neuroscientist, and his associates measured the activity of neurons (神经元) in the SFO. “We saw that their activity changed very fast when the mouse drank water or drank saltwater and when it ate food,” he says. The researchers showed that signals gathered at the SFO from several places. “You get a signal from the blood that tells your current state of hydration (水平衡), a signal from the mouth that tells you how much fluid you drank, and a signal from the gut that tells you what was consumed — was it water, was it something else?” The SFO neurons, he explains, “add these signals together” and then transmit the urge to drink or stop drinking.

The big takeaway of Zimmerman’s work is that for the most part you can trust your thirst system to tell you when you need to drink. But there are exceptions. Because the system’s sensitivity may decline with age. People with certain health conditions, including kidney stones and diarrhea, also need extra water.

Other parts of the brain — the ones used in planning — should help with hydration on hot days and when exercising. Thirsty or not, Zimmerman says, he drinks water before going for a run: “My thirst neurons don’t know I’m about to run 10 miles.”

1. What has long been known about thirst?

A．Thirst experience varies among individuals.

B．Thirst is controlled by the water-salt balance in blood.

C．Thirst satisfaction occurs with water entering bloodstream.

D．Thirst response is influenced by the type of liquid consumed.

2. What’s the main idea of paragraph 3?

A．Why we feel thirst.

B．Where SFO gets signals.

C．How we experience thirst.

D．When SFO neurons get active.

3. What’s the major conclusion from Zimmerman’s study?

A．Thirst system is generally reliable.

B．Illness might affect thirst sensation.

C．Brain areas for planning aid in hydration.

D．Brain adjusts to age-related thirst sensitivity.

4. What may be a suitable title for the text?

A．Drink Your Way to Health

B．Application of the Thirst Mechanisms

C．Misunderstanding of Daily Water Intake

D．Body Detects Daily Water Needs Cleverly

3 . Some people may be picky eaters, but as a species we are not. Birds, bugs and whales, we’ll eat them all. Yet our reliance on wild animals goes far beyond just feeding ourselves. From agricultural feed to medicine to the pet trade, modern society exploits wild animals in a way that beats even the most aggressive wild predator (捕食者). Now, for the first time, researchers have tried to capture the full picture of how we use wildlife, including how many, and for what purposes. The research showcases just how broad our influence on wild animals is.

In the study, researchers have found that humans kill, collect or otherwise use about 15,000 species. That’s up to 300 times more than the next top predator in any ecosystem.

Yet according to Chris Darimont, a co-author of the study, the biggest shock isn’t how many species we affect but why we take them. “The result,” he says, “is that we remove, or essentially prey on, more species of animals for non-food reasons than for food reasons.”And the biggest non-food use is as pets and pet food. “That’s where things have gone off the rails (轨道),” he says. The problem is especially serious for tropical birds. The helmeted hornbill, for example, is captured mainly for the pe trade, or for its beak to be used as medicine or to be carved like ivory. Their disappearance limits seed dispersal and the spread of trees around the forest.

Another big difference between humans’ influence on wild animals and that of other predators is that we tend to favor rare and exotic (外来的) species in a way other animals do not. Most predators target common species, since they are easier to find and catch. Humans, nowever, tend to covet the novel. “The more rare it is,” say scientists, “the more that drives up the price, and therefore it may go into extinction.”

If we want wild species to survive, we need to reestablish our relationship with them, perhaps from predator to caretaker.

1. What role do humans play in their present relationship with wildlife according to the author?

A．Picky predators.	B．Protectors of biodiversity.
C．Greedy predators.	D．Caretakers of the environment.

2. What shocked scientists most according to Chris Darimont?

A．More species hunted for non-food use.

B．The impact of pet industries on wildlife.

C．The number of species affected by humans.

D．The consequences caused by species extinction.

3. Which can best explain the underlined “cover the novel” in paragraph 4?

A．Long for huge profits.

B．Favor domestic species.

C．Take interest in pet trade.

D．Seek after new and unique things.

4. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To promote stricter rules for hunting.

B．To advocate eco-friendly pet choices.

C．To reveal how humans affect biodiversity.

D．To highlight the need for wildlife conservation.

4 . The harsh winters and modern cities can make life tough for a wild animal, especially when they get lost and are outside their natural habitat for too long. Animal shelters are crowded with animals in desperate need of help, especially during the winter season.     1    

One day, a man found a small owl (猫头鹰) that was soaking wet and appeared to be struggling. He brought it into a local shelter.     2     The little owl was unable to fly, not because of an injury, but because it was too fat.

The owl weighed 245 grams, which was 33% more than the upper limit of what an owl that size should weigh. The reason for the weight gain was quite natural. The owl was eating too much. The winter had been unusually warm, and as a result, the area had a higher than normal population of mice.     3     So it got carried away.

The shelter staff put the owl on a systematic plan of diet and exercise, and it started to lose weight quickly. After some time, the owl was back to its normal health and was released back into the wild.

The question of whether this obesity issue is a strange result of climate change or just a coincidence (巧合) is difficult to say.     4     Wild animals are not used to living in modern cities, and they often struggle to survive. Luckily, there are many animal shelters that offer refuge for these animals. These shelters help restore them to their natural condition and put them back into the wild

    5     Some focus on specific animals, such as owls, while others focus on a particular region. However, they all have the same goal -to provide a safe have n for wild animals.

A．Different types of animal shelters have different purposes.

B．Animal shelters are not just a place for injured or sick animals.

C．This meant that it was like an all-you-can-eat buffet for the little owl.

D．They are really important when animals struggle to survive in cold weather.

E．After a thorough check-up, the shelter staff found out that it was not injured at all.

F．However, it is clear that it is vital to care for wild animals and to ensure their safety.

G．However, recently, a wild animal was brought to a shelter for a very different reason.

5 . As a child, I was keen on collecting moths（飞蛾）and butterflies. By adulthood, I could identify about 700 species by sight, recognizing the stripes, dots and colors on their wings and bodies.

In 1972, I moved to Australia and continued collecting. But I started to struggle: identifying them quickly became an impossible task. The species there were so different from those at home, and there was no space in my mind to recognize them all.

My crisis soon increased. Throughout the 1970s, I led expeditions to Papua New Guinea to collect moths. One night, we could collect more than twice as many as those I had memorized in my childhood. Identifying them felt overwhelming. I gave up and stopped working on moths. But my instinct to identify them never went away.

Two decades later, I was in a supermarket and an idea started to develop in my mind: what if a part of DNA could be used to differentiate between species Just 13 lines on. the supermarket barcodes（条形码）were being used to identify products What if we could identify species in the same way?

To test the idea, I began collecting the moths again. Each sample had to donate a leg to science. I believed that COI（a single segment of a rapidly evolving gene）present in almost all animals could be used to tell species. With their legs, we used the PCR method to focus in on their section of COI. One by one, it became clear: every single moth could be sorted using a tiny slice of their genome（基因组）DNA barcoding was 100% successful on its first test.

In our study paper, we claimed that we had discovered a reliable, inexpensive and accessible solution to identifying the millions of animal species waiting to be discovered. I believe DNA barcoding is humanity’s first shot at finally discovering all life on Earth. This technique has helped conservationists to fight against wildlife crime and monitor the impact of mining on bıodiversity. One day, I am confident it will form part of a system to monitor the biosphere the Same way we monitor the weather.

1. How did the author recognize moth species in his childhood?

A．By turning to books.

B．By using lab equipment.

C．By obseiving their behavior.

D．By distinguishing their appearance.

2. What does the underlined “My crisis” in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．The loss of interest in studying moths.

B．The impossibility of recognizing moths.

C．The pressure of discovering new moth species.

D．The challenge of collecting as many moth samples.

3. What inspired the author to use DNA for species identification?

A．The ease of using PCR to focus on COI.

B．The simplicity of supermarket barcodes.

C．The success of DNA barcoding on moths.

D．The availability of COI in almost all animals.

4. What might DNA barcoding be used for in the future according to the text?

A．Protecting wildlife habitats.

B．Tracking wildlife population.

C．Assisting in monitoring biodiversity.

D．Updating weather monitoring systems.

6 . On January 14, 2006, Ben Keene received an email that changed his life. He had just taken a sip of hot tea when the message popped up, and Keene did a double-take at the subject line: “A TRIBE IS WANTED”.

From there, Ben co-founded Tribewanted, an eco-friendly sustainable community existing in the virtual world of the internet and on an actual desert island at the same time.

With huge media interest, the courageous and bold idea could have had enormous consequences for tourism. The idea behind Tribewanted was to recruit (招募) a group of similar people online before heading to the Fijian Island of Vorovoro to build a sustainable community alongside the local native tribe.

The idea was swept along with a flood of interest, with the island lease (租约) was secured, the virtual community sprung to life. All major decisions on the island were voted on by an online tribe that anyone around the world could join. The idea was so exciting that the journey was turned into a 5 part BBC series “Paradise or Bust” and a book, Tribewanted.

Ben spent 10 years building and expanding Tribewanted beyond the crowdfunded sustainable-tourism villages on an island in Fiji, to a beach in Sierra Leone and a farm in Umbria. He faced challenges including a fire sweeping through the island in the first week of the project, a military coup (政变), and a hurricane that threatened to destroy the emerging village. Online disagreements also made decision making hard and pushed the project to the edge.

The project survived, and for a while, thrived. From there Ben joined Escape the City, a global community with the mission to help one million people to do work that matters to them and the world, inspiring thousands of talented career changers and ambitious businessmen to take the leap and launch their ideas into the world. Ben led the Escape school team for 5 years, and became a business advisor and guider at Virgin Startup, and Zinc. Ben has supported and guided thousands of people to set up impactful businesses on a limited budget.

1. What is Tribewanted?

A．A voting software.	B．An island adventure project.
C．An employment plan.	D．An eco-community in virtual and real worlds.

2. Which phrase may best replace the underlined “sprung to life”?

A．passed on.	B．came into being.
C．got involved.	D．struggled to survive.

3. What might be Ben’s intention of joining Escape the City?

A．To seek funds for his Tribewanted.

B．To call for investment in remote islands.

C．To support people to launch influential businesses.

D．To help ambitious businessmen to change careers.

4. In which column can you read this text?

A．Inspiring people.	B．Connected lives.
C．Inventive solutions.	D．Global business.

7 . If you’ve heard of “pickleball,” chances are that you connect the sport with seniors. That’s not surprising, as it was the 55-plus set that began growing the sport at the end of last century. But today, pickleball is attracting players of every age as it becomes more and more popular across the U.S. and around the globe.     1    

Pickleball is a combination of badminton, ping-pong and tennis. It’s played on a badminton-sized court with a low net like that used in tennis. Players use a bat that’s smaller than a tennis racquet (球拍), but larger than a ping-pong bat.     2     Most games are played to 11 points, with a two-point spread needed to win, and each game typically lasts just 15 to 20 minutes.

In 2021, more than 4.8 million people in the U.S. were playing pickleball. That’s about four times as many people as were playing in 2010, and makes pickleball one of the fastest-growing sports in the U.S. and North America. So, what’s the appeal?

    3     Also, it doesn’t take a lot of time to play and is accessible, as players just need a racquet and ball. It provides a great exercise, too. And for experienced players, pickleball can become a fast-paced, strategic game. It’s also just plain fun.

In North America, indoor and outdoor pickleball courts can be seen everywhere. About 66 new locations open every month. In addition, the game is being introduced to kids in middle school and high school PE classes.     4     Many professional players are appearing.

Pickleball may even become an Olympic sport one day, especially if the International Federation of Pickleball (IFP) gets its way. Created in 2010, the IFP’s goal is to make pickleball universally present around the world.     5     IFP membership has spread fast to over 60 countries, including the U.S., Australia, Canada, China, India, Italy, Pakistan, the Philippines and Spain.

A．It’s well along the way.

B．But what, exactly, is it?

C．Then what is the reason behind this?

D．It’s also a sport on many college campuses.

E．Games may be played as singles or doubles.

F．It has long been a favorite in places like community centers.

G．That pickleball is easy to learn is perhaps the basis of its popularity.

8 . Actions speak louder than words — unless, of course, your partner’s love language is “words of affirmation (肯定).”     1    .

Words of affirmation are words that communicate your love, appreciation, and respect for another person.     2     What’s more, these words of encouragement don’t have to be said directly to the person. A simple hand-written note is appreciated just as much as a personal phone call.

People who give and receive love through words of affirmation tend to be the people who notice and care about the details of other people’s lives.     3     They also remember to ask the neighbor how their sick dog is doing. They may even remember to ask the cashier at the local supermarket if they are feeling any better.

    4     For a person who tends to place a great deal of importance on what their partner says, hearing words of affirmation can help them to feel valued, satisfied, and happier in a relationship. By using words of affirmation in your relationship, you are strengthening communication between you and your partner.     5     When your partner feels appreciated, they are likely to experience a deeper satisfaction with themselves and with the relationship. Offering your partner an encouraging word can have a positive impact on you, too. Studies link giving compliments (赞美) with a greater sense of well-being.

Then why not make words of affirmation a habit?

A．In this case, words are everything.

B．How do words of affirmation make a difference?

C．What are the tips for using words of affirmation?

D．They’re positive words and phrases used to uplift someone.

E．You are showing your partner that you notice and appreciate them.

F．They will likely feel a boost in spirit and appreciate you for noticing.

G．For instance, they may be the first to notice their partner’s new haircut.

9 . The world’s largest whales are more than just astonishing creatures. Much like the ocean, soil and forests, whales can help save humans from the increasing climate crisis by storing carbon. In a paper published recently, climate researchers suggest that whales are important, but often overlooked, carbon sinks.     

The enormous size of these marine mammals, which can reach 150 tons, means they can store carbon much more effectively than smaller animals. And because whales live longer than most animals, they could be “one of the largest stable living carbon pools” in the ocean. Even when whales die, their dead bodies fall down to the deepest parts of the sea and settle on the seafloor, trapping the carbon they’ve stored in their bodies. An indirect way whales can be critical carbon sinks is through their waste. Whale poop (粪便) is rich in nutrients which can be taken up by phytoplankton — tiny organisms that suck up carbon dioxide as they grow.

The process of carbon sequestration helps reduce climate impact, because it locks away carbon that otherwise would have warmed the planet somewhere else for hundreds, if not thousands of years.

Yet whales are threatened, with six out of 13 great whale species classified as endangered or vulnerable due to threats including industrial whaling, as well as trap in fishing equipment, climate change-caused shifts in prey availability, noise pollution and more.

Heidi Pearson, a researcher at the University of Alaska Southeast, said the research shows that protecting whales has a double benefit — helping to stop the biodiversity crisis as well as human-caused climate change. Protecting whales is a low risk and low regret strategy, because there’s really no downside. She said there was no risk to this strategy compared to other untested, expensive solutions to capturing and trapping carbon, such as geoengineering.   

But there remain big gaps in knowledge to fully determine how whale carbon should be used to slow down climate changes. Pearson hopes the current paper pushes policymakers to consider whales as a significant part of climate change solution.

1. What does paragraph 2 focus on about whales?

A．What their life cycles are like.	B．Why their roles are overlooked.
C．Why they are called carbon sinks.	D．Where they are on the food chain.

2. What does the underlined “it” refer to?

A．The waste of whales.	B．The carbon trap of whales.
C．The death of whales.	D．The carbon cycle in nature.

3. What does Heidi Pearson want to stress?

A．Geoengineering is costly and untested.

B．The strategy involving whales carries no risks.

C．Protecting whales can be a natural climate solution.

D．Whales’ survival is the key to stopping biodiversity crisis.

4. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To call for further research on whales.	B．To call on people to balance the ecosystem.
C．To present a new reason for protecting whales.	D．To stress the need of addressing climate changes.

10 . For the Birds! (FTB!) is a place-based city conservation education program serving 2,000+ New York City youth and community members with a focus on schools and communities across all five boroughs (行政区) that are underserved by environmental education. The mission of FTB! is to get youth excited about helping birds and the places they need to survive. FTB! not only provides knowledge of local species and habitats but also encourages a sense of ecological place in one’s own community and empowers youth to take an active interest in protecting their local environment for birds and people.

For the Birds! Program Options

In-person Programs: During a 4, 8, or 12 session program, program participants learn about birds and local habitats in their neighborhood through both in-class and outdoor lessons. The curriculum is adaptable for grades 6-12. Each program ends with a field trip to a local park and/or a habitat project designed to attract birds and other wildlife to their community. Click here for our full course catalog.

Contact FTB!

To get started, learn more, or for questions about New York City FTB! programs, please contact our New York City team member.

Located outside of New York City? Audubon New York centers also offer FTB! program and volunteer opportunities. Reach out to a center near you to learn more.

New York City Lianne D’Arcy, Senior Coordinator, Education & Volunteer Outreach lianne.darcy@audubon.org	Finger Lakes Region Montezuma Audubon Center 2295 State Route 89, Savannah, NY 13146 montezuma@audubon.org
Hudson Valley Region Rebecca Schultz, Education Manager Constitution Marsh Audubon Center and Sanctuary 127 Warren Landing Road, Garrison, NY 10524 rschultz@audubon.org	Long Island Julie Nelsen, Education Manager Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center 134 Cove Road, Oyster Bay, NY 10524 jnelsen@audubon.org

1. What is the goal of FTB!?

A．To build up community connections.	B．To get youth involved in bird protection.
C．To raise money for bird-saving programs.	D．To inform youth of endangered bird species.

2. Which can best describe FTB! programs?

A．They feature online lessons.	B．They involve hands-on activities.
C．They focus on global environment.	D．They offer 6 options for program duration.

3. Which website can help the youth in Long Island learn more about FTB!?

A．lianne.darcy@audubon.org	B．rschultz@audubon.org
C．montezuma@audubon.org	D．jnelsen@audubon.org