1 . When we drove through a twenty-foot-tall fence and entered the Okonjima Camp in central Namibia, the first question on our minds was whether the fence was being used to keep animals in or out. Our guide was quick to say, “Out.” The Okonjima Camp works with the AfriCat Foundation that accepts injured big cats. So there was no shortage of cats, and on that first night, we heard growls (咆哮) from our houses. How close we were! I hope nobody left the gate open.
The next day of our Africa trip started with a journey outside the fences and protected zone to track a mother leopard (花豹) and her baby the guide had seen the previous day, and we were happy to find them very quickly. The mother leopard was aware of our presence but was relaxed since our car was a healthy distance away, and we sat for 45 minutes watching the sweet interactions between mother and baby.
Later in the day, the guide said we would go on a hike. Everything we were told before about staying in the vehicle and not leaving the fenced arca of the camp was put aside. We were going to find cheetahs (猎豹). It is safer to approach cheetahs, keeping a safe distance, and our guide got out earphones to listen on the leopards’ radio collar (颈圈) frequency to see if any were in the area. No leopards, no problems. Let’s go look for cheetahs, and we did find them. Well, I didn’t. Our guide’s tracking skills were phenomenal. He quickly found them somehow lying in the shade of some tall grass. After some time, they stood up on their long legs. No cheetah-fast speed, but a silent walk into the bushes (灌木丛).
1. How did the author feel on the first night in the camp?| A．Excited. | B．Sleepy. | C．Nervous. | D．Curious. |
| A．To find a proper place to build a new camp. |
| B．To test his new radio technology. |
| C．To track a mother leopard |
| D．To observe cheetahs. |
| A．impressive. | B．limited. | C．important. | D．different. |
| A．Tourism in Namibia. |
| B．An adventure with big cats in Namibia. |
| C．The importance of wildlife protection. |
| D．A conflict between humans and big cats. |
2 . Squirrels eavesdrop on (窃听) the chatter of songbirds to work out whether the appearance of a predator (食肉动物) is cause for alarm, researchers have found. Animals including squirrels have previously been found to tune in to cries of alarm from other creatures.
But the latest study suggests animals may also keep an ear out for everyday chitchat among other species as a way to assess whether there is trouble afoot.
Writing in the journal Plos One, researchers reported on how they made their discovery by observing 67 grey squirrels as they pottered about (晃悠) different areas in the residential regions of Oberlin.
After 30 seconds of observing a squirrel, researchers played it a recording of the call of a red-tailed hawk, which lasted a couple of seconds — and their behaviour in the next 30 seconds was monitored. The squirrels were then played a three-minute recording of several different species of songbird chattering on a feeder.
The results revealed that in the 30 seconds after hearing the hawk call the squirrels increased the percentage of their time spent “vigilant” (警惕) compared with before the call, while they also looked up more often to scan the environment. Squirrels that were played bird chatter raised their heads less often during the recording and the number of these “lookups” dropped off faster over time.
“Recognition of bird chatter as a sign of safety is likely adaptive, as squirrels that can safely reduce their vigilance level in the presence of bird chatter probably are able to increase foraging (觅食) success,” the authors wrote.
The team suggested that with levels of humanmade noise increasing, squirrels may find it harder to eavesdrop on birds, meaning they may have to spend more time being alert and less time foraging.
Dr. Jakob BroJorgensen, coauthor of the study from Oberlin College, said: “The study calls attention to how animals can gather information from their environment by using cues that may at first glance seem irrelevant,” he said. “And it makes you wonder how the more and more pervasive (无处不在的) impact of human activities on natural soundscapes may reduce survival of wildlife in ways we haven’t thought of.”
1. What does the new research find about squirrels’ eavesdropping?| A．It lacks scientific evidence. | B．It is more widespread and broader. |
| C．It needs to be further investigated. | D．It is contradictory to previous findings. |
| A．The subject of the experiment. | B．The findings of the experiment. |
| C．The process of the experiment. | D．The purpose of the experiment. |
| A．They can escape from potential risks. |
| B．It helps them to forage food successfully. |
| C．It is safe for them to play with their mates. |
| D．They can adapt to a new environment quickly. |
| A．It’s possible effects. | B．Its appeal to the public. |
| C．Expectations for further study. | D．Scientists with new awareness. |
3 . Humans can make do with scarves, coats and gloves in cold weather. Some animals can hibernate (冬眠) for the winter. A new study finds that reptiles (爬行动物) and birds do something that is similar to hibernation, but a little different. In very cold weather, their body temperatures greatly drop into an energy-saving state in order to survive. The ability to thermoregulation (体温调节) for reptiles and birds is possible.
In Texas, where the city of Beaumont reached a low of 18 degrees Fahrenheit last month, it looked as if alligators (短吻鳄) had died of cold — yet alive in iced-over water. By ensuring their long noses stayed above the water line, the cold-blooded creatures were able to lower their body temperatures to survive the sudden short period of very cold weather. The process, in the case of cold-blooded animals like reptiles, is called brumation — it’s like a short state of hibernating. While in this state, reptiles become sleepy and they can go for a long time without eating or drinking. For example, alligators can be in brumation from just a few hours to months.
Like reptiles and mammals, birds can go into a state called torpor in order to save energy under very cold conditions. “Torpor is somewhere between a short sleep and hibernation,” said Justin Baldwin, a PhD candidate in biology at Washington University in St. Louis. Baldwin studied 29 species of hummingbirds living in Colombia. Researchers found that hummingbirds can enter into deep or shallow torpor, depending on several factors, including their size and weather conditions. In deep torpor, the birds are much more likely to be affected by disease. And what’s more, they would be easily harmed by their enemies.
Some bird lovers want to help the birds when they are in torpor. For example, the Bird Alliance of Oregon offers a few tips on how to keep the birds from danger.
1. What does the new study show?| A．Body temperature is important for animals. |
| B．Thermoregulation exists in reptiles and birds. |
| C．Reptiles and birds’ thermoregulation is unusual. |
| D．Body temperature drops greatly during reptiles and birds’ sleep. |
| A．They are active in brumation. | B．They are dead in cold weather. |
| C．They face extinction in cold weather. | D．They eat and drink nothing in brumation. |
| A．They can get enough sleep. | B．They may harm other birds. |
| C．They may waste plenty of energy. | D．They may be under threat. |
| A．Risks of animal hibernation. |
| B．His opinions of the study about birds. |
| C．Some detailed measures to protect the birds in torpor. |
| D．Other problems raised by cold weather. |
4 . Most people agree that honesty is a good thing. But does Mother Nature agree? Animals can’t talk, but can they lie in other ways? Can they lie with their bodies and behavior? Animal experts may not call it lying, but they do agree that many animals, from birds to chimpanzees (大猩猩), behave dishonestly to fool other animals. Why? Dishonesty often helps them survive.
Many kinds of birds are successful at fooling other animals. For example, a bird called the plover sometimes pretends to be hurt in order to protect its young. When a predator (掠食动物) gets close to its nest, the plover leads the predator away from the nest. How? It pretends to have a broken wing. The predator follows the “hurt” adult, leaving the baby birds safe in the nest.
Birds called cuckoos (布谷鸟) have found a way to have babies without doing much work. How? They don’t make nests. Instead, they get into other birds’ nests secretly. Then they lay their eggs and fly away. When the baby birds come out, their adoptive parents feed them.
Chimpanzees, or chimps, can also be sneaky. After a fight, the losing chimp will put out its hand to the other chimp. When the winning chimp puts out its hand, too, the chimps are friendly again. But an animal expert once saw a losing chimp take the winner’s hand and start fighting again.
Chimps are sneaky in other ways, too. When chimps find food that they love, such as bananas, it is natural for them to cry out. Then others chimps come running. But some clever chimps learn to cry very softly when they find food. That way, other chimps don’t hear them, and they don’t need to share their food.
As children, many of us learn the saying “You can’t fool Mother Nature.” But maybe you can’t trust her, either.
1. A plover protects its young from a predator by ________.| A．getting closer to its young |
| B．driving away the adult predator |
| C．leaving its young in another nest |
| D．pretending to be injured |
| A．Chimps are ready to attack others. |
| B．Chimps are sometimes dishonest. |
| C．Chimps are jealous of the winners. |
| D．Chimps can be selfish too. |
| A．Some chimps lower their cries to keep food away from others. |
| B．The losing chimp won the fight by taking the winner’s hand. |
| C．Cuckoos fool their adoptive parents by making no nests. |
| D．Some cuckoos often steal other birds’ newborns. |
| A．Do Animals Lie? |
| B．Does Mother Nature Fool Animals? |
| C．How Do Animals Learn to Lie? |
| D．How Does Honesty Help Animals Survive? |
5 . New research shows that removing black rhinos’ horns (犀牛角) to make them less attractive to illegal hunters is reducing their territory (领地) sizes and making them less sociable with each other.
The study, published in the journal PNAS, found that dehorned South African rhinos have home ranges that are 45 per cent smaller than those of complete animals, and that they were 37 percent less likely to engage in social interactions.
“The big, dominant bulls that used to have very large territories that overlapped with a lot of females may now have much less territory and much less reproductive (繁殖的) success,” says Vanessa Duthé, who led the work at Switzerland’s University of Neuchâtel.
“It’s really hard to predict the effects of this,” she says. “It doesn’t mean that population success will necessarily decline, because it might open up gaps for younger males that would not have had the space or the means before.” Indeed, a University of Bristol study published last year showed that dehorning (去角) does not negatively affect populations overall.
But such unintended behavioral consequences necessarily feed into judgments about whether this highly invasive procedure is worthwhile. Remarkably, perhaps, there is little hard evidence either way. “No one’s put all the data together to say whether it’s a really effective measure,” says Duthé.
“What is clear is that the introduction of dehorning and a decline in illegal hunting has occurred at the same time,” she adds. “But dehorning has been accompanied by other conservation measures that may be more effective.”
“It’s incredibly complicated,” says Lucy Chimes, a member of the Bristol team. “There are so many other factors involved. You have to consider what other security measures are being carried out — fencing, patrols, staff numbers — and poverty levels surrounding parks, their nearness to national borders and whether there is community engagement.” Chimes is currently planning a project that aims to separate these and other factors. In the meantime, Duthé believes that dehorning is a worthwhile tool of last course of action. “A rhino that is behaving a little bit strangely is better than a dead rhino.”
1. What is the purpose of removing the horns of black rhinos?| A．To make them less sociable. | B．To protect them from being hunted. |
| C．To reduce their home ranges. | D．To affect their reproductive success. |
| A．The removal of rhino horns. | B．The loss of rhino territories. |
| C．The impact on rhino population. | D．The change of rhino behavior. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Opposed. | C．Unconcerned. | D．Uncertain. |
| A．Dehorning rhinos shows satisfying effects. |
| B．Various factors lead to the decline in illegal hunting. |
| C．Dehorning is the last action researchers will take. |
| D．Rhinos are supposed to behave a little bit strangely. |
1. Who first traveled around the moon before human beings?
| A．Dogs.. | B．Monkeys.. | C．Tortoises. |
| A．To see how they were affected. |
| B．To examine where they were affected. |
| C．To find out whether they were affected. |
| A．The space travel.. | B．A lack of food.. | C．Loss of appetite. |
| A．One dog landed in the Indian Ocean. |
| B．Mice helped people explore space. |
| C．Monkeys were being sent into space. |
7 . Humans have sailed the oceans’ surfaces for millennia (千年), but their depths remain effectively uncharted. Only about a quarter of the seafloor has been mapped at high resolution. Maps of most regions display only approximate depths and often miss entire underwater mountains or canyons (峡谷).
So a group of researchers has recruited some deep-diving experts: Elephant Seals and Weddell Seals. Scientists have been placing trackers on these blubbery marine mammals around Antarctica for years, gathering data on ocean temperature and salinity. For a new study, the researchers compared these dives’ location and depth data with some of the less detailed seafloor maps. They spotted places where the seals dove deeper than should have been possible according to the maps-meaning the existing depth estimates were inaccurate.
In eastern Antarctica’s Vincennes Bay, the diving seals helped the scientists find a large, hidden underwater canyon. An Australian research ship called the RSV Nuyina later measured the canyon’s exact depth using sonar, and the researchers have proposed naming their find the Mirounga-Nuyina Canyon — honoring both the ship and the involved Elephant Seals, genus (动植物的属) Mirounga.
But seals can’t map the entire ocean floor. The trackers used in the study could pinpoint a seal’s geographical location only within about 1.5miles. Plus, because the seals don’t always dive to the bottom of the ocean, they can reveal only where the bottom is deeper than in existing maps — not shallower. McMahon notes that scientists could improve on these data by using more precise GPS trackers and analyzing the seals’ diving patterns to determine whether they have reached the seafloor or simply stopped descending.
The current seal-dive data can still be valuable for an important task, says Anna Wåhlin, an oceanographer. The deep ocean around Antarctica is warmer than the frigid waters at the surface, and seafloor canyons can allow that warmer water to flow to the ice along the continent’s coast, Wåhlin explains. To predict how Antarctica’s ice will melt, scientists will need to know where those canyons are and how deep they go.
1. What problem is mentioned at the beginning of the text?| A．Lack of the map. | B．Not enough tools. |
| C．Ineffective charts. | D．Inaccurate measurement. |
| A．By observing the seals. | B．By comparing different data. |
| C．By using advanced equipment. | D．By analyzing the existing maps. |
| A．The canyon. | B．The ship. | C．The seals. | D．The genus. |
| A．The present data is of little use. |
| B．Seal’s swimming pattern influences the data. |
| C．The ocean’s surface around Antarctica is warmer. |
| D．The seal can’t reach deep ocean because of temperature. |
8 . Billions of insects are moving together over the sky like a black cloud. It’s a swarm of locusts. Many insects move in huge swarms. They form swarms for different reasons. Some move together to look for food or to find new homes. Sometimes insects swarm for protection. These enormous swarms can destroy food crops and harm other living things.
When something disturbs a red fire ants’ nest, out they will come. Not just one or two, but thousands of them. The fire ants swarm all over their victim. Their stings burn like fire. Each ant in the swarm can sting over and over again. The fire ants hold onto their victim with their mouth parts. Then they inject their prey with poison. Most small animals cannot survive the stings from a swarm of fire ants.
When army ants are on the move, anything in their path is prey. Even snakes can’t escape a swarm of these stinging ants. Army ants move together to look for food. They can’t see their prey, but they use smells and sounds to find their way. If they come to a river, they make a bridge with their bodies. They cling together with their legs. Then the rest of the ants can cross the bridge. There is not much that can stop these fierce and cruel ants from chasing their prey.
Insects are not the only animals that swarm. There are many others that do. Most are not harmful to people. Being close to a huge swarm of animals can be scary and dangerous. Some scientists have studied animal swarms. They have found that many swarms follow simple rules. They work together to solve problems. When they work together they are a very strong team.
1. What does the underlined word “swarm” in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．To force a liquid into something. | B．To hold onto something tightly. |
| C．To move together in a large group. | D．To watch over something. |
| A．Their stings contain a kind of poison and are deadly to most small animals. |
| B．They can destroy food crops and are harmful to other living things. |
| C．When they move together, they are called “a swarm of locusts”. |
| D．They move in swarms to make new nests in different places. |
| A．Blind and smelly. | B．Angry and violent. |
| C．Scary and dangerous. | D．Strong and fast. |
| A．Moving Nests | B．Stinging Fire Ants |
| C．A Moving Army | D．Swarms of Animals |
9 . Most of us are familiar with Groundhog Day, wherein a large groundhog checks to see its shadow on February 2 and helps to predict when winter will end. But have you ever heard about how a mountain town in North Carolina uses a caterpillar (毛毛虫) known as the Woolly Worm to make similar predictions?
According to the folklore (民间传说), the amount of black on the woolly worm in autumn predicts the severity of the upcoming winter. The longer the woolly worm’s black bands (带) are, the longer, colder, snowier, and more severe the winter will be. Similarly, a wider middle brown band is associated with a milder upcoming winter. The position of the longest dark bands supposedly indicates which part of winter will be coldest or hardest. If the head end of the caterpillar is dark, the beginning of winter will be severe. If the tail end is dark, the end of winter will be cold. In addition, the woolly worm caterpillar has 13 segments to its body, which traditional forecasters say correspond to the 13 weeks of winter.
Scientific studies on worm forecasting are few and far between. The most often cited is a small trial that American Museum of Natural History entomologist Howard Curran conducted in 1948. Having heard about the caterpillar folklore, Curran traveled to Bear Mountain State Park to collect woolly worms each fall for eight years. He found that if the worms had brown markings on more than a third of their body, winters tended to be milder.
Most scientists discount the folklore of caterpillar predictions as just a folklore. “It’s a wonderful story, but I do think it was a playful trial,” says Joe Boggs, an entomologist at Ohio State University Extension who has studied woolly worms. “Curran was a real scientist. He had a bunch of papers published, but he never published this one—probably because he knew it wouldn’t stand up to peer review.”
Mike Peters, an entomologist at the University of Massachusetts, doesn’t disagree, but he says there could be a link between the band of a woolly worm and the severity of winter. Peters suggests that the timing of their growth and environmental conditions, such as temperature, moisture levels, and food sources, can impact the appearance of woolly worms, including their size, coloration, and band patterns. By analyzing these characteristics, researchers can potentially infer information about the weather conditions. “The band does say something about a heavy winter,” he says. “The only thing is that it’s telling you about the previous year.”
1. How do people predict the weather through woolly worms?| A．By analyzing their living habits. | B．By measuring the change of their size. |
| C．By studying color bands on their bodies. | D．By calculating the number of their segments. |
| A．A survey on the locals. | B．His personal observations. |
| C．Studies by previous scientists. | D．Statistics collected by the museum. |
| A．consider. | B．believe. | C．doubt. | D．dismiss. |
| A．The caterpillar forecasting needs long-term data to support it. |
| B．The color band of caterpillars can be a mirror of past weather. |
| C．The cold environment has a great impact on caterpillars’ growth. |
| D．Woolly worms can help predict the severity of winter accurately. |
10 . It was snowing hard. Gus Kiebel, a county wildlife officer, was driving home from work when he
Gus parked his truck and
Obviously, these beagles were
In the following days, Gus phoned the shelter
| A．spotted | B．recorded | C．assisted | D．gathered |
| A．instructor | B．companion | C．stranger | D．officer |
| A．immediately | B．frequently | C．unwillingly | D．curiously |
| A．comfort | B．fire | C．blanket | D．shelter |
| A．protected | B．approached | C．awakened | D．embraced |
| A．starve | B．interact | C．expect | D．escape |
| A．refreshed | B．concerned | C．defensive | D．accessible |
| A．abandoned | B．discovered | C．reconnected | D．released |
| A．miracle | B．surprise | C．dream | D．pressure |
| A．declined | B．reported | C．approved | D．contacted |
| A．hand | B．basis | C．condition | D．level |
| A．prevent | B．separate | C．impress | D．adopt |
| A．gradually | B．traditionally | C．repeatedly | D．confidently |
| A．influences | B．possesses | C．guarantees | D．conveys |
| A．passion | B．cruelty | C．respect | D．tiredness |
