1 . Lucy was rescued from a rural farm in New South Wales, Australia, two years ago. She was suffering from chlamydia (衣原体病), a disease widespread among koalas. Today, she is one of “the lucky” living creatures in tree corridors (走廊) that have been created by volunteers to protect koalas and other animals by saving their quickly shrinking habitats, or natural environment.
The corridors, planted by the local conservation group Bangalow Koalas, are made up of large systems of plants. They are intended for koalas and other animals like the glossy black cockatoos, possums, and wallabies. All of them are endangered, or at risk of becoming extinct. The corridors provide a safe path across the koala’s increasingly broken habitat. “Our corridors are actually trying to get them away from humans, from cars and from dogs,” said Linda Sparrow, president of Bangalow Koalas. “They can safely move across the landscapes and don’t have to put up with us humans.”
The koala is predicted to be extinct in the wild in New South Wales by 2050. Some of the biggest dangers include wildfires and habitat loss through land clearing for development. Koalas have already been declared endangered in several Australian states. A recent report by the Australian Koala Foundation said the animal was worth an estimated $3.2 billion per year to the tourism industry.
Founded in 2016, Bangalow Koalas has planted over 936,000 trees on 119 properties, helping koala conservation and improving the local ecosystem. The group, which depends on com munity volunteers, aims to plant 500,000 trees by 2025. Volunteer Lindy Stacker, who has been planting trees for over five years, still remains devoted to the cause. She said the activity is good for mental health and has brought the community together. “I can’t imagine a world where there’s no koalas in the wild. We’re going to do everything we can possibly to. make sure that won’t happen,” Lindy said.
1. Who is Lucy?| A．A farmer. | B．A patient. | C．A volunteer. | D．A koala. |
| A．To shelter koalas from human threat. | B．To test the local natural environment. |
| C．To save koalas suffering from chlamydia. | D．To stop koalas’ habitats from being rebuilt. |
| A．The reason for koalas’ extinction. | B．Koalas’ value in tourism industry. |
| C．The necessity of saving koalas. | D．People’s deep love for koalas. |
| A．Bangalow Koalas: A Group Intended For Koalas |
| B．Tree Corridors: A Lifeline For Endangered Koalas |
| C．Bangalow Koalas: Call On Volunteers For Koalas’ Protection |
| D．Tree Corridors: Responsible For The Loss Of Koalas’ Habitats |
2 . In the animal kingdom, killer whales (虎鲸) are social stars: they travel in varied family groups, care for grandchildren, and even imitate human speech. Now, scientists are adding one more behavior to the list: forming fast friendships. A new study shows killer whales can rival animals such as chimpanzees and macaques (a kind of monkey), and even humans when it comes to the kind of “social touch” that indicates strong bonds.
Some ocean animals maintain social structures — including male dolphins that learn the “names” of their close allies (盟友). But there is little data about wild killer whales. That’s where drone (无人机) technology came in. Michael Weiss, a behavioral ecologist, teamed up with his colleagues to launch drones, flying them 30 to 120 meters above a group of killer whales. That was high enough not to trouble the whales, marking the first time drones have been used to study friendly physical contact in whales.
The researchers recorded over 800 instances of physical contact between individuals. Those included hugs, back-to-back and nose-to-nose touches between pairs of whales. Other whales playfully threw young whales into the air, letting them fall into the water. Besides, the drone images revealed clear preferences among individuals, usually for one “best friend” of the same sex and age. Take J49 and J51 — two distantly related young males aged 9 and 6 — for instance. “Every time you see a group of whales, those two are right there interacting with each other,” Weiss says.
The young led most of these interactions, rather than the older females or males. Older males in particular were less important. “The young individuals really seem to be the glue holding the groups together,” Weiss says. As individuals age, this gradual loss of “centrality” is known in many social mammals, including humans. That finding is “especially appealing” to Stacey Tecot, who wasn’t involved in the study. “Scientists have long observed this social aging trend in animals, but there are still many unanswered questions,” she says. That’s certainly on the researchers’ radar. “We’re already gathering new data, with more advanced equipment,” says Weiss.
1. What does the underlined word “rival” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Benefit from. | B．Be equal to. | C．Depend on. | D．Be fond of. |
| A．The research method. | B．The variety of species. |
| C．The size of the research team. | D．The time spent on the research. |
| A．They have a stable friendship. | B．Their interactions are more complicated. |
| C．Their communicating ways change frequently. | D．They prefer playing with young female whales. |
| A．More researchers will be involved in the study. |
| B．Other scientists take a negative attitude to the research. |
| C．Researchers will collect more data to study killer whales. |
| D．Researchers will uncover the social aging trend in animals soon. |
3 . Humans aren’t the only animals that move to music. Parrots have been known to do it. And now rats have been observed moving their heads in time with the tunes of Mozart, Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson and others, according to a new paper from the University of Tokyo. What’s more, the rats seems to respond (回应) to the same beats that get humans’ feet tapping (轻踩).
The researchers played a sonata by Mozart for lab rats at different changes of the original speed: 75%, 100%, 200% and 400%. Wireless sensors (感应器) on the rats, bodies tracked their movements. Meanwhile, 20 people took part in it and listened to the same music through motion sensor- equipped headphones.
It was observed that the rats’ head movements were the most obvious when the music played at its normal speed, which was around 132 bpm (beats per minute). The same was true for the people taking part in it. The researchers then changed to some pop songs such as Lady Gaga’s “Bora This Way” and Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”，As with Mozart’s, rats moved their heads along the rhythm (节奏) of pop songs, similar to how people do, at about 120 to 140 bpm.
The study showed that both rats and humane moved their heads along to the beat in a similar rhythm. The level of head moving from both humans and rats decreased as the music sped up. The study suggests that there is something similar about the way human and rat brains respond to rhythm, but rats do not match their motions to the beat like humans do. Humans can tell the timing of a beat in advance and move predictably to it.
Aniruddh Patel, a psychologist who studies brain response to music, says humans and parrots respond to beats with big, voluntary movements such as head shaking, dancing or foot tapping. Patel also stresses that this study does not show that rats have the same emotional associations with music as humans do. Yet he believes it could help show how humans and some other animals developed a sense of rhythm.
1. What does the study focus on?| A．How music influences rats’ brains. |
| B．Whether rats can respond to human music. |
| C．Which types of music is attractive to rats. |
| D．Why rats respond to music like human do. |
| A．75 bpm. | B．100 bpm. | C．132 bpm. | D．150 bpm. |
| A．They seem more interested in pop music. |
| B．They are unable to tell the beat of music in advance. |
| C．They prefer moving their heads with the beat of music. |
| D．They make similar movements to different rhythms. |
| A．Positive. | B．Doubtful. | C．Uncaring. | D．Negative. |
4 . A new study has found that all dogs have different personalities—even dogs of the same breed(品种).
Elinor Karlsson studies genetics at the University of Massachusetts. She co-wrote a report about the study, which appeared recently in the publication Science.
Karlsson said, “Every dog really is an individual,” noting that there is “a huge amount of difference” even between dogs that look the same.
At a New York dog park, dog owners talked about the different characteristics of their pets. Elizabeth Kelly owns an English springer spaniel. She called her dog friendly, but also “kind of the queen bee.” In other words, her dog likes to act like it is in charge of other dogs. Suly described her yellow Labrador as “calm, lazy and shy.”
The idea of dog breeds is quite recent. Around 160 years ago, humans began to breed dogs to have certain physical qualities, such as fur, color and ear shape.
Karlsson said her aim was to learn how much a dog’s breed affects their behavior. The answer? Breed does not decide an individual dog’s personality.
Karlsson’s team gathered information from 18,000 dog owners and studied the genetic code of over 2,000 dogs. The researchers found that some qualities are based on genetics. However, it is not sure that two dogs of the same breed will behave in the same way.
For example, huskies and beagles, may be more likely to howl—or make a long, loud barking sound. But many of these dogs do not howl, as owner observations showed.
1. What do we know about Karlsson’s report?| A．She wrote it by herself. |
| B．It was published in Science. |
| C．She finished it after graduation. |
| D．It is of little value to her study. |
| A．A bee that behaves busily. |
| B．A dog whose name is Queen. |
| C．A bee that serves the whole group. |
| D．A dog acting as if it is the most important. |
| A．To help dog owners learn about their dogs better. |
| B．To prove dog breeds determine their personalities. |
| C．To study the relationship between dog breeds and behaviors. |
| D．To show different dogs have different personalities. |
| A．All the dogs can make a long, loud barking. |
| B．Dogs of the same breed can behave differently. |
| C．Dogs’ owners may observe their pets carelessly. |
| D．Huskies and beagles are not the same dog breed. |
5 . Do you like the woolly mammoths (毛猛犸象) from the movie Ice Age? Too bad they’re extinct? Thanks to recent developments in biotechnology, the stuff of science fiction may soon become a reality through an attractive process called “de-extinction”, which aims to bring the extinct species back. The resurrected (复活的) species are functionally equal to the original extinct species, but they are not exact copies.
There are three primary techniques of de-extinction. One of them is that scientists deliberately select existing species with similar characters to the extinct species to produce later generation. This is a natural method. Another is cloning. A cloned animal is created by obtaining the DNA of the extinct animal. The later generation will be an identical copy of the extinct species. This is only applied to animals that are either endangered or have recently gone extinct, as it requires well-preserved eggs. The third is the newest technique, genetic engineering (基因工程). It uses gene-editing tools to place selected genes from extinct animals in place of those present in its closest living relative.
If we refer to Jurassic Park, resurrecting extinct animals is a terrible idea. Thankfully, we don’t have to worry about dinosaurs running wildly, as their DNA has disintegrated over the 65 million years since their extinction. DNA can survive for several million years at best under certain rare conditions, but does that mean we should do that?
De-extinction is more for ecology than for tourism. Ecologist Ben Novak said, “All animals perform critical roles in their ecosystem. Woolly mammoths, for example, were excellent gardeners. Their disappearance was followed by a loss in diversity and the Arctic grassland became a cold, ice field. If a resurrected animal is always going to be a zoo animal then it shouldn’t be brought back.”
1. Why does the author mention the movie Ice Age?| A．To recall the joy from the movie. | B．To lead the readers into the topic. |
| C．To attract readers’ attention to the movie. | D．To show functions of resurrecting animals. |
| A．Its wide application. | B．Its main methods. |
| C．Its complex procedures. | D．Its distinct characteristic. |
| A．broken away | B．picked up | C．fallen apart | D．run out |
| A．Can we bring extinct animals back? | B．Do you like the woolly mammoths? |
| C．Will dinosaurs be seen in the zoos? | D．Should we promote cloning skills? |
China is prepared to bring back giant panda Ya Ya from a zoo in the United States as soon as possible.
The 20-year loan
The zoo hosted a farewell party
Many people in China have been concerned about 22-year-old Ya Ya’s health after
The female panda is in “
Experts from the association and Beijing Zoo are in the US working with Memphis Zoo
China has completed all preparations for the giant panda’s return
7 . Cuckoos (布谷鸟) are masters of cheating. When it comes to raising young, they don’t spend the energy building a nest, protecting eggs or feeding children. Instead the female passes these roles on to other birds. They don’t raise their own young. Usually, they lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, fooling other birds into thinking the cuckoo eggs are theirs.
To succeed in doing this, a female cuckoo watches over her chosen nest to observe feeding times. When the host parent leaves its nest in search of food, the cuckoo quickly lays her eggs among those already in the nest. Sometimes, she will even destroy and remove one of the host’s eggs to make room for her own.
Cuckoos are medium-sized birds with long tails, and often have gray or brown backs. When they hatch (孵化) and begin to grow in a host’s nest, the difference between the two can be obvious to an onlooker. Often the cuckoo is twice the size of its foster (收养的) parents, but still continues to receive food from them.
The cuckoo imposter (冒名顶替者) is usually the only baby bird that the host parent has to care for. This is because when the cuckoo hatches after around 11 days, it gets rid of all the other eggs in the nest. It will lift each egg onto its back before throwing them one by one over the edge of the nest. Even then, the non-biological parent will continue to treat it as one of its own.
Also, cuckoos have developed to produce eggs that are similar in color to their main hosts’. This reduces the chances of eggs being attacked. Female cuckoos have been known to take host birds’ attention away after laying their eggs by producing a noise similar to Eurasian sparrowhawks, scaring birds away from returning to the nest and allowing time for the cuckoo to make her escape unnoticed.
1. What do mother cuckoos usually do when it comes to raising their young?| A．Attend to eggs. | B．Build a new nest. | C．Depend on other birds. | D．Learn feeding skills. |
| A．Other cuckoos. | B．Baby cuckoos. | C．Birth parents. | D．Host parents. |
| A．It usually hatches out earlier than the other eggs in the nest. |
| B．It throws all the other eggs out of nest with its mother’s help. |
| C．It often makes a noise to scare other birds away from the nest. |
| D．It looks much larger than other eggs in the nest before hatching. |
| A．How cuckoos fool other birds. | B．How cuckoos protect their children. |
| C．How cuckoos destroy others’ nests. | D．How cuckoos produce eggs in host nests. |
8 . In 1923, Frank and his daughter Nova took a cross-country drive with Bobbie. During a stop poor Bobbie was
After hours without Bobbie, Frank got
Six
Imagine being 2,500 miles from home with no transportation and you cross freezing cold mountains and deserts for half a year. How incredible! But Bobbie, the Wonder
| A．gone | B．looked | C．run | D．felt |
| A．expecting | B．failing | C．struggling | D．managing |
| A．mad | B．disappointed | C．hopeless | D．worried |
| A．safely | B．smoothly | C．quickly | D．slowly |
| A．waiting | B．searching | C．driving | D．missing |
| A．warm-hearted | B．cold-blooded | C．broken-hearted | D．clear-headed |
| A．accept | B．change | C．assume | D．ignore |
| A．weeks | B．years | C．months | D．seasons |
| A．froze | B．escaped | C．fell | D．smiled |
| A．tears | B．injuries | C．shame | D．excitement |
| A．kiss | B．meet | C．see | D．avoid |
| A．pain | B．joy | C．regret | D．gratitude |
| A．tour | B．view | C．outing | D．adventure |
| A．Hiker | B．Man | C．Dog | D．Kid |
| A．broke | B．warmed | C．crossed | D．opened |
9 . Rescue workers and thousands of volunteers are not the only ones who have won hearts and minds for their heroic efforts in the search for survivors after Tuesday’s powerful earthquake in Mexico. Fifteen dogs from the navy's canine (犬科的) unit have assisted this week in the rescue efforts at the sites of collapsed buildings across Mexico City, where more than 50 people have been pulled alive from the ruins.
Of the canine heroes none is more famous or loved than Frida, a six-year-old white Labrador who in her distinguished service has won praise for her ability to detect people who have been trapped by various natural disasters. Over her admirable career she has found 52 people including 12 survivors in Mexico and other Latin American countries.
This week, Frida and Evil and Echo—two Belgian Shepherds that have also been specially trained for rescue efforts were sent to the site of the collapsed Enrique Rebsamen school in southern Mexico City.
Equipped with goggles that protect her eyes from dust and smoke, boots to prevent damage to her paws while she climbs over rough ruins, Frida took up her work looking into every bit of the ruins.
If Frida detects the presence of a survivor, she is trained to bark to warn rescue workers but if she detects a corpse she stops suddenly before continuing, her handler explained.
Eleven children were rescued from ruins at the school but this time human rescue workers rather than the dogs were the ones who located them.
However, that hasn’t stopped Frida from becoming a social media star and winning fame this week. Videos and other social media posts that highlight the work of Frida and her impressive record of detecting people trapped by natural disasters spread quickly online.
While she has yet to detect anyone trapped in the ruins this week, she and other rescue dogs are continuing to work tirelessly, searching through spaces that humans cannot reach. With the possibility that there are still people trapped alive, time will tell whether she adds to her rescue record.
1. What makes Frida a social media star?| A．Her rescue records and tireless work. |
| B．Her cooperation with the rescue team. |
| C．Her cool appearance with some special devices. |
| D．Her ability to search spaces beyond humans’ reach. |
| A．An article of clothing. | B．An unconscious animal. |
| C．A dead person. | D．A special signal. |
| A．Frida will achieve nothing. |
| B．Frida will probably work miracles. |
| C．More dogs will be sent to the area. |
| D．The rest of the rescue will be done by dogs. |
| A．Severe Earthquakes in Mexico |
| B．Undertaking Rescue Work |
| C．People Waiting for Rescue |
| D．Special Rescuers in Mexico |
“A usual boring day!” This would be the answer from Roman if somebody asked him how his day was. These days he found everything boring, and nothing excited him.
One day he was lying on the bed in his room as usual. Suddenly the light went off. His room was rather hot without an air conditioner. Though he did not want to leave his room, he had to. Unwillingly, he left his room and came to the living room. It was slightly cool there as the living room had two huge windows.
His young brother was playing with his friend. They were rolling on the floor. He was looking out for the TV remote, but couldn’t find it. He got up and searched for it everywhere, but the remote was nowhere to be seen. He looked at his brother who was still lying on the floor, playing.
He asked him, “where is the remote?”
“Under the sofa,” his brother yelled.
He tried to look through the remote, but it was dark. He put his hand under the sofa. He touched something, grabbed it and took his hand out. It was a snake in his hand!
Upon seeing that, his brother started to yell, “Snake! Snake!” Mom came as soon as she heard the shouting. She was too horrified to see a snake. She was so scared that she even couldn’t speak a word. Two kids were trying to hide behind each other’s back. “What an old trick!” Roman thought and threw it to the kids.
As the snake landed on the floor and neared the kids, it started moving from the left side to the right. Only then did Roman realize that the snake was real, and not a toy. He threw the snake to kids because he thought it was a fake snake and it was the kids who were playing some tricks.
This time Mom almost got a heart attack. Now Roman was scared, too. The snake was only 10 meters away from the kids and was staring at them. They even couldn’t call the rescue team. There might be some deadly damage before their arrival. There was not much time to think. It was the time for a quick action.
Paragraph 1:
As Roman was farther from the snake, he jumped onto the window and grabbed the curtains.
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Paragraph 2:
After the rescue team caught and took the snake away, everyone went inside the home.
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