1 . Unbelievable Stories of Animals Acting Just Like Humans

Horses are picky eaters

Horses have an even better sense of smell than humans do. When horses raise their noses and open their nostrils (鼻孔), their nervous system allows them to sense smells we can’t sense. This might explain why they refuse dirty water and carefully move around meadows, eating only the tastiest grasses, experts say.

Whale says thanks

In 2018, a whale expert spotted a humpback whale trapped in a fishing net and spent an hour freeing it. Afterward, in an hour-long display of thanks, the whale swam near their boat and leaped into the air about 40 times.

Pandas like to be naughty

Is there anything more lovely than a baby panda, except maybe a human baby? In fact, baby pandas sometimes behave like human babies. They sleep in the same positions and value their thumbs. Pandas are shy by nature for its shy behaviors such as covering its face with a paw or ducking its head when confronted by a stranger.

A cat honors its owner

Paper towels, and a plastic cup are just a few of the gifts that Toldo, a devoted three-year-old gray-and-white cat, has placed on his former owner Iozzelli Renzo’s grave every day since the man died in September 2018. Renzo adopted Toldo from a shelter when the cat was three months old, and the two formed an inseparable bond. After Renzo passed away, Toldo followed the coffin to the cemetery, and now “stands guard” the grave for hours at a time.

1. What can horses do to pick delicious grasses?

A．Feel them.

B．Taste them.

C．Smell them.

D．Observe them.

2. What do the whale and the cat have in common according to the passage?

A．They are clever.

B．They have a grateful heart.

C．They are active and lovely.

D．They have a good sense of smell.

3. Which of the following acts like a human baby according to the passage?

A．The whale

B．The cat.

C．The horse.

D．The panda.

2 . The Amazon rainforest is as undisturbed a place as most people can imagine, but even there, the effects of a changing climate are playing out. Now, research suggests that many of the region’s most sensitive bird species are starting to evolve in response to warming.

Birds are often considered sentinel (哨兵) species — meaning that they indicate the overall health of an ecosystem — so scientists are particularly interested in how they’re responding to climate change. In general, the news has not been good. For instance, a 2019 report by the National Audubon Society found that more than two-thirds of North America’s bird species will be in danger of extinction by 2100 if warming trends continue on their current course.

For the new study, researchers collected the biggest database so far on the Amazon’s resident birds, representing 77 non-migratory species and lasting the 40 years from 1979 to 2019. During the study period, the average temperature in the region rose, while the amount of rainfall declined, making for a hotter, dryer climate overall. According to the report on November 12 in the journal Science Advances, 36 species have lost substantial weight, as much as 2 percent of their body weight per decade since 1980. Meanwhile, all the species showed some decrease in average body mass, while a third grew longer wings.

Because of the study’s long time series and large sample sizes, the authors were able to show the morphological (形态学的) effects of climate change on resident birds. However, the researchers themselves are unsure and wonder what advantage the wing length changes give the birds, but suppose smaller birds may have an easier time keeping cool. In general, smaller animals have a larger rate of surface area to body size, so they dissipate more heat faster than a bigger animal. Less available food, such as fruit or insects, in dryer weather might lead to smaller body size.

1. Why are scientists fond of doing research on birds?

A．They have small body sizes.	B．They are sensitive to hot weather.
C．They are ecological balance indicators.	D．They live in an undisturbed rainforest.

2. What can we learn from the new study?

A．Two-thirds of species showed a considerable decrease in weight.

B．About 26 species responded to climate change with longer wings.

C．36 species lost 2% of their body weight every year from 1979 to 2019.

D．A third of species have been extinct for a decade due to the hotter climate.

3. What does the underlined word “dissipate” in the last paragraph mean?

A．Put off.

B．Give off.

C．Put away.

D．Give away.

4. What would probably the researchers further study?

A．Why it is easier for smaller animals to keep cool.

B．Why the Amazonian birds have lost substantial weight.

C．Whether bird species in Amazon will be extinct in 2100.

D．What effects the wing length changes have on birds.

3 . The pupils of Grange town High have been busy getting to know their newest and tallest classmate, a 7-meter-tall giraffe outside their school

The giraffe is a huge sculpture made by a local artist. The school's headmaster noticed the sculpture in the artist's garden as he drove past one day. He thought it would be perfect for his school. “I knew everyone would love it,” he said, “because our basketball team is known as Grange town giraffes, and they wear giraffes on their shirts. So I asked them to write a letter to the artist, asking how much it would cost to buy the giraffe. He was very kind and got it ready to deliver in six weeks - all for nothing. It was expected to arrive on Sunday morning so that the pupils would see it when they got to school on Monday - at that time they had no idea that we were getting it.

The artist, Tom Bennett, was a university professor of chemistry before he left that job in 2006 and only took up metalwork a couple of years ago. “I've always drawn pictures,” he said, “I can even remember doing it on my first day at school - I drew a horse. I wanted it to be the best horse picture ever, but I don't think I succeeded.” Tom's first metalwork was a bicycle for two that he and his wife could go cycling on together. “It was a most uncomfortable bike ever created,” he said, “So I gave up making bicycles and went into sculpture instead.”

Meanwhile, the pupils at Grange town High are very happy with their new classmate. “We are going to hold a competition to give it a proper name.” said one girl. “Everyone likes the expression on his face, so perhaps that will give us some ideas.”

1. According to the text, the giraffe _______________.

A．was as tall as a basketball player	B．was given to Grange town High for free
C．was sent to Grange town High on Monday	D．was specially made for a basketball team

2. When the pupils got to school on Monday, they probably felt _______________.

A．excited

B．nervous

C．worried

D．confident

3. What can we learn about Tom Bennet?

A．He learned a lot about sculpture at university.	B．He visited Grange town High
C．He was good at drawing, especially horses.	D．He showed interest in art at an early age.

4. What's the main idea of the text?

A．It was a difficult job to name a giraffe.

B．Tom Bennett is well-known as a sculptor.

C．A metal giraffe arrived at Grange town High.

D．The Grange town Giraffe is a strong basketball team.

4 . If you walk into a native plant nursery, you must feel defeated because all the little plants look similar. Now we have the shopping guide for you: a set of easy-to-carry flashcards that explain in brilliant color what those little plants will look like when they all grow up.

Native plants just aren't that easy to understand for traditional gardeners. “That's why staff at the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers & Native Plants began creating some good information into the world of native plants," said Kitty Connolly. "Everybody needs to learn about natives if we're going to have them, in our future, but it's difficult to get information to everyone at once. We wanted something that would be useful to everyone. "

The group decided to create flashcards only about the size and shape of an iPhone 6. “You can take them apart and put them on a table to see how plants go with other plants. They don't replace a website or great books on the shelf; they're just easier to carry and use for planning, said Mike Evans. While the cards are very small, they include a lot of information. You can find how tall and wide a particular plant will grow, when it blooms, how quickly it grows, what birds and animals it attracts and how much water and sunlight it needs.

The cards don't include all native plants. They don't include milkweed, for example. But they are helpful for people to learn native plants.

The price of the cards is $ 17. They are only sold online. If people have the cards , they can more easily request the plants they want. The director said, “We create the cards with the hope that people can learn more about native plants and grow them."

1. Why do people feel defeated in a native plant nursery?

A．They can't recognize little plants there.	B．The little plants are difficult to carry.
C．The little plants have bright colors.	D．They're forced to buy many plants.

2. How does Mike Evans like the flashcards?

A．They are too big.	B．They are easy to carry.
C．They are too expensive.	D．They are difficult to buy.

3. What can we know about the flashcards from the text?

A．They can be bought in a local food store.

B．They have a bigger size than an iPhone 6.

C．They are helpless for people to learn plants.

D．They show information of some kinds of native plants.

4. Which is the best title of the text?

A．Little Plants Look the Same	B．Native Plants Are Sold Online
C．Plant Nurseries Won't Grow Native Plants	D．Flashcards Will Help You Learn Native Plants

5 . Jack was born without eyes. He was very lucky as he grew up having other kittens(young cats) to socialize with, and was used to people from the moment he was born. However, when it came time to find the kittens homes, no one knew where Jack would end up.

That's when I got an email from my friend. All she asked was “Do you still want one of the kittens? There's one here with no eyes and no one would like to take him.” Without thinking, I told her that I did want the kitten.

When we first brought him home, Jack stayed mostly in my room. After about a day he had no issues running around and climbing on everything. At times he gets lost in the house, he'll stop. But we just call him and talk to him and it isn't long before he finds his way back to us.

A few weeks after getting Jack, we got a new farm cat named Bear. Jack and Bear have   become best friends. It doesn't matter that he can't see. He always knows when Bear is around. He'll run across the yard straight to Bear and wrap his front legs around his neck in a big hug. They run after each other around and wrestle. They'll lie down in the grass together when tired.

Jack is truly an inspiration. I've owned lots of kittens in my life, but Jack is the happiest and most playful. He doesn't feel sorry for himself. He doesn't need pity. I think Jean, owner of Gumbo, another eyeless cat, said it best when she told me that cats don't have disabilities, they have adaptability.

1. Why did Jack come to our home?

A．I liked an eyeless cat.	B．I didn't mind whether he was blind.
C．No other young cats kept him company.	D．My friend ordered me to take him home.

2. What does the underlined word “issues” in the 3rd paragraph mean?

A．Difficulty.

B．Fun.

C．Luck.

D．Business.

3. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．Jack likes to play with a new eyeless cat.

B．Jack is good at talking and playing with people.

C．Jack quickly adapts to the new environment.

D．Jack and Bear lie down on the sofa together when tired.

4. What can we learn from the passage?

A．A cat has nine lives.	B．All is well that ends well.
C．God helps those who help themselves.	D．A good beginning makes a good ending.

6 . Plants: we eat them, juice them, weave them — and now it seems we can mine them too!

After a successful experiment on the island of Borneo, Botany Professor Alan Baker and a group of researchers want to introduce phytomining (harvesting minerals from plants) as a better, partial substitute for traditional mining.

Phytomining means collecting metal from live plants. However, this can only be done with a group of plants known as “hyperaccumulators.” They naturally attract and absorb minerals through their roots and then store huge, pure concentrations of these minerals in their bodies. The metal can then be extracted from the plant’s sap (液), oil, or sometimes even live tissue.

The term “phytomining” was coined in 1983 by Rufus Chaney of the US Department of Agriculture, who had worked with Baker in early phytomining experiments. But the idea of plant-mining was actually thought of 500 years ago by German scientist Georgius Agricola, who smelted leaves to identify the metals underground.

Baker and his colleagues see a lot of potential in phytomining. Not only can it help meet the growing global demand for metals, but is also a way of undoing some of that damage to the environment by traditional mining.

One of the biggest problems with traditional mining is that it pollutes the surrounding area. Phytomining can extract that metal waste, plus planting the hyperaccumulators would regrow the deforested areas created by mining operations.

Aside from this, if phytomining is able to replace part of traditional mining, then there would be fewer instances of bad mining practices like abandoned mines, which pollute the nearby waters. Also, since phytomining provides metal that is already naturally pure, there is no need to use huge amounts of energy to purify the ore (矿石).

However, phytomining has its drawbacks. Harvesting plants on a large scale is expensive today, compared to traditional mining. Besides, plants can be wiped out by diseases or unexpected weather conditions.

However, there are many reasons to consider phytomining. It gives us the hope that our advancement doesn’t mean sacrificing Mother Earth.

1. What makes hyperaccumulators different from other plants?

A．The ability to take in and store metals.

B．The ability to process various nutrition.

C．Their roots deep through the earth.

D．Their oil extracted from live plant tissue.

2. Which is the disadvantage of phytomining?

A．It can pollute the nearby area.

B．It can waste huge amounts of energy.

C．It can do harm to our climate.

D．It can be affected by bad weather.

3. What can we learn about phytomining?

A．The term came up even 500 years ago.

B．Its potential mainly lies in lower cost, compared to traditional mining.

C．It can make up for the damage caused by traditional mining.

D．It uses clean energy sources to purify the ore.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．Future of phytomining	B．Metals from plants
C．Solutions to pollution	D．Experiments on plants

7 . How to Grow Plants in the Classroom

Growing plants in the classroom is an excellent way to get students excited about science!

Start with seeds（种子）in the classroom.     1     They can do this by putting seeds or beans in wet paper towels and then in a clear plastic bag. The seeds should begin coming out in a few days, which can give the students an idea of what is happening underground when plants begin to grow.

Continue with seeds in the classroom. At the same time as the seeds are beginning to come out, plant the same type of seeds in soil.     2     They can also predict（预测）how long it will be before the seeds come out and are seen above the soil.

    3     A quick Internet search should let you know which plants are native to your area. This can connect the plant-growing in the classroom with natural history and other social studies lessons. Also, after growing the plants in your   classroom, you can take the students on field trips to see where the plants grow naturally.

Explore the needs of plants.     4     You can know what they actually need by growing plants in the classroom and making observations along the way.

In all, growing plants in the classroom is sure to be an exciting science lesson.     5     They can train their creativity with their own gardens!

A．What do plants need to stay alive?

B．Grow native plants in your classroom.

C．Try to start an outdoor garden in your school.

D．Carrots and tomatoes can be grown easily.

E．Students of all ages learn more knowledge from growing things.

F．Students can learn about what exactly is happening under the soil.

G．For very young children, it is exciting just to see the seeds come out.

8 . With more than two million videos on YouTube, cats are one of the most searched things on the Internet. A new exhibition called “How Cats Took Over The Internet” opened at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York. It looked at the history of how cats rose to Internet fame, and why people like them so much.

Almost half of all original YouTube videos are of people ’s pets, and around 26 billion views are just for cats, making them the single most popular category. Some cats have become famous and earned millions of pounds after their owners posted their pictures online.

So how did cats become so popular?

Since the Internet became widely used in the 1990s, people have been sharing pictures of their cats via email. In 2005 one of YouTube’s co-founders Steve Chen posted a video of his cat called Pyjamas playing with a rope, making him the first person to upload a cat video to YouTube.

In 2007 Eric Nakagawa and Kari Unebasami started a website sharing funny pictures of cats, The site quickly became popular, and users were able to upload pictures of their cats with writing over the top. It now has over 100 million views a month and has created a whole new form of communication on the Internet.

Why cats? A scientific study has proved that looking at videos of cats can improve people's mood. Assistant professor Jessica Gall Myrick from Indians University, America, asked 7,000 people how they felt before and after watching videos of cats. The results showed that people felt happier after watching videos of cats, and that they felt less anxious.

The Internet has also been responsible for creating a number of famous cats such as Grumpy Cat, Lil BUB and Maru. They have appeared on lots of TV shows, advertisements and film festivals, and even have their own brands. Lil BUB even has her own charity, and has raised around $130, 000 for pets with special needs.

1. What’s true about cats according to the text?

A．Their fame is related to the widespread of the Internet and a relative website.

B．Cat videos take up half of all the original YouTube videos.

C．They are the first to be filmed among all the animals throughout the world.

D．They earned millions with their videos in the 1990s.

2. Why did Jessica make the study?

A．To improve people's mood and reduce people's anxiety.

B．To ask about people's present feelings and living conditions.

C．To find the effect of watching cat videos on people's mood.

D．To help people live their life to the fullest.

3. What’s special about Lil BUB?

A．She has the most videos online.	B．She is popular at home and abroad.
C．She has her own brands.	D．She has her own charity.

4. What’s the best title for the text?

A．Cats become celebrities	B．Cat videos rule the Internet
C．Watching cat videos counts	D．Cats’ contributions to the world

9 . Twenty years ago, I became involved in pet therapy (治疗) work. As digging deeper into the job, I had an urge to be a recorder of their daily work to let more and more people know their efforts and contributions. After all, they could not say our languages. It was when I got familiar with the work that I got my golden retriever puppy (金毛寻回犬), whom I named Angel. As she matured and went through obedience training, I realized that she would be a good partner.

Angel is ten now and still works every week. As a rule, she visits two hospitals, a day care for the elderly, and our library’s PAWS for Reading program. Angel has also helped out at a children’s special-needs camp. She is so popular that everywhere we go people recognize her, especially the kids she has worked with.

We have seen some very special things through our pet therapy work. I brought Angel to our local hospital to visit a woman who was completely paralyzed (瘫痪的) on her right side from a stroke. One day, my husband, Jack asked her if she wanted to give Angel a treat. She nodded and gently took the treat, raised her right hand and started petting Angel. Her friend was in the room and said, “She hasn’t been able to move that hand since she had her stroke!”

Somehow it seems appropriate that when Angel visits the hospital, she also performs tricks for the patients with her paws. The best one is when she crouches on the floor and crosses her paws. She stays still and doesn’t move until Jack says “Best wishes”. It’s the best wishes for all the people Angel meets as well as for her.

1. Why does the author want to be a recorder?

A．Pets cannot record themselves.	B．Pets should be highly praised.
C．Pets’ labor should be made aware of.	D．Pets daily work is important.

2. How is Angel’s work?

A．Busy but rewarding.	B．Interesting but tiring.
C．Funny and amusing.	D．Important and demanding.

3. What did Angel do for the paralyzed woman?

A．She cured her disease.	B．She visited her at times.
C．She gave her best wishes.	D．She played tricks on her.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．A loyal dog.	B．Selfless love.
C．A silent angel.	D．Great devotion.

10 . How could we possibly think that keeping animals in cages in unnatural environments－mostly for entertainment purposes－is fair and respectful?

Zoo officials say they are concerned about animals. However, most zoos remain “collections” of interesting “things” rather than protective habitats. Zoos teach people that it is acceptable to keep animals bored, lonely, and far from their natural homes.

Zoos claim to educate people and save endangered species, but visitors leave zoos without having learned anything meaningful about the animals’ natural behavior, intelligence, or beauty. Zoos keep animals in small spaces or cages, and most signs only mention the species’ name, diet, and natural range(分布区). The animals’ normal behavior is seldom noticed because zoos don’t usually take care of the animals’ natural needs.

The animals are kept together in small spaces, with no privacy and little opportunity for mental and physical exercise. This results in unusually self-destructive behavior called zoochosis. A worldwide study of zoos found that zoochosis is common among animals kept in small spaces or cages. Another study showed that elephants spend 22 percent of their time making repeated head movements or biting cage bars, and bears spend 30 percent of their time walking back and forth, a sign of unhappiness and pain.

Furthermore, most animals in zoos are not endangered. Captive breeding(圈养繁殖) of endangered big cats, Asian elephants, and other species has not resulted in their being sent back to the wild. Zoos talk a lot about their captive breeding programs because they do not want people to worry about a species dying out. In fact, baby animals also attract a lot of paying customers. Haven’t we seen enough competitions to name baby animals?

Actually, we will save endangered species only if we save their habitats and put an end to the reasons people kill them. Instead of supporting zoos, we should support groups that work to protect animals’ natural habitats.

1. In the state of zoochosis, animals _________.

A．remain in cages	B．behave strangely
C．attack other animals	D．enjoy moving around

2. What does the author try to argue in the passage?

A．Zoos are not worth the public support.

B．Zoos fail in their attempt to save animals.

C．Zoos should treat animals as human beings.

D．Zoos use animals as a means of entertainment.

3. The author tries to persuade readers to accept his argument mainly by _________.

A．pointing out the faults in what zoos do

B．using evidence he has collected at zoos

C．questioning the way animals are protected

D．discussing the advantages of natural habitats

4. Although he argues against zoos, the author would still agree that __________.

A．zoos have to keep animals in small cages

B．most animals in zoos are endangered species

C．some endangered animals are reproduced in zoos

D．it’s acceptable to keep animals away from their habitats