“I'm going to miss you so much, Poppy, "said the tall, thin teenager. He bent down to hug his old friend goodbye. He stood up, hugged his parents, and smiled, trying not to let his emotions(情绪)get the better of him.
His parents were not quite able to keep theirs under control. They had driven their son several hours out of town to the university where he would soon be living and studying. It was time to say goodbye for now at least. The family hugged and smiled through misty eyes and then laughed.
The boy lifted the last bag onto his shoulder, and flashed a bright smile.” I guess this is it, “he said.” I'll see you back home in a month, okay？"His parents nodded, and they watched as he walked out of sight into the crowds of hundreds of students and parents. The boy's mother turned to the dog, “Okay, Poppy, time to go back home.”
The house seemed quiet as a tomb without the boy living there. All that week, Poppy didn't seem interested in her dinner, her favorite toy, or even in her daily walk. Her owners were sad too, but they knew their son would be back to visit. Poppy didn't.
They offered the dog some of her favorite peanut butter treats. They even let her sit on the sofa, but the old girl just wasn't her usual cheerful self. Her owners started to get worried. "What should we do to cheer Poppy up？"asked Dad. “We've tried everything.”
“I have an idea, but it might be a little crazy, “smiled Mom.” Without anybody left in the house but us, this place could use a bit of fun. Let's get a little dog for Poppy."
It didn't take long before they walked through the front door carrying a big box. Poppy welcomed them home as usual, but when she saw the box, she stopped. She put her nose on it. Her tail began wagging(摆动)ever so slowly, then faster as she caught the smell.
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Para 1. Dad opened the box and a sweet little dog appeared.
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Para 2. A few weeks later, the boy arrived home from university.
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2 . A dog is known as man's best friend because it can enrich its owner's life in many ways.
A teenager without self-confidence may be unable to tell his parents about problems. With a dog around, it can be a huge comfort. A dog offers its unconditional love.
All dogs need exercise, so taking his dog for a walk is the perfect opportunity for a teenager to get outdoors and enjoy fresh air and physical activity.Exercise allows people to take control of their bodies, which is good for their life.
Dogs can help teenagers make new friends.
| A．Pets offer an unconditional love that can be very helpful. |
| B．You don't have to worry about hurting your pet's feelings. |
| C．It simply accepts its owner for who he is and doesn't judge or question. |
| D．particularly, someone without self-confidence may find a pet dog helpful. |
| E．A teen may meet someone of the same age while walking his dog in the park. |
| F．In some cases, having a dog will not help improve a teenager’s self-confidence. |
| G．Many forms of exercise besides walking can be enjoyed with a dog, such as cycling. |
3 . Kielder Forest in Northumberland, England, is home to birds of gray and red squirrels. Around 90 years ago, it was also home to the pine marten(松貂). The 0.5 meters animal was driven to dying out in England by 1926 because gamekeepers wanted to secure the safety of their game birds, according to The Guardian.
However, the martens thrived in Scotland, and the animals appear to be crossing back into England. A pine marten was spotted in Kielder Forest by John Hartshorne, a volunteer who monitors the red squirrel population in the forest, part of an effort to stop gray squirrels from further invading(入侵) the red squirrels’ territory.
The pine marten is one of the animals receiving a helping hand from Back from the Brink, one of the conservation groups working together to help save 20 species from dying out in England. Their efforts aim at helping the pine marten and other at-risk species.
Red squirrels are threatened by invasive gray squirrels, which out-compete the native squirrels for food and pass on a deadly virus. Martens keep gray squirrel numbers in check, especially since the invasive animals aren’t used to having a predator like the pine marten around. A 2018 study found that the presence of pine martens can be enough to push the gray squirrel population out of an area. So the pine marten returning to Kielder is a win-win: The pine marten returns to part of its historic range and by doing so, helps red squirrels continue to survive.
1. Why was the pine marten forced to leave Northumberland?| A．To attract more hunters. |
| B．To protect local animals. |
| C．To keep game birds safe. |
| D．To keep game birds from hunters. |
| A．Died out slowly. | B．Evolved rapidly. |
| C．Had difficulty adapting. | D．Increased in population. |
| A．To help the pine marten to thrive. |
| B．To free the red squirrels of danger. |
| C．To monitor the population of birds. |
| D．To stop gray squirrels from dying out. |
| A．the role of the pine marten |
| B．the importance of a 2018 study |
| C．the promising future of red squirrels |
| D．the harmful effects of gray squirrels |
4 . How to Grow Organic Tomatoes in a Container
Anyone who has seen tomatoes growing in a garden knows that they tend to be huge plants.
After you find the perfect plant, it is time to plant it. In general, plastic or fiberglass pots are best for growing tomatoes. They don’t dry out quickly. While tomatoes love heat, they don’t like being dry.
Any good quality organic potting soil works for tomatoes. Don’t use soil dug directly from the garden.
The trickiest thing about growing tomatoes in a pot is that they are heavy feeders. Every time you water, you wash nutrients out of the soil. So fertilize （施肥） regularly. Once a month is good. But every other week, applying the fertilizer at half-strength is better.
| A．It is too heavy for container gardens. |
| B．That’s why clay pots are popular. |
| C．Instead, use whatever soil you can get. |
| D．And dry soil can reduce fruit production. |
| E．This provides constant nutrients for the tomato plants. |
| F．They require people’s much work to stay manageable. |
| G．Tomatoes don’t like being dry, so water them regularly. |
5 . It is well known that male humpback whales(座头鲸)are skilled singers.Their songs are thought to attract females in high frequency sounds while to compete with other males in low frequency sounds.Research led by the Wildlife Conservation Society has now made a new discovery.
The study looked at the songs of two humpback whale populations, based on sound recordings collected from 2013 to 2018.One group was based in the South Atlantic, off the coast of Gabon, and the other in the Indian Ocean near Madagascar.Analysis of the recordings showed that the two groups picked up musical ideas from each other and borrowed phrases and themes into their latest song.This suggested that the males from the two groups came into contact with each other over the five years and shared songs.
To uncover this musical cooperation, researchers recorded the songs and transcribe them into more than 1,500 individual sounds and patterns, or song units.They found that the units were composed into larger phrases, which were then repeated to form themes.These themes were sung for hours at a time, or even days.By 2018, both populations have been singing largely the same songs.
"This similarity in the songs shows that these two populations come into closer contact than other southern populations, explains Dr Melinda Rekdahl, leading author of the study.As well as being an interesting phenomenon, she explains that those songs allow even greater insight into the workings of the humpback whale populations.
1. What do people usually think of the purpose of male humpback whales' songs?| A．To have fun. |
| B．To attract other fish. |
| C．To increase the population of their group. |
| D．To attract females and compete with other males. |
| A．They were born with those songs. |
| B．The researchers composed similar songs for them. |
| C．The male whales from the two groups learned singing from each other. |
| D．The male whales taught the females songs from the other group. |
| A．Change. | B．Describe. |
| C．Create. | D．Enjoy. |
| A．A Kind of Magic Whales. | B．Male Humpback Whales Share Songs. |
| C．The Biggest Ocean Animals. | D．The Workings of Humpback Whale Populations. |
6 . I used to be crazy about the hunting season. The excitement of waiting for a prey(猎物)and the pride of showing off the kill fascinated me. However, everything changed after that cold morning.
Early on that day of the late fall, I set off alone for the woods, packing a gun, a bottle of hot coffee and three thick sandwiches. After finding the fresh deer’s tracks in the snow, I settled down behind a little bush.
I sat there for about an hour. It was then that I saw him. A deer, a big beautiful deer! There was no cover nearer to him than 30 yards. Surely I couldn’t miss! I waited for him to realize I was there. I waited for him to be shocked and run away. But he fooled me completely. He came towards me! He was curious, I suppose, or maybe he was stupid---how else can you explain it? Well, that deer walked right up to where I was sitting. Then he stopped and looked at me!
What happened next is hard to believe, but it’s true. And it all seemed quite natural. Just as when a friendly young deer comes near you, I reached up and scratched his head. And he liked to be scratched. In fact, he practically asked for more. Then, I fed him my sandwich! Yes, I know what a deer eats, but that deer ate my sandwich. Well, he finally went his way, down the hill and up the deer trail. Shoot him? Not me. You wouldn’t have either, not after that. I just watched him go.
When I was about half way back, I heard two shots, followed by a dull slam(撞击)a few seconds later. Those two shots usually mean a kill. I had forgotten there were other hunters that day.
Those hunters would never know they could have scratched his head.
1. Why didn’t the author kill the deer?| A．He preferred to shoot a shy deer. | B．He was fooled by the tricky deer. |
| C．He was sympathetic for the deer. | D．He was too shocked to shoot the deer. |
| A．Other hunters shot the deer to death. |
| B．Other hunters scratched the deer’s head too. |
| C．The deer managed to escape from being shot. |
| D．The deer would become friends with the author. |
| A．A Hunting in Late Fall. | B．A Lovely Deer. |
| C．The Cruel Killing. | D．The Last Hunting. |
7 . Why are photos and videos of cats high-fiving suddenly popping up on social media?
Ask Jackson Galaxy, who launched Cat Pawsitive last year, a program that encourages animal shelters to teach cats how to do tricks to make them more attractive for adoption.
The idea is simple. A kitty that can sit on command or give a high five shows that it can listen to instructions and connect with others. A high five can make a shy cat open up, Galaxy said.
“Big life changes can lead to cats losing their confidence, and we help those cats to feel more confident and to feel safe interacting with new people.” Christie Rogero, program manager for Cat Pawsitive, said.
And Stephen Holdeman, training manager at the KC Pet Project, added: “All we need to train a cat to do tricks is the right amount of patience, timing and motivation.” He uses a technique called “operant conditioning (操作性条件反射)”, which associates a cat’s action with getting a reward such as a favorite food or treat.
He also uses a clicker—a training device that makes a clicking noise. “In the initial stage, we get the cat used to the idea that when it hears the sound of the clicker, one of its favorite treats appears. After we have bridged these two ideas together we can use the clicker to reinforce different actions the cat does to let it know that if it repeats the action, it will get a treat.”
After several repetitions, the cat starts to link everything together. Now all you need to do is let your extended hand be the target, and we’ve got a high five.
1. According to the text, how can learning tricks benefit cats at animal shelters?| A．It is a good way for shelters to raise money. |
| B．It allows them to pick up skills to stay safe. |
| C．It helps them interact more with each other. |
| D．It helps them build confidence and get adopted. |
| A．Teaching them different actions. |
| B．Teaching them how to use a clicker. |
| C．Making them patient enough to repeat actions. |
| D．Helping them connect the sound of a clicker with treats. |
| A．record | B．strengthen |
| C．ignore | D．reward |
| A．To explain how to train cats to perform tricks. |
| B．To show how cats are treated at animal shelters. |
| C．To describe the popularity of cats on social media. |
| D．To inform us of a program that trains cats to do tricks. |
8 . Seal Island is a 200-meter long island off the coast of South Africa, which is surrounded by 55 to 57 degrees Fahrenheit waters and covered with over 60,000 seals and some birds. This island has been home to many birds and seals. You may think this island is a paradise. In fact, the island is not famous for the seals or birds. However, the real stars are the great white sharks that leap out of the water to catch the seals they are hunting.
You may think that there is no way for a 15-foot long, 3000-pound shark to hurl its body out of the water and catch a seal in midair. Actually, these sharks are called “Air Jaws”.
Over the years, the seals have gotten smarter. Now, they go out in groups of seven and eight to feed. They swim down on the sea floor, which gives them extra cover. When they have to swim near the surface of water, they swim in a zigzag pattern(Z字形). But with all these tricks, they can still be cleverly beaten by the sharks. Usually, the sharks will take one seal away from its group and force it to swim on the surface, where it is easy to hunt. Sometimes, the seal is fortunate and gets away, but most of them die in the process of trying to survive.
Every year, tourists go to see these amazing animals leap out of the water, sometimes flinging their whole bodies into the air when they want to catch the seals. This is the reason why this island attracts thousands of tourists from around the world every year.
1. Which of the following statements is true?| A．Seal Island is covered with only 6000 seals. |
| B．Great white sharks always catch seals under the water. |
| C．The way the great white sharks hunt makes Seal Island famous. |
| D．Seal Island is a 200-meter-long island in North Africa. |
| A．To prove they are smart. |
| B．To play in groups. |
| C．To search for food. |
| D．To avoid the white sharks. |
| A．the seals have learned how to escape. |
| B．the seals usually swim near the water surface. |
| C．the sharks are often successful in hunting the seals. |
| D．the sharks are less intelligent than the seals. |
9 . Even if trees cannot walk, they are still on the move.
In parts of the Arctic, entire forests are moving northward. Across the Arctic, temperatures are rising faster than anywhere else in the world. As that happens, the tree line that marks where forests stop and the treeless tundra (冻原）starts has been moving northward. Trees growing along the tree line must protect themselves from the cold wind. To do this, plants tend to grow horizontal (水平的）branches low to the ground. The energy it takes for trees to grow this way means they don’t have enough energy to make seeds.
But as Earth's climate has been warming, trees no longer have to just grow horizontally.Many can instead grow up toward the sky. This takes less energy. And with all that leftover energy,these trees have started producing while spruce (白云杉)grows.
White spruce，which is a North American tree, is quite which can lot of seeds,which can move long distances in the wind.When wind-blown seeds end up on the tundra beyond the tree line,they eventually can sprout(发芽)new trees.This explains how a forest can move. Of course,the process would work only if the tundra were warm enough. But in recent years,the whole planet has been warming.whole planet has been warming, New trees will provide shelters for some snow,keeping the sun's rays from making the white surface disappear.
The trees absorb the sun's heat. This warms the even more trees to produce seeds.That further makes forest preventing much of it from being blown away. Snow can trap heat in the soil below, which encourages trees to grow. The recent rise of temperatures has helped more trees grow past the tree time. People worry about effects on the animals that depend on frozen conditions for food and shelter.
1. What is the main cause of the trees in the Arctic moving northward?| A．The reducing of northern tundra. |
| B．The strong and cold wind |
| C．The rising temperature. |
| D．The rich resources in the north. |
| A．New trees can trap the snow, which may make the soil colder. |
| B．The trapped snow prevents new trees from producing more seeds. |
| C．New trees can bring more food and shelter to local animals. |
| D．New trees can make the surrounding air warmer. |
| A．a health report | B．a science report |
| C．a fashion magazine | D．a children's magazine |
10 . The early life of the green sea turtle (海龟) is full of danger. Only one in 1,000 baby sea turtles survive to adulthood (成年). From its home in the sand, it breaks its egg with an egg tooth. Its mother is not there to help it. Instead, it is greeted by crabs, coyotes, and dogs waiting to eat it for dinner. To survive, the baby turtle must hide in the sand until night. Then, it moves slowly to the sea.
The small turtle must swim hard to reach the ocean waters. In the sea, it tries hard to find food. It must also keep itself from being food for fish.
As dangerous as the sea turtle’s life is in the natural world, its most dangerous enemies are humans. The rubbish left by humans in the ocean causes problems for the small green sea turtle. A little turtle might eat a piece of plastic (塑料) in the sea. It might also eat oil on the ocean’s surface. Young turtles also get caught in fishing nets. There are laws against hunting sea turtles. Still, many are hunted, both for their meat and for their shells (壳). All of these dangers must be prevented.
Sea turtles that do survive to grow into adulthood go through many changes. For example, adult green sea turtles weigh about 500 pounds. They stop eating jellyfish and other meat and eat only plants. And they may plan a trip to go back home again. A mother sea turtle goes back to the beach where she was born. This is the only place where she will lay eggs. Even if it has been forty years since she was a baby, she always knows her way back home.
1. Why do baby turtles move to the sea at night?| A．They dislike sunshine. |
| B．They prefer lower temperatures. |
| C．They can find food easily then. |
| D．They need to avoid enemies. |
| A．Pitiful. | B．Careless. |
| C．Interesting. | D．Courageous. |
| A．They mainly feed on fish and meat. |
| B．They always produce eggs at their birthplaces. |
| C．They can live for around forty years. |
| D．They visit their beach homes several times a year. |
| A．The homes of green sea turtles. |
| B．How sea turtles find their food. |
| C．The dangers faced by sea turtles. |
| D．How young turtles become adults. |
