1 . Great white sharks tend to avoid areas where they have been caught, potentially offering a solution to stopping them from hunting near swimmers. This behaviour is a flight response, similar to that of other animals, and the sharks eventually carry on their normal migratory movements as if nothing happened.
In Australia, researchers at the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries have been using Shark Management Alert (警告) in Real Time (SMART) drumlines to study this behaviour.
These drumlines consist of baited hooks (诱饵钩) on buoys (浮标) located 500 metres off the coast of popular areas. Each line is equipped with a system that notifies local response teams, who aim to reach any hooked shark within 30 minutes. The lines are set daily and collected later to prevent them from being left overnight.
The response teams record the shark’s size and health, tag (加标签) it, and then move great white, tiger, and bull sharks another 500 metres offshore and release them. Other species, such as hammerhead and grey nurse sharks, are released where caught. Researchers monitored 36 great white sharks equipped with satellite-linked radio transmitting tags after being caught in 2016. Within three days of their release, all the sharks moved away from the beaches where they were caught and stayed mostly offshore.
Although the sharks gradually moved closer to the shore 10 days after release, 77% of them remained more than 1.9 kilometres away from the coast and an average of 5 kilometres away from where they were tagged. The tracking equipment continued to detect the sharks for an average of nearly 600 days after their release, indicating that the programme does not increase the risk of their death.
Since 2015, over 1,100 great white sharks, with an average length of about 2.6 metres, have been caught on the SMART drumlines, with more than 400 recapture events. Drones (无人机) are now flown at up to 50 beaches during school holidays to monitor for sharks and other potential threats.
1. Why do the sharks tend to avoid areas where they have been caught?| A．They are afraid of drones. | B．They have a flight response. |
| C．They hate swimming near beaches. | D．They prefer to live in deep winter. |
| A．To catch dangerous sharks. |
| B．To improve the local fishing industry. |
| C．To reduce the accidents happening in the area. |
| D．To collect data on shark behaviour and movement. |
| A．Frightens. | B．Checks. | C．Informs. | D．Prevents. |
| A．The Ways to Protect Swimmers |
| B．The Behaviours of Great White Sharks |
| C．An Extraordinary Effort to Study White Sharks |
| D．A Harmless Way to Keep Sharks Away from Beaches |
In a small quiet coastal village lived a fisherman named James and his faithful dog, Oliver. Oliver was more than just a pet; he was James's companion and close friend. They spent their days together, out on the fishing boat, with Oliver's ears flapping in the wind.
One day, a terrible storm was brewing, and the villagers urged James to stay onshore. But James needed to go out to sea. Oliver, sensing the danger, barked and whined, trying to stop James. But James reassured Oliver and promised to return safely.
Out at sea, the storm grew fierce. The waves towered, and the wind howled. Hours turned into days, and the villagers lost hope for James's return. Only Oliver waited, day and night, at the end of the pier（码头）, eyes fixed on the horizon. Only he refused to give up hope. He knew that James was a strong and experienced sailor, who would do everything he could to survive the storm.
After three agonizing days, a broken boat drifted ashore. The villagers found James, extremely weak but still alive. Oliver's joy knew no bounds; he leaped and danced around James, licking his face and wagging his tail happily. The friendship between the two was evident to everyone.
Time went by, and the incident became a story, but for James and Oliver, it was a life-changing experience. James realized that Oliver's instincts were right, and he vowed never to ignore them again. The relationship between James and Oliver deepened. They understood each other in a way that transcended mere human-animal interaction. Their connection was spiritual, soulful, and strong. But as the years rolled on, Oliver grew old. His movements slowed, and his eyes dimmed. James took care of him with the same love and patience that Oliver had shown him. They spent their last days together, cherishing every moment.
注意：
1.续写词数应为 150左右；
2.请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
Oliver's last days were peaceful, filled with love and comfort from James.
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James buried Oliver near their favorite spot on the shore, marking it with a wooden cross.
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3 . For most of December, Adele Adkins had the top-selling album in Australia, followed by Ed Sheeran, and then there was a collection of songs that took everyone by surprise.
Songs Of Disappearance is a collection of calls from endangered Australian birds. Last month, it briefly reached No.3 on the country’s top 50 albums chart (排行榜) — ahead of Taylor Swift.
Anthony Albrecht, a PhD student at Charles Darwin University, produced the album with Professor Stephen Garnett. “I knew it was a crazy thing to suggest. But Stephen’s a little bit crazy like me and he let me do it,” Albrecht said.
Songs Of Disappearance was published with a university report which found that 1 in 6 Australian bird species are now threatened. The album records 53 of those species.
“Some sing what you might think of as bird songs, but not all of them,” said SeanDooley, who represents the conservation organization Bird life Australia. “Songs from the golden bowerbird sound like a death cry from some sci-fi series. And the love songs from Christmas Island frigate bird, which has a piece of skin hanging under its mouth that caninflate (膨胀) like a huge red balloon, sound as bizarre as its unusual looks.”
There’s also the Christmas Island pigeon. When people hear that pigeon, they might think that it’s a human making silly noises, Dooley added.
The Charles Darwin University and Bird life Australia report does document successes in protecting endangered birds, the hope being that the album will protect more species.
“The increased awareness can make a difference,” Dooley said. “When we have a community on board, that brings pressure to the government to do the right thing. We know that these conservation actions do work.”
1. Whose album reached No.1 on the chart in December?| A．Taylor Swift’s. |
| B．Adele Adkins’. |
| C．Ed Sheeran’s. |
| D．Anthony Albrecht’s. |
| A．About 53 bird species are threatened in Australia. |
| B．It has not found success in protecting endangered birds. |
| C．One sixth of Australian bird species are now endangered. |
| D．Music is very powerful in encouraging people to protect birds. |
| A．Strange. |
| B．Beautiful. |
| C．Loud. |
| D．Sharp. |
| A．Crazy. |
| B．Amusing. |
| C．Uncreative. |
| D．Helpful. |
4 . David lost his beloved dog Baya before Christmas two years ago. Baya was active and cute. David’s family spent many days
Two years later, a homeless dog
Obviously, Baya is
| A．preparing | B．searching | C．paying | D．begging |
| A．calls | B．honor | C．gifts | D．rescue |
| A．fruitless | B．generous | C．worthwhile | D．different |
| A．advantage | B．challenge | C．decision | D．hope |
| A．continued | B．appeared | C．hid | D．returned |
| A．sent | B．forced | C．followed | D．invited |
| A．refer to | B．rely on | C．track down | D．cheer for |
| A．appreciated | B．impressed | C．recognized | D．contacted |
| A．frightened | B．excited | C．confident | D．curious |
| A．addicted | B．related | C．adapted | D．reduced |
| A．aware | B．uncertain | C．afraid | D．proud |
| A．native | B．self | C．partner | D．owner |
| A．calm | B．average | C．pretty | D．active |
| A．care | B．notice | C．control | D．advantage |
| A．removing | B．identifying | C．recovering | D．reserving |
5 . It’s difficult to hope sometimes but there are still a few instances telling us that something better awaits us whether we choose to hold on to it or not. Annie, a 19-year-oldblack Labrador, was given around a month to live when she was placed for adoption in June 2022. Annie’s former owner had given up hope and sent her to a shelter house in Texas because she wouldn’t eat or drink.
Once Siler, 31, discovered Annie’s photo, she knew she had to help. Instead of a month or two, Annie was adopted by Siler and her roommate, Lisa, for an entire year. Siler knew what it took to care for an elderly dog because she had recently lost her own dog, whom she had since college. Siler shared, “I felt mentally and emotionally prepared to take on a dog that wasn’t going to have long.” Siler described Annie as an easygoing dog. Her favorite pastimes included opening mail and sitting outside, watching people and cars pass by, earning her the nickname “nosy neighbour.”
“People kept telling us she was having so much fun and enjoying life and that kept her going, and I hope that was the case. Annie lived almost exactly a year after being adopted by Siler and Lisa. Annie had the life we pray every senior dog we rescue gets to experience. Annie didn’t just live out this past year, she flowered. Annie had an ill stomach. Surgical operation was her only option and that was never something we would put Annie through. Collectively, we made the hardest decision for us but kindest for Annie.” Siler kept in her diary.
“I can’t help but think that Annie would be so proud. She was one special dog whose story will live on through those who adopt seniors. She left a giant, giant hole in my heart…but times, where everyone who loved her can come together in her honor,will help start mending my broken heart.” Siler wrote in her post.
1. Why was Annie placed for adoption in June 2022?| A．Because she was too old for her owner to care for. |
| B．Because her owner had given up hope for her refusal to eat or drink. |
| C．Because Annie’s owner was moving and couldn’t take her along. |
| D．Because she had a medical condition that required extensive care. |
| A．Siler wanted a guard dog for her house. |
| B．Siler’s roommate insisted on adopting a dog. |
| C．Siler was an advocate for senior dog adoption. |
| D．Siler sought company after losing her previous dog. |
| A．She experienced enormous joy. |
| B．She was miserable and lonely. |
| C．She was constantly sick and in pain. |
| D．She didn’t interact with people or other dogs. |
| A．Annie’s story would be forgotten easily. |
| B．Annie’s story would encourage seniors to hunt. |
| C．Annie’s story would inspire senior dogs adoption. |
| D．Annie’s story would only be remembered for its sadness. |
6 . Few sights fill you with nostalgia (怀旧) like the fireflies dancing at night.
Create a firefly habitat
Flashing lights are an important part in fireflies life. As the sun sets, male fireflies move around while flashing their lights to signal their interest. If a nearby female is interested, she flashes back from her position to the ground, and the males fly down to find her. “All of that has to happen for the next generation to survive,” says Lewis. “However, light pollution makes those scenes much harder to see. It’s like cutting a phone line. It really stops the romance.
Stop using pesticides (杀虫剂)
Using pesticides in your yard also poses an existential threat to fireflies, which are insects after all.
| A．Reduce light pollution |
| B．Make a fire in the open air |
| C．Luckily, there are some solutions |
| D．But these beloved insects are in trouble |
| E．The living conditions of fireflies are getting better |
| F．The biggest threat facing fireflies today is the loss of their habitats |
| G．Most of the pesticides will kill less-beloved insects as well as fireflies |
7 . Rose, a small mountain lion, was first seen by hikers in the Thorne wood Open Space Preserve in San Mateo. There was no mother in
Rose weighed just 8.8 pounds, but a
With round-the-clock care, Rose slowly began to
| A．trouble | B．need | C．reality | D．sight |
| A．active | B．smart | C．weak | D．strong |
| A．awake | B．alone | C．well | D．free |
| A．cared for | B．taken on | C．looked at | D．turned over |
| A．suddenly | B．totally | C．secretly | D．quickly |
| A．watching | B．searching | C．saving | D．studying |
| A．race | B．effect | C．effort | D．choice |
| A．class | B．show | C．condition | D．team |
| A．ready | B．angry | C．afraid | D．polite |
| A．healthy | B．brave | C．quiet | D．special |
| A．photo | B．exam | C．help | D．cure |
| A．stand | B．win | C．escape | D．live |
| A．anxious | B．thankful | C．sorry | D．good |
| A．recover | B．appear | C．succeed | D．die |
| A．forget | B．express | C．learn | D．record |
8 . Since the rise in car ownership in the 1950s, the US has started building roads in cities and across the country to provide enough room for automobiles. Houston, like many cities, is turning back the clock to make room for passers-by, cyclists and parks.
Memorial Park in Houston, Texas was halved by the Memorial Drive Highway in the1950s. It has now been reunited. The highway is still there, but the road goes underneath the 1,500-acre park.
The restoration (修复) of Memorial Park is part of a larger plan that was made after the city suffered from a serious drought. It was thought that 80 percent of the forested canopy (树冠) was dead. One of the ways to fight that was to reintroduce native plants and animals.
The city hired the landscape architectural company, Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, to work with the Houston parks and the Memorial Parks Conservancy. The architects, led by Woltz, were inspired by wildlife crossings in the Northwest US and explored the possibility of using this idea in Memorial Park. Over the years, the park was cut into 20 pieces that were divided by highways, roads and parking lots. The only crossing was a 12-foot bridge.
After 10 years of planning and constructing, the Kinder Land Bridge officially opened in early February, 2023. The bridge consists of 100 acres of greenery, and while designed for people, has reconnected wildlife corridors (廊道). The reconstruction added 45 acres of native Gulf Coast prairie (草原) that’ll increase biodiversity in the park. “This project is not just about creating a passage or a bridge. This project is about ecology, it’s about biodiversity and water management. This project is a bridge into Houston’s future.” said Shellye Arnold, president of the Memorial Park Conservancy.
1. What led to the restoration of the Memorial Park?| A．A company’s suggestion. | B．A terrible natural disaster. |
| C．The demand from the public. | D．The recovery of native plants. |
| A．They knew how to restore the Memorial Park. |
| B．They got the inspiration for rescuing animals. |
| C．They gained a sense of achievement for working. |
| D．They developed a new way to protect the landscape. |
| A．It is about 12 feet in length. | B．Its aim is to save water. |
| C．It benefits the wild animals. | D．Its birth is a short process. |
| A．A Highway Connects a Park in Houston |
| B．The Importance of Building Land Bridges |
| C．Efforts to Restore Parks in American Cities |
| D．Houston Creates a Creative Way to Restore Nature |
Lunch hour. Escaping from my office, I fled down Main Street in pursuit of freedom from the routine of the day. An old bell clanged(叮当作响)against the door of a dusty used bookstore when I pushed it open.
Looking through the horizon of shelves and lots of magazines, my eyes suddenly met his and my heart began to race. They were the blazing(闪烁) orange eyes of an African lion on the cover of a National Geographic magazine. I hadn’t seen those eyes in thirty years, but their impact on me hadn’t faded. As a kid I used to dream about Africa, living with wild animals.
The opportunity of spending a “gap year” volunteering in Africa or joining the Youth Corps had long since passed. Or had it? Yes, it’s true I couldn’t go to Africa for several months, but maybe I could volunteer in Africa for a few weeks.
Over the next several weeks I began to budget and save, determined to make it happen. The big day came. I arrived and met my boss, a young South African ranger(护林员)named Gary. He said, “Let me guess, you’re here because you dreamed of Africa.”
“Yes!” I smiled.
“Well it’s time to wake up. This is a working game reserve. These are wild animals.”
“Okay.”
“You’re going to have to get out of your comfort zone, take some risks, Have the courage of a lion.”
The next morning when we began our patrol(巡逻)in an open-air jeep, giant African elephants appeared in the morning mist. I was no longer dreaming in the pages of a National Geographic magazine. I was living them.
Moments later Gary parked the jeep and handed me a heavy shovel(铲子) and said, “Time to shovel dung(粪).” Elephant dung. Mountains of it. It will be used as fertilizer in the reserves sustainable vegetable garden.
Within fifteen minutes my back was aching, and my new work gloves were stretched out and so slippery with dung and sweat that they refused to stay on my hands. This wasn’t the dream of Africa I had.
注意：
1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1:
I began to question myself.
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Paragraph 2:
But at that moment I remembered Gary’s words “step out of your comfort zone”.
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10 . Just off the Florida Keys lies the world’s third-largest coral reef (珊瑚礁), which was once an energetic habitat for millions of plants and animals. But an outbreak of stony coral tissue loss disease threatens to destroy 20 of the 45 species found there, including larger reef-building corals.
“This disease that is burning through the Florida Keys is an unbelievable event that is happening,” said Andrew Stamper, conservation science manager at Disney’s Animals, Science and Environment. “It’s like a wildfire.” Stamper said that would endanger Florida’s fishing industry and food supply. “Unfortunately, we do not know exactly what is causing this,” he said.
In order to save the reef, scientists have moved some species hundreds of miles away to a lab in Orlando. Scientists work to simulate breeding (繁殖) conditions in the lab. The conditions are exactly the same as the living conditions of the coral. The work needs a lot of care, effort and attention to detail. LED lights exactly copy the sun and moon cycles. Volunteers feed the coral in water treated to mimic its real habitat.
“This essentially is a gene bank,” said Jim Kinsler, leader of SeaWorld Orlando. “We’re trying to protect the genetics of these corals so that their offspring(后代)can eventually be returned back to the Florida reef area.”
The task of relocating the lab-grown coral to the sea is also a detailed task. Kinsler, who is part of a team of private and public partners operating the Florida Coral Rescue Center, said, “It’s the first time that many of them have been involved in rescuing an entire ecosystem,”
“We think the real challenge is just growing them out to a size, so we can test them in those waters, test their disease resistance (抵抗力), and then breed the successful corals by the hundreds of thousands literally,” said Andrew Walker, president of the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida.
1. What do we know about the Florida Keys?| A．It owns the world’s largest coral reef. |
| B．A disease broke out among people there. |
| C．The world’s third-largest coral reef is close to it. |
| D．It is now the habitat of millions of plants and animals. |
| A．The root of the disease is unclear. |
| B．A wildfire broke out in the Florida Keys. |
| C．The disease will spread across the Earth. |
| D．The disease has caused a great loss to the locals. |
| A．Copy. | B．Contrast. | C．Escape. | D．Feature. |
| A．To restore the coral in the lab. |
| B．To sell the coral in the normal size. |
| C．To make more people involved in protecting the ecosystem. |
| D．To produce masses of disease-resistant coral back to the sea. |
