1 . On Christmas Eve, two little ducks were found frozen on a pond in Smithville, Ohio. They flapped their wings, fruitlessly struggling to free themselves on the ice until two locals spotted them and helped set the animals free. The two ducks were later named Olaf and Elsa, characters from Disney’s Frozen, and sent to an animal rescue organization.
“Every year in springtime, particularly at Easter, many people buy ducklings on impulse as gifts, often for their kids. People associate baby animals like ducklings, chicks, and bunnies with springtime,” says John Di Leonardo, an anthrozoologist. “But months later, animal rescuers routinely see a rise in abandoned ducks in local parks and ponds.”
Elsa and Olaf’s tough situation highlights the reason why domestic ducks always show up in local parks and ponds. Assuming they can live, their case is pretty similar to going to Yellowstone National Park and seeing a wolf and such like. “Oh, if this wolf can live well, my dog can do too,” says Adison Smith, president of Wasatch Wanderers Animal Rescue. “Those ducks lack hunting instincts, and many quickly starve to death or fall sick. A majority cannot fly because of small wings. They don’t migrate, so they can’t survive winter. They’re literally sitting ducks for predators (捕食者),” John Di Leonardo adds.
Since the issue is largely due to a lack of awareness, Adison Smith has started a campaign and hung more than 50 signs in a dozen cities to remind parkgoers that getting rid of pet ducks tends to be disastrous to them and can be illegal by the state law, “Our goal is to get the problem at its source,” Adison says. Most people tend to buy ducklings at stores for less than a dollar each, or kids take them home from school hatching projects.
“Though most abandoned ducks live short, miserable lives, Olaf and Elsa are an exception — they’ll spend their remaining days at Lasa Sanctuary in Wooster, Ohio, in a shelter with other ducks, clean hay, and protection against predators,” John Di Leonardo says.
1. Why did Olaf and Elsa appear on a frozen pond on Christmas Eve?| A．They starred in the film Frozen. | B．They practised their hunting skills. |
| C．They escaped from an animal shelter. | D．They were abandoned by their master. |
| A．Animals share a lot in living habits. | B．Pet ducks are less adaptable in the wild. |
| C．Yellowstone is a great place for wildlife. | D．Animals can get along well with each other. |
| A．Increasing the selling prices of ducks. |
| B．Reminding people to save our resources. |
| C．Educating people about the animal protection. |
| D．Appealing for the establishment of new animal laws. |
| A．Dangerous. | B．Easeful. | C．Restricted. | D．Exhausted. |
2 . For the first time in about 100 years, a rare bird called the takahē is walking freely along the Lake Whakatipu Waimaori Valley in New Zealand after 18 captive birds were released into the wild. The area is also home to a Maori tribe called Ngai Tahu, which has spent years campaigning for the birds to return to their land. The Maori are New Zealand’s Indigenous people (first people known to live there), and they consider the takahē bird to be “taonga”, meaning a treasure.
Takahē are large, round, flightless birds with red legs, and they have lived in New Zealand since prehistoric times. Like many New Zealand birds, takahē evolved to be flightless because there were no mammals to compete with. When Europeans arrived in New Zealand, however, predators such as cats and ferrets were introduced and killed off many flightless birds. Takahē were declared extinct in 1898, but a small number of the birds were discovered in 1948 in a remote part of the Murchison Mountains.
Since then, conservationists have been trying to restore the takahē population in captivity. They gathered the bird’s eggs in order to keep the chicks safe from predators. The chicks were raised by volunteers, who fed them while wearing sockpuppets on their hands to imitate the parent birds. There are now about 500 takahē birds in captivity. Several pairs of adult birds have been released into the island’s sanctuaries and national parks. Experts will monitor them to see how they adapt to their new environment. If everything goes well, they hope to release seven more birds this month and 10 young birds next year.
Ta Tipene O’Regan, an elder of the Ngai Tahu tribe, helped to release the birds. He told The Guardian newspaper, ”There are few things more beautiful than to watch these large birds running back into lands where they haven’t walked for over a century. ”O’Regan said, “It’s an absolute joy. ”
1. As for Maori people, takahē are ______.| A．valuable | B．dangerous | C．adaptable | D．entertaining |
| A．Big bodies | B．Long time captivity. |
| C．Native people’s protection. | D．No competitors. |
| A．Eggs. | B．Predators. | C．Baby birds | D．Parent takahē. |
| A．Native Birds back in the Wild | B．A Big Joy of Maori Tribes |
| C．Rare Eggs Protected by Volunteers | D．Distinct Mammals in New Zealand |
3 . For many years, the Caribbean island of Redonda was a bare (光秃秃的) rock with very little wildlife on it. Thanks to local environmental groups, it has now returned to its former state and was recently named a protected area by the government.
Redonda was once a peaceful place for wildlife. In the 17th century, people set foot on the island for the first time and found that guano (海鸟粪) produced by seabirds was useful to help farm crops grow. Humans began to mine the guano, and with the people came goats and black rats—invasive (入侵的) species.
Although humans eventually stopped collecting guano and left the island, the goats and rats stayed behind. They ate many of the island’s plants and preyed on other species, eventually leaving Redonda a plantless landscape. Without plants, birds began to fly away from there and some of the soil broke into pieces and then into the sea.
In 2016, conservationists started a project to help the island and its wildlife recover. They began by removing the invasive species. Within months, the island’s plants began to grow back on their own. As the environment gradually became healthier, species that were native to the island began to appear again.
The new protected area, the Redonda Ecosystem Reserve, includes the island itself plus the sea around it, including seagrass field and a coral reef. Conservation groups will ensure that the island is protected from other invasive species, and strict rules about fishing in the area will be put in place.
1. What can we learn about the island Redonda now?| A．It is full of strange rocks. | B．It isn’t peaceful again. |
| C．It is a protected place. | D．It has little wildlife. |
| A．Helped. | B．Hunted. | C．Protected. | D．Removed. |
| A．Living in harmony with seabirds. | B．Rules to protect the environment. |
| C．The reasons for protecting plants. | D．One island’s unusual comeback. |
4 . Salmon are cold-water fish, so they can get quite stressed when swimming up increasingly warm rivers to spawn (产卵). A new study shows that by installing ”cooling stations” in those rivers, we could help the threatened fish make the trip.
While global warming is causing river temperatures to rise, spawning salmon still get some “breath” at what are known as shelters. These are places where cool water from underground springs flows into the main river, bringing the water temperature down.
However, due to the effects of climate change, natural shelters are becoming less common and making less of a difference. With that problem in mind, hydrology PhD candidate Kathryn Smith and her colleagues from Canada’s Dalhousie University set about creating human-made shelters. Two such shelters-an active one and a passive one were tested in rivers in the province of Nova Scotia this summer.
The active shelter used a pump (泵) to deliver cool groundwater from an urban well into a warm stretch of river, creating a cooling water flow which extended at least 60 meters downstream. In the passive shelter, a covered trench (沟渠) was used to direct water from a meander (曲流) back into the main river. During the time the redirected water was blocked from the sunlight, its temperature dropped accordingly.
Even when these shelters cooled the water by only a few degrees, spawning salmon could easily gather in these areas. What’s more, greater numbers of the fish gathered at the stations during a heat wave.
Smith is now planning on scaling up the technology for more extensive testing. She is presenting her research this week at the Geological Society of America’s GSA Connects 2023 meeting in Pittsburgh.
1. What problem are salmon faced with?| A．Rubbish in the river is increasing. | B．Fishermen catch them without limit. |
| C．Rivers are getting warmer and warmer. | D．The temperature of rivers remains unchanged. |
| A．How salmon behave in shelters. | B．How the two shelters work. |
| C．The terrible effect of climate change. | D．The high price of building the shelters. |
| A．The shelters made a big difference. | B．Salmon preferred to travel in groups. |
| C．Salmon liked to spawn in clean water. | D．The shelters heated the water quickly. |
| A．Entertainment. | B．Health. | C．Sports. | D．Environment. |
5 . Since the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was passed in 1973, it has helped hundreds of species avoid extinction in the United States. The strong conservation policy has been used as a model in other countries. But it’s not as successful as it could be, a new study finds.
Researchers have discovered most species are not being protected until their numbers have become so low that their chance of recovery is slim.
“The ESA is an incredibly powerful, ambitious law for protecting our endangered wildlife. Yet, for decades, the agency primarily responsible for operating the ESA — the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) — has been starved of resources,” lead author Erich Eberhard says.
“As a result, we are very slow to give species the protection that they deserve. We typically wait until species are extremely rare and thus at extreme risk of extinction, and then, when a species is finally listed, the USFWS is straining its resources to try to recover it.”
In 1993, a study found that few species received protection under the ESA until their populations became very small. For the new study, researchers repeated the methods used in the earlier research to see whether protections have become better since the problem was first noted. They also looked at trends in “wait times” — the amount of time between when a species is identified as potentially needing protection and when it actually receives protection under the ESA.
“Our analysis suggests that, in the nearly 30 years since attention was first brought to this problem, we have not become more active in protecting endangered species,” says Eberhard.
The researchers found that the population sizes of species when they first became protected under the ESA are not statistically different from those in the 1993 study. They also discovered that there are long wait times between when a species is identified as likely needing protection and when they actually receive them.
“I can say that our study paints the current state of the ESA as a bit of cautionary (告诫的) tale for the strong conservation policy,” says Eberhard.
1. What problem does the USFWS have protecting endangered species?| A．It takes ineffective measures. | B．It is lacking in resources. |
| C．It can’t get timely information. | D．It is an irresponsible organization. |
| A．To try out new ways to protect endangered species. |
| B．To find out the exact number of endangered species. |
| C．To check the time needed to save endangered species. |
| D．To see if endangered species have been better protected. |
| A．It found out many more endangered species. |
| B．It pointed out the direction for the USFWS to act on. |
| C．It proved the role of the public in conservation. |
| D．It showed some effective ways to protect animals. |
| A．The USFWS Needs Stronger Laws |
| B．The ESA Has Achieved Great Success |
| C．New Conversation Laws Are on the Way |
| D．Endangered Species Act Isn’t Working Well |
6 . With more and more people swimming at beaches every year, the problem of sharks takes on new importance. There are people who still insist that sharks never attack human beings unless they are bleeding or wounded, but this thought has not been clearly proved. In the past few years, on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, there have been cases of shark attacks which resulted in death. And just how many of the swimmers who have disappeared were victims of shark attacks will never be known. Clearly, these violent fish can be dangerous. Several species are known to attack human beings, and it is believed by some experts that certain sharks, once having tasted human blood, develop a taste for it.
The chances that one will come across a shark are small, but certain measures should be taken by everyone. Putting hands or legs over the side of a boat in warm water is to be avoided. Swimming far out from beaches is inviting trouble. No swimmer should go great distances from shore alone, or go into the water when nobody else is about. Skin divers, particularly those who go deep down in the water or among rocks and ledges(暗礁) that serve as hiding places for sharks, are taking unnecessary risks.
If one is in a boat that is rubbed against by a shark, he should remember the creature is not trying to upset his boat; it is probably trying to rub off sea lice (海虱). A beat, especially on the nose, will scare it away. If a swimmer comes across a shark, he should swim away as quietly as possible, trying to avoid making it angry. He should also head for shore (岸) as quickly as possible.
1. What should be done if a shark rubs against your boat?| A．Stir up the water. | B．Shout and scream. |
| C．Kick the shark. | D．Hit it on the nose. |
| A．Certain sharks will become interested in human blood when they have tasted it. |
| B．Certain sharks will hate human blood again after they have tasted it. |
| C．Certain sharks will taste human blood every day after they have tasted it. |
| D．Certain sharks will lose sense of taste when they have tasted human blood. |
| A．Places with sea lice in water. | B．Somewhere near the beaches. |
| C．Among the rocks and ledges. | D．It isn’t mentioned in the passage. |
| A．Some people don’t think sharks will attack human . |
| B．It’s impossible for swimmers to run into sharks. |
| C．Swimmers should be very careful about sharks. |
| D．It’s safe to swim alone far away from the bench. |
7 . This heart-warming video shows how a young woman gained the trust of an abandoned rabbit.
25-year-old Alicia Castro spent all day trying to
Tons of people knew the rabbit was there! A few said they
| A．tease | B．catch | C．teach | D．bully |
| A．deserted | B．caged | C．abused | D．treated |
| A．warm | B．realistic | C．natural | D．freezing |
| A．claimed | B．pretended | C．agreed | D．attempted |
| A．disappointed | B．guilty | C．puzzled | D．delighted |
| A．nervous | B．complicated | C．confused | D．excited |
| A．invitation | B．trust | C．promise | D．permission |
| A．drop | B．roll | C．climb | D．break |
| A．process | B．performance | C．personality | D．perspective |
| A．behavior | B．support | C．comfort | D．advice |
| A．dominating | B．cheering | C．persuading | D．rescuing |
| A．letting down | B．driving away | C．giving up | D．worrying about |
| A．walking | B．working | C．watching | D．getting |
| A．Hopefully | B．Eventually | C．Consequently | D．Virtually |
| A．rank | B．memory | C．luxury | D．worth |
My husband Erik and I had promised the kids a Labrador puppy.
I’d seen the ad at the local hardware store. “Thirteen puppies in all, “Sally, the owner, said when I called. ”There’ re only three left. “I decided to take a look the next day. The boys jumped and shouted excitedly as I copied down directions and hung up the phone.
Early the next morning, still discussing names, we wound our way through the mountains to meet our family’s new best friend. Our boys had simple names: Ike, Sam, Ben, and Dom, so they Preferred simple names like Rosy ,too. Finally, we met the sweet little dog. ” Rosy, “the boys called it softly. Our little puppy cocked her head. ” She likes it,“they cheered and set about making Rosy comfortable for the long drive home. They offered her a chew toy and lifted her up so she could see out the window. They took turns holding her in their arms lovingly and offered her a snack.
Though small, Rosy grew strong and healthy beneath her shiny black coat. And, just as I’d hoped, she was a calming addition to our houseful of noisy boys. But something was wrong. “It’s like she doesn’t know how to play,” Sam commented one day after school. “Dogs have different personalities, just like people,”I said. “Besides, she’s still very young. ” “But her legs aren’t very long, and one eye is smaller than the other,”Ike added, trying to make sense of why Rosy was different from other puppies he’d met.
I looked across the room to where Rosy sat between the boys. The last golden rays of autumn sunshine shone brightly on her face. Sure enough, one eye was misshapen. Not only that, it didn’t glint (闪光) in the afternoon light. I drew in a breath. Rosy, our puppy with a name as short as her four little legs, was blind in one eye.
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。
Everyone in the room became serious and sad.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Surprisingly, the boys refused to give the little puppy back.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________9 . The beautiful city of Montreal, Canada, is these days receiving negotiators, scientists, environmentalists and political leaders from all corners of the world to agree on a framework to halt and reverse nature loss by the end of this decade. One of the heated discussions in Montreal is about conserving 30 percent of the world’s land, freshwater and oceans by 2030.
The history of mankind as of the end of the 20th century has been a story of development at the expense of nature. Now, in order to restore nature, we need to mobilize the citizens of the world for win-win solutions to the crisis.
First suggestion, if we want to create harmony between man and nature, we need to win the hearts and minds of the local people. One of the shining examples is Rwanda, which, though a small, landlocked (内陆的) country in Africa, has one of the most immensely beautiful landscapes I have seen anywhere in the world. It has been incredibly successful in increasing the number of previously threatened gorillas. If you’re a tourist, you pay a significant amount of money to see Rwanda’s gorillas. And that creates a fantastic economy for the taxi drivers, the hotel staff, the teachers and the tourist guides in the neighborhood of Volcanoes National Park. That means that no one in the neighborhood will kill a gorilla for bush meat (野味). The local residents there are the first line of defense for the gorillas, because it is a crucial source of income and a big job creator in the region. It’s a win-win solution.
Second suggestion, we need to ask businesses to participate. In the past, business was a force of destruction for nature. Jobs came from destroying the beautiful landscapes on Earth. In other words, we created economic development by destroying nature. Now, in the 21st century, we can create economic growth and restore nature at the same time. Indonesia stopped deforestation last year, thanks to a combination of good government policy and good business practice. RGE, a paper, pulp (纸浆) and palm oil company, develops huge harvests.
Third suggestion, we need to work with citizens at large. In India, the chief minister of conservation a reason the island of Sumatra and protects as much of the green trees as it the big state of Madhya Pradesh is planting one tree every day to inspire 80 million people in his state to do likewise.
1. How do local residents in Rwanda try to earn their income?| A．By attracting tourists there. |
| B．By treating tourists with bushmeat. |
| C．By raising and selling wild animals. |
| D．By replacing forests with a lot of farmland. |
| A．Stop believing in something. |
| B．Change something to the opposite trend. |
| C．Consider something in order to make a judgment. |
| D．Describe something so that it can be understood. |
| A．Business has a negative effect on economy. |
| B．Business suffers from nature conservation. |
| C．Business can contribute to the protection of nature. |
| D．Business has the potential to improve people’s health. |
| A．Every Effort Counts to Preserve Nature |
| B．How to Conserve 30 Percent of the World’s Land |
| C．Ways to Create Harmony between Man and Animals |
| D．Man’s Story of Development at the Expense of Nature |
10 . In December, the intense cold turns dripping water into ice within seconds. Yet, 63-year-old Ren Jianguo gets up early before 5 am every morning to sprinkle (撒) 150 kilograms of corn on the river banks to make sure thousands of migratory birds have enough energy to make it through the winter. Over the past 26 years, Ren has been one of many volunteers protecting migratory birds on Changbai Island, where local residents label him as “Uncle Bird”.
For Ren himself, a cottage near the riverbank has almost become his “second home”, a place from which he can observe the dynamics of the birds, provide help for injured birds, educate the public about bird conservation and, after a long day of work, light a fire and enjoy a warm meal. Winter is the busiest time for Uncle Bird. When the harsh season makes it difficult for birds to find food, he calls for donations or sometimes even pays for the food himself to guarantee their survival during the winter. “I simply want this to be a warm and welcoming place for birds when they choose to stay here for a temporary rest,” he said.
A report in 2021 shows that many migratory birds have changed their habit of just passing through China as they head to the Pacific Ocean or South Asia for the winter. Instead, more and more are choosing to spend winter within China’s wetlands. However, when Ren settled in the city in the 1990s, only hundreds of migratory birds would come every winter. Since then, China has stepped up protection of wetlands and nature reserves by introducing new regulations and high technology.
“Thirty years ago, it was impossible to see more than 8,000 birds together in the urban area. But now, thousands of the birds attract an increasing number of tourists every year. As long as they choose to stay in this city, there should be people to take care of them. However tough it is, I will stick to my choice and try to raise public awareness,” Ren said.
1. Why is winter the busiest time for Mr. Ren?| A．He has to receive more tourists. | B．He must treat more injured birds. |
| C．He needs to feed more migratory birds. | D．He is more engaged in observing birds. |
| A．Long distance. | B．High technology. |
| C．Food shortage. | D．Improved environment. |
| A．Migratory Birds Boost Tourism |
| B．“Uncle Bird” Devoted to Bird Protection |
| C．Great Achievements in Wildlife Protection |
| D．Environmental Impacts on Bird Migration |
