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.

2. What is the main purpose of SMART drumlines?

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.

3. What does the underlined word “notifies” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Frightens.

B．Checks.

C．Informs.

D．Prevents.

4. What is the best title for the text?

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

2 . Many years ago, I was a student at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. I had an evening class that was a fifteen-minute ________ from my dorm. No one in my dorm was taking the same class, so I walked to and from class alone, ________ in the dark.

One evening, I ________ two very large, black Doberman Pinschers following about twenty feet behind me. I have always been an animal love r and I have never been ________ of dogs, so I stopped walking, turned around, and talked to them. They ________ to come to me and when I tried to walk toward them, they backed up, keeping their ________. They were not threatening in any way as they did not growl (低吼) or flatten their ears — the way dogs do when they are about to ________. They just wouldn’t allow me to get close to them.

For weeks, every time I walked to this particular class, the two dogs appeared and ________ me. I was very ________ with the situation, even though the dogs would not interact with me.

One night, a car with three young men slowly ________. They were loud, ________ my attention. When the young men got out of the car, I felt a sense of ________. As they walked toward me, before I had time to react, the two Dobermans charged and barked at them. You never saw three people get into a car so ________ and pull away!

I spent the rest of the semester searching for those heroic dogs. ________, after that night when I needed their ________, my guardians never reappeared.

1.

A．flight

B．drive

C．walk

D．sail

2.

A．returning

B．surfing

C．rolling

D．staging

3.

A．left

B．noticed

C．heard

D．minded

4.

A．proud

B．fond

C．tired

D．afraid

5.

A．decided

B．agreed

C．refused

D．preferred

6.

A．distance

B．pace

C．sight

D．control

7.

A．run

B．play

C．bark

D．attack

8.

A．bit

B．ignored

C．greeted

D．followed

9.

A．patient

B．comfortable

C．flexible

D．disappointed

10.

A．went off

B．passed down

C．pulled up

D．sped away

11.

A．escaping

B．drawing

C．losing

D．reflecting

12.

A．unease

B．regret

C．relief

D．anger

13.

A．straight

B．late

C．fast

D．hard

14.

A．Gradually

B．Particularly

C．Strangely

D．Occasionally

15.

A．protection

B．patience

C．permission

D．position

3 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What did the viewer find in the background of the weather report?

A．A video game.

B．A family photo.

C．A sleeping dog.

2. Where did people see the photo the viewer took?

A．On TV.

B．In a pet store.

C．On social media.

3. How did people respond to the photo shared on social media?

A．They felt sympathy for Evan.

B．They supported what Evan did.

C．They asked Evan to be more serious.

4. What did Evan start showing off?

A．His pets.

B．His fans.

C．His office.

4 . Since childhood, London-based artist Josh Gluckstein has been fascinated by the incredible diversity of our planet’s wildlife and inspired to make sculptures of animals from found materials. He often uses abandoned or recycled materials like clothing from junk shops or wood from old furniture. An important aspect of his practice is concern for the environment. “I have traveled through Asia, Latin America and East Africa, and have been fortunate enough to have some incredible wildlife encounters,” he says. “However, on my travels, even in the most remote locations, I was shocked by the huge amounts of plastic waste.”

Mach of the garbage that washes up on shorelines around the world is due to an unregulated (未受监管的) system in which richer countries export waste to developing countries because it is often cheaper than developing better infrastructures (基础设施) to handle it. Many of the thousands of shipping containers exported each year are often dumped illegally.

“I remember going to the Galapagos Islands and visiting a beach famous for a large population of sea lions. It was indeed incredible to see them in the wild, but on every inch of sand not covered by sea lions, there were plastic bottles and cans. It was a heartbreaking sight. I knew I wanted to create artworks that didn’t create waste or harm our planet,” Gluckstein says.

Gluckstein hopes his works will raise people’s awareness about the importance of protecting endangered species. His new series called “Gold” focuses on illegally hunted animals by applying gold leaves to their bodies. He plans to donate some of the sales of his sculptures to the world Wide Fund for Nature.

1. What do Gluckstein’s sculptures focus on?

A．Fashion.

B．Animals.

C．Sports.

D．Travel.

2. What does the underlined word “dumped” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Poured,

B．Protected.

C．Sold.

D．Used.

3. What does Gluckstein mainly want to say in paragraph 3?

A．Where he has toured.	B．How sad he was.
C．How he found sea lions.	D．Why he created eco-friendly sculptures.

4. What does Gluckstein expect of his works?

A．They can bring him financial benefits.

B．They can make him famous as an artist.

C．They can help protect endangered animals.

D．They can improve people’s ability to appreciate art.

5 . The animal kingdom is dotted with species that give birth to spotted young, from deer to birds and fish. Even species that we don’t typically associate with spots, such as lions, wear the pattern as babies, only to lose it later in life.

But what purpose do these spots serve, and why do only some species seem to have them? Kiyoko Gotanda, a biologist at Brock University, said it is likely so common because spots are useful in keeping babies hidden from their enemies.

Spotted young tend to be more common in species that live in habitats with some three-dimensional structures, Gotanda noted, and less common in environments that are uniform or featureless. Indeed, baby seals born on pack ice are pure white, and develop spots only when they leave the ice for rocky beaches. But in habitats with some cover, spots function as the sunlight passing through leaves or tall grass, making an animal hard to be discovered in its background.

“It is not as overt a pattern as something like a stick insect that becomes something else entirely, which can be clearly identified. But spots do create these three-dimensional effects that help some species hide better,” said Gotanda.

In other rarer cases, spots actually help babies stand out. Young garibaldi — orange marine fish found along the coast of California and Mexico — have bright-blue spots that advertise their lowly status to highly territorial (有地盘意识的) males. As the fish grow and start to engage in the social order, their spots fade.

In fact, many species grow out of their spots, and the reasons aren’t entirely understood. According to Gotanda, patterning is typically considered more energetically costly to produce than a single, solid color. But spots don’t take a lot of energy to grow and maintain at least in the case of white spots. There must be other reasons to explain their loss, he said.

1. Where are spotted baby animals more likely to appear according to Paragraph 3?

A．In the desert.

B．On the ice.

C．In the forest.

D．In the lake

2. What does the underlined word “overt” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Obvious.

B．Strange.

C．Hidden.

D．Complex.

3. Which statement might Gotanda agree with?

A．Animals with spots on the body are more energetic.

B．Spotted animals often exist in uniform surroundings.

C．The growth of animal spots will consume lots of energy.

D．There are more to explore about the loss of animal spots.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．How Are Spots Protecting Baby Animals?

B．Why Do So Many Baby Animals Have Spots?

C．Where Can You Find Baby Animals with Spots?

D．What Causes the Loss of Spots on Baby Animals?

6 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

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.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

James buried Oliver near their favorite spot on the shore, marking it with a wooden cross.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。

1. What does the man ask the woman to do for the dog?

A．To feed it.

B．To bathe it.

C．To walk it.

2. Why does the woman refuse to have a dog?

A．It is too noisy.

B．She has no room for the dog.

C．She can’t afford a dog.

3. Who’d like to have a cat at home?

A．The man.

B．The woman.

C．The woman’s mother.

4. What kind of a pet does the man feed finally?

A．A rabbit.

B．A parrot.

C．A cat.

8 . Slobodchikoff, a biologist who has spent years working to better understand the calls of dogs, used that knowledge to help people who were having trouble with their pets.

A man reported his dog wanted to bite him. So Slobodchikoff went to the man’s house. He watched as the owner walked over to the dog, towered over the pet and then said, “Good dog!” in a low-pitched(音高) voice. “The dog ran into a corner,” Slobodchikoff recalled. The owner had scared the dog. Slobodchikoff recommended that the man should do the opposite. The owner took that advice—and ended up developing a great relationship with his pet.

Not everyone has the time to study dog communications or the money to bring in an expert. Slobodchikoff thinks tech could help. He thinks a cell phone app or device that you could point at a dog. This would record video and audio(音频) of a dog’s behavior and then upload it.An artificial intelligence(AI)system would later analyze it.

The AI “ would translate this for you into English or any other language,” says Slobodchikoff. The result, he explains, may be something like “‘I’m hungry’ or ‘I need to go outside to pee’ or ‘I want to go for a walk.’”

To train the AI system, Slobodchikoff planned to get data directly from pet dogs, but for some reason, he hasn’t yet restarted the project to date, but hopes to soon.

Search an app store for a pet translator and you’ll find plenty. Some are completely unscientific and silly. MeowTalk, however, is a cat-translation app based on an AI model. In 2021, its creators reported that the AI model achieved 90 percent accuracy at identifying nine different emotional states in meows. These included angry, happy, hunting, pain and rest. The app picks conversational phrases based on these emotions, like “nice to see you,” or “let me rest.”

People who have tried the app say it doesn’t always work well. But better translations of barks and meows may be just around the corner.

1. What might the man do to calm the dog?

A．Tower over the pet dog.	B．Follow the dog to the corner.
C．Give the dog delicious food.	D．Speak in a high-pitched voice.

2. What is the function of the AI system in Slobodchikoff’s view?

A．To analyze data.	B．To train a dog.
C．To record a dog’s behavior.	D．To collect data from a dog.

3. What can we know about MeowTalk?

A．It can communicate with cats.	B．It can judge cats’ state of mood.
C．It can store 90 conversational phrases.	D．It can be used to track pet cats.

4. What is mainly talked about in the passage?

A．A biologist’s puzzle.	B．Slobodchikoff’s achievements.
C．Trials of animal translator technology.	D．The invention of Slobodchikoff.

9 . 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.

2. What can be learned from the university report?

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.

3. Which is closest in meaning to “bizarre”in paragraph 5?

A．Strange.

B．Beautiful.

C．Loud.

D．Sharp.

4. What does Sean Dooley think of Anthony Albrecht’s project?

A．Crazy.

B．Amusing.

C．Uncreative.

D．Helpful.

10 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

South Koreans have enjoyed their first close-up look of new baby giant pandas at a name-revealing ceremony that is also     1     early celebration of the 100 days since the twins’ birth.

What to name the twin sisters was widely discussed among netizens after they were born on July 7 in theme park Everland. The names were     2     (ultimate) decided on through two public voting     3     (procedure). One is named Rui Bao, which means wise treasure, and the other is Hui Bao or shining treasure. Half a million panda lovers helped choose their names with a handful of lucky fans     4     (invite) to the ceremony. “They are even     5     (cute) in real life than they appear on screen,” said a college student in attendance.

The baby pandas,     6     have just begun teething and crawling, are very healthy. Everland has shared videos documenting the pandas’ growth online. The twins’ birth has gained 640,000 views since it     7     (upload). “This feels like a great opportunity to call for better     8     (preserve) of pandas,” said Donghee Chung, head of the park’s zoo. Chung noted that between 40% and 50% of panda births result     9     twins.

Everland said it would monitor the twins’ health     10     (determine) when the twins are ready to be open to the public.