1 . In 2014, an art student from university went to Beijing Zoo. Little did he know that a chance encounter with corals (珊瑚) there would start a lifelong passion. Until today, Xu Yitang, a Beijing native, has settled in Hainan province, where he serves as a coral conservationist. For Xu, who had been studying Peking Opera since childhood, becoming a coral conservationist was an unexpected turn of events.
After he first saw corals at the zoo, he began to frequent the local market to learn about coral farming from sellers of coral products. He also learned diving and underwater photography to get a closer look at corals for research purposes. Each day, he spends several hours diving deep under the waves to observe and document the growth and development of the creatures and shares photos and videos of corals on social media platforms. His goal was to raise awareness and knowledge about corals, so that people can learn how to protect them effectively.
As he studied deeper into the creature, he learned that corals are known as “underwater gardens” of the ocean, providing a home for a quarter of all ocean life. Unfortunately, with the strengthening of the greenhouse effect, rising sea temperatures have led to coral bleaching (白化). Xu felt an increasing sense of urgency and responsibility to protect them.
While pursuing his passion to protect corals, he met his life partner, Liu Xiwen, through their shared hobby of diving in Hainan. “Unlike many young people who care about their dress and appearance, he is simply focused on protecting corals,” says Liu about Xu.“Despite his skin injury from spending long hours in the seawater, his attitude is different from what I’ve seen in most young people in Beijing, and it’s attractive to me.”
1. What can we learn about Xu Yitang from the first paragraph?| A．He majored in coral protection. |
| B．He was born in Hainan province. |
| C．He worked in Beijing as a coral expert. |
| D．He found his love for corals by chance. |
| A．To record his exploring process. |
| B．To spread knowledge about corals. |
| C．To introduce his diving experience. |
| D．To show off his photography ability. |
| A．The pollution of ocean environment. |
| B．The development of ocean farming. |
| C．The damage to underwater gardens. |
| D．The increase in ocean temperatures. |
| A．Emotional. | B．Devoted. |
| C．Public-spirited. | D．Curiosity-driven. |
2 . 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. |
3 . At one time or another, we have all wished that our animals could speak to us. But our pets do use another form of communication to tell us what they are thinking — body language. Sometimes this form of communication is easy to understand, but in some instances it can be much more complex.
Animals communicate in a variety of ways using their ears, eyes, mouth, tail, degree of muscle tension and posture. When figuring out what an animal is trying to say to us, we have to look at their overall behavior as well as what the different parts of their body are doing. We also need to consider their environment and what may be causing them to act as they are.
A wagging (摇动的) tail, for example, doesn’t always mean a happy dog. If the dog’s tail is wagging at the same time that their body is loose and their owner has just gotten home, it’s safe to assume that this is a happy dog. If the dog’s tail is between their legs and wagging while their body is bending low, ears are pulled back and they are licking their lips, this dog is more anxious and fearful. Our pets’ body language doesn’t just send us messages; our own body language sends them messages, too. It’s important to avoid staring directly at an animal or approaching them head-on — they can interpret these actions as threatening. It’s best to approach them sideways and to use your peripheral vision to look at them. Instead of leaning over an animal or reaching out toward them — which can also be seen as threatening — let them approach you when they’re comfortable.
While animals can’t speak to us using our language, they do communicate with us constantly through their body language — it’s up to us to pay attention and listen to what they’re telling us!
1. What can we know about animals’ body language from the first two paragraphs?| A．It is a difficult skill for animals to master. |
| B．People can understand it easily and clearly. |
| C．It occurs when animals communicate with humans. |
| D．People can respond to the needs of animals through it. |
| A．Straight. | B．Surrounding. | C．Tough. | D．Unique. |
| A．Walking right up to them. | B．Making an indirect eye contact. |
| C．Reaching out to them from the side. | D．Keeping a certain distance from them. |
| A．The Mystery Behind Animal’s Behavior |
| B．Difference Between Various Body Language |
| C．Body — Messenger Between Animals and Man |
| D．Animal’s Body Language: A Form of Communication |
As I stepped out of the cat and onto the unfamiliar driveway of my father’s home in Ontario, Canada. I couldn’t help but feel upset. My mother had just passed away in a car accident and now I was being forced to live with a father I barely knew.
My father was a metal sculpture artist, and I was not sure if I would ever fit into his world. Soon, I found comfort in exploring the nearby wilderness. Yet I couldn’t ignore the sadness and anger that welled up inside me when I saw a construction crew destroying a small wilderness area nearby. That’s when I came across a nest of geese eggs, abandoned and fragile.
Without hesitation, I brought them home. When the first crack appeared and a tiny head poked through, my heart swelled with purpose and affection. As they grew, the baby geese followed me everywhere. Father smiled and remarked that they surely thought me their mother.
My geese grew steadily but time was not. Father realized without a real mother’s guidance, the geese would never learn how to migrate south for the winter and winter’s arrival could be tough. That’s when my father came up with a daring plan. He was an amateur pilot, and he would teach me how to fly an aircraft. Together, we would lead the geese on their migratory journey. It was a risky plan, but I was willing to do anything to help my feathered friends.
Each day of flight training with Father, I felt myself gaining confidence m the skies. Yet with the journey approaching, more and more fear filled me. Crossing the border into the US and flying hundreds of miles to the reservation in North Carolina seemed a mission impossible.
Father gave me a supportive smile, his face reflecting a mix of determination and concern. “We’ve trained for this, and we’re a team. Just like you and your geese,” he said, placing a hand on my shoulder.
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。
Flying south, we started the migration, followed by my geese.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I said goodbye to Father in the hospital and continued the flight.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
South Koreans have enjoyed their first close-up look of new baby giant pandas at a name-revealing ceremony that is also
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
The baby pandas,
Everland said it would monitor the twins’ health
6 . I was first going into this final day, the Junior Sled Dog Championship. We’d trained two years and wanted to beat Blake. I knelt down to pat Kenai and my hands
Just before the count down started, Blake shot me a
“Kenai! No!” My voice came out a howl. Kenai
The race vet examining Kenai, I watched Blake accept the trophy. Kenai squirming in my lap, I leaned over upon him. Just at that moment, I felt a warm tongue on my wet cheek. I smiled and realized that I had the
| A．softened | B．shook | C．withdrew | D．extended |
| A．clever | B．thirsty | C．helpful | D．ready |
| A．broad | B．satisfied | C．tight | D．slight |
| A．As | B．Beyond | C．Before | D．After |
| A．pulled | B．charged | C．jumped | D．barked |
| A．cut | B．missed | C．kept | D．rounded |
| A．took off | B．flew away | C．turned around | D．bent forward |
| A．race | B．difference | C．gap | D．goal |
| A．Suddenly | B．Finally | C．Gradually | D．Occasionally |
| A．way | B．hold | C．temper | D．sight |
| A．quitted | B．insisted | C．sighed | D．froze |
| A．struggled | B．decided | C．refused | D．pretended |
| A．forcing | B．begging | C．ordering | D．persuading |
| A．took up | B．put up | C．brought up | D．wrapped up |
| A．achievement | B．companion | C．prize | D．friendship |
People say that a dog is man’s best friend. Once dogs find their “people”, they will stay by their side until the very end. Sadly, however, many families lost or even gave up their dogs.
Leo is a dog from Thailand. He became popular on the Internet because of his amazing story. About four years ago; the poor dog was left behind by his owners somewhere near a gas station. Hoping his owners would return for him, the dog never left his spot(地点).
Luckily. Leo was never truly alone. Seeing the poor thing, people there decided to help him out. Saowalak, a 45-year-old woman, took the poor dog back to her home after giving him food. However, Leo just kept on running away only to return to his old spot and wait for someone by the side of the road.
In the end, she let him but still brought over some food every day so that Leo wouldn’t be hungry.
Another person, Anuchit, also cared about Leo and decided to put some photos of the dog online to find his family. That’s when the Internet did its magic. After being put on the Internet, the photos finally reached Leo’s missing family. They called Anuchit, telling him how the dog in the pictures looked like their dog.
It turned out that Leo was their dog. They lost him back in 2015. They looked for him for a week but had little hope of finding him. They thought that they would never see him again.
The family and Leo got the chance to see each other again. But while both seemed happy to be reunited(重逢), it also seemed like something has changed with Leo. When the family asked Leo to get into the car and go home with them, Leo stopped. …
1. Did Leo become popular on the Internet because he was cute?2. Why did Leo keep on running away after Saowalak took him back to her home?
3. According to the passage, what does “the Internet did its magic” mean?
4. What did Leo decide to do next? Please write an ending for the passage. (No more than 30 words)
My story started one autumn morning, at the bend on a path.
I was 13 years old, and was on the way to school. It was the first time I had caught sight of a fox. Fascinated to the point that I forgot all fear, I dared to go up to it. I had never come so close to a wild animal. There was nobody else around, only me and the fox.
“Hey, fox!” I tried to greet it, though my voice was so weak that it felt like I was saying hello to myself. It didn’t hear me. It stayed there and I watched it. My heart was beating flat out. It was so cute. For a moment, I thought I might be able to touch it.
Throughout the day at school, I could only think of the fox at the big beech (山毛榉) tree. At my return to the place where we met, I was sure I’d find it there.
And I did. This time I gathered a little bit more courage and called out to it, “Fox!” Of course it escaped. But that only made me long to meet it again. I decided that if I could find its kennel (洞) and catch it, I would try and tame (驯服) it, making it my friend.
Thus, I spent most of my free time in the forests trying to find the fox during the following months. But I never saw it again before winter came. During the winter, I followed its footprints far across the fields. Suddenly I was alarmed by the howling of wolves near me. I ran away frightened, stumbled and hurt my ankle. It healed very slowly, so that I had to stay at home during the winter, reading a book about animals of the forest and foxes.
When spring arrived, I was free again. I looked for fox kennels and waited for my fox. To my amazement, it had got young ones but kept moving because of my observations; therefore I decided to observe the fox from a longer distance.
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:
Finally, it would let me get close.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
To my surprise, the day after I took it home, it fled.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________9 . A lot of people find it difficult to do exercise regularly, even though they know it’s good for their physical and mental (身心上的) health. Yet keeping on a workout routine doesn’t necessarily go to the gym or run around your neighborhood. Gardening is a great example of a popular hobby that can be used as a workout.
Nashville resident Tom Adkinson, 72, is on board with the idea of gardening to stay fit. He has three gardens, which he uses primarily to grow tomatoes, sweet banana peppers and okra. Like traditional exercise, Adkinson does a lot of preparation before gardening, and then he spends hours watering and weeding (除草) all three gardens, involving bending and stretching, which he compares to performing garden yoga.
“It is wise of Adkinson to do so. Even though gardening may not appear difficult, using the body in new ways can make you hurt if you don’t warm up beforehand,” said Zeller, who teaches at the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Cape May County in New Jersey.
Working in your garden just two hours a week could improve your mood. And the communal gardening, which is done by a number of people as a group in communities and schools, provides social benefits that can reduce stress and help fight against loneliness and even dementia according to studies.
“With all these benefits, gardening for fitness will be a trend (趋势) in the coming year,” announced Mandal, CEO of the fitness coaching app Future, “Our users at Future have already been asking their coaches to add gardening and landscaping activities into their routines because it’s easy to get and fit into their lifestyle.”
1. What do the underlined words “on board with” mean in paragraph 2?| A．In support of. | B．At the risk of. |
| C．Under the control of. | D．In opposition to. |
| A．Having a good rest. |
| B．Getting enough water ready. |
| C．Doing warm-up exercise. |
| D．Preparing tools for weeding. |
| A．Tips for gardening. |
| B．The benefits of gardening. |
| C．The process of garden management. |
| D．The difference between personal and group gardening. |
| A．Running. | B．Yoga. | C．Gardening. | D．Walking. |
10 . Lying in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, the fishing village Huatulco is home to nine bays, 36 beaches and thousands of baby turtles that apparently needed me. I had three open days on my calendar, and a desire to save some turtles. And so, away I went to Huatulco with Wildcoast, a group of champions-for-change who were protecting coastal and marine ecosystem in the U. S. and Mexico.
I was taken to La Escobilla to experience Wildcoast in action. Just one hour north of Huatulco, this protected beach is where mass turtle nesting happens. This natural phenomenon lasts just four days during rainy season, hundreds of thousands of female sea turtles swinging their way ashore to lay their eggs.
Between threats of dogs, crabs, development and oil spills, the little creatures have the whole world against them. As recently as 2002, turtles hunting was not only a common practice, but an important part of the culture and diet in the Oaxaca communities. Luckily, Wildcoast rescues turtle eggs and recreates habitats by monitoring temperatures and humidity. Thanks to their efforts, the sea turtles have made a major comeback, with now over 72 million turtles being born on the beaches that Wildcoast protects.
I got to hold 50 of the tiny creatures in a bowl. Despite an average laying of 100 eggs, just one in 1, 000 baby turtles will make it to adulthood. Gazing into the bowl, I so badly wanted them to taste the sea and find shelter somewhere deep in the ocean. Finally, it was time to liberate those little creatures. Out spilled the creatures, some moving full steam ahead while others barely paddled in place. Literally, hundreds of them began to spread out across the beach.
With each set of waves, we witnessed the survival of the fittest, some pushing past the whitewash while others crashed back to shore. Their fight for life made my eyes wet. A flock of birds were ready to dive into the sea for their moving targets. “One in 1, 000.” Nature was cruel and compassionate at the same time. After 30 long minutes, the last creature made his way to the sea.
1. The baby turtles are threatened by various factors except ________.| A．the cruel hunters | B．the rapid development |
| C．the extreme weather | D．the oil-polluted ocean |
| A．With slow pace and fear. | B．With all energy and enthusiasm. |
| C．With full caution and curiosity. | D．With great satisfaction and responsibility. |
| A．One baby turtle in 1,000 can make his way to the sea. |
| B．Thousands of baby turtles were crashed back to shore. |
| C．The struggle of baby turtles for life touched the author. |
| D．Baby turtles can hardly survive the harsh living conditions. |
| A．Think twice before you leap. | B．God helps those who help themselves. |
| C．Cease to struggle and you cease to live. | D．When the buying stops, the killing can too. |
