1 . In the early 1990s, Ashok Kumar and I ran TRAFFIC-India, an organisation that worked to stop illegal wildlife trade in India. That was when the first letter from the famous American conservationist (自然环境保护主义者), George Schaller, arrived on our desk. Tibetan antelopes were being killed in their thousands, he wrote, and their wool (毛) was taken illegally to India. “No use in India for antelope wool,” we wrote back, not knowing the seriousness of the illegal trade here. Schaller sent us back pictures to prove it and asked us to begin a Tibetan investigation.

We dug around and found that Schaller was right. We realised that antelope wool was the same as shahtoosh, the famous Kashmiri shawl (披肩). The shawl was made from the underwool of Tibetan antelopes, considered the warmest and softest wool in the world. A single shawl needed the wool of three to five antelopes. We had to save the animal.

Then began India’s first campaign (运动) to protect Tibetan antelopes. A lot of designers and models joined us. Slowly, the message was being driven home: shahtoosh was out of style, shahtoosh was illegal and alternative (可替代的) shawls would save the antelopes from extinction.

There were, of course, those who tried to buck the campaign. The wife of a well-known army officer of India refused to give up her shahtoosh till she was forced out of it. She said: “I know the lovely antelope is dying and I so want to save it. But, the shawl is so light on my shoulders!”

Someone suggested farming the antelopes, but studies showed that it was an impractical idea. The antelopes could not even survive in low altitude zoos. The underwool is nature’s gift to the animal to keep it warm at great heights. Later, we set up a business to process high quality pashmina wool and make an alternative shawl.

In 2000, good news came in from China. With strict policies in place, the number of Tibetan antelopes was on the rise again.

1. What did the author think of the antelope wool trade Schaller mentioned at first?

A．It wasn’t true.	B．It wasn’t unusual.
C．It was a serious matter.	D．It was difficult to deal with.

2. What can be inferred about India’s first campaign to protect Tibetan antelopes?

A．It got a lot of support.	B．It was unacceptable to models.
C．It failed to achieve its purpose.	D．It was brought to an end by Ashok Kumar.

3. What does the underlined word “buck” in paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Lead.

B．Fight against.

C．Change.

D．Keep up.

4. What measure did India take to save Tibetan antelopes?

A．Cutting down the shawl business.

B．Asking farmers to raise antelopes.

C．Stopping keeping antelopes in zoos.

D．Encouraging the use of pashmina wool shawls.

2 . 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。

Huang Shunjie might have the best job in the world. The 24-year-old is     1     panda photographer and zookeeper. Huang spends each day     2     (look) after 18 baby pandas at the Giant Panda Protection and Research Center in China. He prepares their meals, checks on their health and       3     (carry) them between their sleeping pens and their public enclosure (围场).

“I can get very close to the baby pandas,     4     makes many people jealous (忌妒的),” Huang says.

Any job       5     (certain) has downsides. In Huang’s case, it’s the regular scratches (抓伤) he gets from the 45 - to 55-pound bears. But it’s a small price to pay to spend each day with the cute pandas.

“I’m a full-time daddy for these baby pandas,” says Huang. “If I take some       6     (day) off to go home, I feel empty inside.”

For many years, giant pandas were one of the world’s most endangered creatures as construction destroyed their     7     (nature) habitat in bamboo forests.

But populations have recovered in recent years due     8     programs to help pandas breed (繁殖). Today, there     9     (be) 1,864 pandas in the wild, up from only 1, 114 in the 1970s, according to China’s National Forestry and Grassland Administration. Two-thirds of     10     (they) live across 67 nature reserves.

3 . A six-year-old longing to keep a unicorn in her backyard figured she’d get the hard part out of the way first.

Last November, Madeline wrote a letter to the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control with a straightforward request. “Dear LA County, I would like your approval if I can have a unicorn in my backyard if I can find one. Please send me a letter in response.”

Director Mayeda replied two weeks later. The department does in fact license unicorns, she said, under certain conditions. Those include polishing the unicorn’s horn at least once a month with a soft cloth, feeding it watermelon at least once a week, covering it with only nontoxic and biodegradable sparkles and giving it regular access to sunlight, moonbeams and rainbows. And, because unicorns are indeed very rare to find, the department is also giving Madeline a toy unicorn to keep her company during her search, as a token of appreciation.

“It is always rewarding to hear from young people who thoughtfully consider the requirements of providing a loving home for animals,” Mayeda wrote in the letter. “I like your sense of responsible pet ownership to seek permission in advance to keep a unicorn in Los Angeles County.”

Mayeda told the Washington Post that this is the first time the department has received a request for a license for a unicorn or any mythical creature. They were impressed with the first-grader for wanting to ask permission in the first place, and doing her research to work out how to go about that. She and her colleagues deal with a lot of “life-and-death” issues on the job, whether that’s seeing cases of animal abuse or animals hurting people or making decisions about having to put down dangerous or sick animals. So Madeline’s letter has considerably brightened their spirits, and she is due to visit the department this week to discuss her unicorn license application. Safe to say, she’s in for a magical surprise.

1. Why did Madeline write the letter?

A．To apply to visit a unicorn.	B．To learn to provide animal care.
C．To ask permission to keep a pet.	D．To figure out how to find a unicorn.

2. What can we learn from paragraph 3?

A．Her application was disapproved.	B．Requirements should be met for the license.
C．She was presented with a live unicorn.	D．Guidance was given for her search.

3. Which of the following best describes Mayeda?

A．Imaginative.

B．Sensitive.

C．Flexible.

D．Convincing.

4. Why does the department think the letter “has brightened their spirits”?

A．Because it is the first application letter for a pet.

B．Because animal protection is a life-and-death issue.

C．Because they are worn out with their daily work.

D．Because they are touched with the girl’s deeds.

4 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What is mentioned in the woman’s book?

A．Truth about dragons.

B．Extinction of dinosaurs.

C．Size of sharks.

2. For what reason does the man want to buy the woman an animal?

A．To keep her company.

B．To celebrate her birthday.

C．To develop her responsibility.

3. Why doesn’t the man want to buy a dog?

A．It’s too big for the house.

B．It’s too expensive for his family.

C．It’s too difficult for the woman to take care of.

4. What will the speakers probably do in the end?

A．Read a book.

B．Buy a mouse.

C．Take a lesson.

5 . Researchers were interested in the rock iguanas(鬣蜥) on the Exuma Islands which are often fed grapes by tourists. They were curious about how this high-sugar food might have influenced the iguanas’ health. Over the past two decades, the remote islands have seen a big increase in the number of tourists. Just 25 years ago, some of the islands had zero to 20 visitors a day. Now they receive more than 200 tourists each day.

The team collected 48 rock iguanas: 24 from islands that tourists don’t visit and 24 from islands frequently visited by tourists. They collected blood samples and found the iguanas from the islands where tourists frequently fed them had the highest glucose level. The researchers say the findings how possible health issues could affect the iguanas’ long-term survival, which leads to health concerns.

“A visitor to these islands would never doubt that the iguanas were doing fine. They are big, active, and plentiful on islands visited by tourists. These phenomena(现象) are possibly concealing internal health problems that can cause a rapid decrease in population, so we need to watch the activity closely and find out ways to deal with these problems,” said Chuck Knapp, an author of the study.

“We also hope that the finding will lead to a scientific way that also protects people who depend on tourism. Many tour operators show the wildlife to visitors, and our research can be used to inform strategies that area win-win for wildlife and tour operators,” said Knapp.

“The rock iguanas face many threats to their existence, such as loss of habitat and climate change. Many of these threats are very difficult to deal with, but controlling the influence of human activities like feeding is a simple way we can help the species,” says Falon Cartwright, the director of science and policy at Bahamas National Trust.

1. What is mentioned about the rock iguanas on the Exuma Islands?

A．They are short of natural food at present.

B．They are dying out due to tourists’ feeding.

C．They have more contact with humans nowadays.

D．They have a peaceful and free life in their living place.

2. What does the underlined word “concealing” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Examining.

B．Hiding.

C．Showing.

D．Preventing.

3. What’s the meaning of the research finding according to Knapp?

A．It ensures the rapid development of local tourism.

B．It raises public awareness of cutting pollution.

C．It solves the health problems of most rock iguanas.

D．It helps perfect plans for protecting wildlife and tourism.

4. What does Falon Cartwright advise people to do?

A．Find a new home for the iguana species.

B．Offer more food choices to the rock iguanas.

C．Take measures to slowdown climate change.

D．Change human behavior to reduce harm to wildlife.

6 . When the European Commission’s LIFE program first brought together more than 20 organizations in 2002 to rescue the lynx ( 山 猫), the species had all but disappeared. Widespread hunting and a virus had wiped out ( 彻底消灭) most of the Iberian Peninsula’s European rabbits, the lynx’s main prey (猎物).

Lynx breed in captivity ( 圈 养) easily, however. Near one main release location, Iberian lynx have even learned to live in neighborhoods, in olive groves (橄榄树丛), and around highways.

“Thanks to the work carried out over the last 20 years, the number of lynx has increased greatly,” says Francisco Javier Salcedo Ortiz, regional coordinator of the Iberian lynx recovery plan.

But the cat’s not out of danger just yet. Its thousand-square-mile territory is a collection of five — soon to be seven — isolated ( 孤   立   的) groups. For Iberian lynx to fully recover, they must be able to travel from one group to another, ensuring the species’s long-term health by diversifying gene pools. That’s why the next stage of the LIFE project will focus on creating at least 10 6-square-mile areas of rabbit-rich habitat, which act as passageways among the existing lynx groups. Scientists selected these habitats based on predictions of where lynx are most likely to travel. For instance, lynx prefer to take the shortest paths through undeveloped habitats, and avoid broken-up areas of farmland.

The cat is popular, even among farmers and landowners, but a few view lynx as pests and occasionally will poison them for supposedly harming domestic animals. Illegal killings make up nearly 25 percent of annual lynx deaths on the peninsula, the second highest cause of non-natural death, after vehicle strikes. That’s why education is the “best tool to improve the lynx population,” says Maribel García Tardío, lead technician for Andalusia’s Iberian lynx recovery plan. She and her colleagues regularly meet with landowners and hunters, explaining how lynx rarely kill larger domestic animals.

The Iberian lynx is one of 33 small-cat species, many of which are endangered or threatened. These animals have long been eclipsed by their bigger cousins such as lions and tigers, but lately people have begun to recognize the world’s little-known cats.

1. Which of the following words can best describe the Iberian lynx according to paragraph 2?

A．Active.	B．Adaptable.
C．Funny.	D．Dangerous.

2. What is the aim of the next stage of the LIFE project?

A．To free existing lynx from hunger.

B．To set up a gene pool of existing lynx.

C．To turn some farmland into lynx habitat.

D．To help existing lynx connect with each other.

3. What does Maribel García Tardío do to increase the lynx population?

A．She educates landowners and hunters regularly.

B．She works to reduce vehicle strikes in lynx habitats.

C．She suggests separating lynx from large domestic animals.

D．She clears up the misunderstanding between landowners and hunters.

4. What does the underlined part “eclipsed by” in the last paragraph mean?

A．Confused with.	B．Protected from.
C．Keeping step with.	D．Living in the shadow of.

7 . Most boyhood dreams are never realized, particularly if you grew up in the 1960s and desired to become Tarzan of the Apes. But that is not the case for young Fred Bercovitch. His dream of swinging from jungle vines (藤蔓) and communicating with chimps and elephants began when he read Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan books. These books attracted him to the jungles of Africa and eventually brought him before a United Nations conference where he advocated helping save giraffes.

Bercovitch answered the call of the wild in 1978. He flew to Kenya to live close to a group of olive baboons (狒狒), which he hoped would result in a doctoral paper about their reproduction. Denise, his classmate, accompanied him. Their two-year adventure in the wild resulted in a Ph.D. in biological anthropology (人类学) from UC, Los Angeles for Bercovitch and some astonishing stories.

It was his time at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance that brought him worldwide recognition when a study he conducted was featured as one of the Top 100 Science Stories of 2002 by the magazine Discover. As head of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s Behavioral Biology Division, he documented the social habits of giraffes. “We found giraffes behaved pretty much like people who attend parties. Some talked to a few friends, some enjoyed communicating with strangers, and others were looking for pleasure together,” said Bercovitch.

To confirm that giraffes behave in the same way in the wild, Bercovitch flew to Zambia and consulted with a researcher with 30 years of data on giraffes. He ran the researcher’s data through a complex computer program and confirmed giraffes’ social preferences are the same in the wild as they are kept in a limited space.

As a professor at Kyoto University since 2010, Bercovitch has published more than 150 scientific papers in an effort to advance the understanding of animals. He wishes for a better world for humans and animals to live in, which is far less violent.

1. What was young Fred Bercovitch’s dream?

A．Saving giraffes.	B．Working for the UN.
C．Exploring the wildlife in the jungle.	D．Writing books about animals.

2. How did Fred Bercovitch complete his doctoral paper?

A．By conducting a field study.	B．By performing lab experiments.
C．By referring to previous documents.	D．By turning to biological anthropology professors.

3. What can be known about giraffes from Bercovitch’s research?

A．They are socially active.	B．They show a gift for self-defense.
C．They prefer to live in a limited space.	D．They are strict followers of social rules.

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

A．The charm of the jungles of Africa	B．The key to amazing academic success
C．Fred Bercovitch’s adventure in the wild	D．Fred Bercovitch’s devotion to his childhood dream

8 . 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

37 years ago, Recep Mirzan found on his farm a swan with     1     broken wing. He carefully put it in his truck and drove it to a nearby clinic immediately. After proper     2     (treat), he took it home and named it “Garip”, which     3     (use) to describe an unlucky person in Turkish. Since then, they have lived together and never separated

“Since I loved animals, I said to     4     (I) that I should take it home instead of     5     (leave) it to foxes,” Mirzan recalled the day he rescued the swan.

After its wing recovered, Garip spent most of its time out of the pen and made no attempt     6     (run) away. Instead, it made friends     7     the cats and dogs in the neighborhood and accompanied Mirzan when he was working around the farm or going out for his evening walks.

“It has chosen to stay at my side,” says Mirzan,     8     is now 63 years old. “It is very loyal and I consider it as my child.

    9     (obvious), living with Mirzan has been beneficial for Garip. According to the UK-based Swan Sanctuary, the average lifetime for a swan in the wild is about 15 years. In protected environments, it can live up to 30 years. But Garip is more than 37 years old now. It is much     10     (long) than the average.

9 . 阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空，在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个适当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

Several mass extinction events have occurred in the course of our planet’s history. Scientists say that previously the     1     (reason) for extinction have varied, but human actions will be to blame for the sixth extinction which has already started to happen. It is clear that human activity negatively affects almost every natural thing on Earth from destroying different species of plants and animals     2     creating various types of greenhouse gases. In fact, species are being wiped out at a     3     (fast) rate now than any time in history.

10 . When your child begins to beg for a pet, you may draw back at the thought of the additional responsibilities. Parents usually think of all the work and responsibility having a pet could bring about.     1    

● Teach responsibility.

A family pet can help show children the importance of proper care in keeping their new friend happy and healthy.    2     Give your child a sense of responsibility by having them help meet these needs, whether they feel like it that day or not.

● Encourage exercise.

If you’ve ever been forced to keep up with a young dog or cat, you know how tiring it can be!    3     By encouraging your child to play with his or her pet, both of them will get the exercise they need to sleep soundly and live healthy and happy lives.

    4    

Teaching your child how to “play nice” with and show affection to another living being is an essential first step toward developing lifelong empathy (共情) for others. Learning how to be a good friend with a pet will teach one how to be more open and friendly to other people as well.

● Be practical.

While the benefits of pet ownership are clear, pets are definitely not for everybody. Raising pets requires a large amount of work and responsibility. You’d better make sure the whole family is aware of the requirement that come along with the pet.     5     It’s best to introduce the potential pet to your child before bringing him or her home to ensure that there is a healthy connection.

A．Treat others well.

B．Form a close bond with a friend.

C．Pets are great for helping "“break the ice”.

D．But you can use the pet’s energy to your advantage.

E．Also, some pets can be very aggressive with children.

F．All pets need to be fed, given fresh water, and exercised regularly.

G．However, allowing kids to keep a pet can teach you both some important lessons.