2 . A new study found some primates (灵长类) are leaving their tree homes and spending more time on the ground. Led by Timothy Eppley, Ph.D., scientists studied nearly 50 species of monkeys and lemurs (狐猴) to look at the reason behind these changes.

About 15 years ago, Eppley worked with southern bamboo lemurs, which were known to spend most of their days in the trees, feeding on bamboo leaves. However, he was surprised to find these lemurs were spending most time on the ground and had an incredibly diverse diet. He wondered whether habitat reduction and limited food resource availability were driving them move to the ground. This inspired him to begin this study.

He reached out to every researcher he could find who may have significant data on primates from Madagascar or the Americas, the two places with almost all tree-dwelling primates.

Eppley examined more than 150,000 hours of data observed on 32 monkey species and 15 lemur species at 68 sites. He found that they spent an average of only 2.5% of their time on the ground each month. But the findings showed some interesting differences.

“As habitats are degraded and the climate worsens, primates that are flexible enough to adapt because of their diverse diets or live in larger groups may be more likely to shift to life on the ground,” Eppley says. “However, other species that rely on fruit diets or live in small groups are less adaptable and are less willing to leave the tree. For these species, we will still need to enforce fast and effective conservation strategies to ensure their survival.”

Although moving to the ground has some advantages in certain situations, primates can face problems when they leave the trees. They can become victims of other animals and diseases. Besides, they will be faced with finding appropriate food resources on the ground, thus having a broad or flexible diet is important. Primates are important seed spreaders within their forest habitats. The loss of primates would lead to negative effects on the ecosystem.

1. Why did Timothy Eppley begin his study?

A．To try to make primates more adaptive.

B．To study how monkeys differ from lemurs.

C．To figure out the reason for the loss of bamboo.

D．To find out why primates are turning to the ground.

2. How did Timothy Eppley carry out his research?

A．By doing experiments.	B．By observing in the wild.
C．By studying collected data.	D．By interviewing the locals.

3. Which kind of primates are more likely to come down from trees?

A．Those eating diverse diets.	B．Those with a large size.
C．Those feeding mainly an fruits.	D．Those living in small groups.

4. What will become a concern according to the study?

A．Animals will become less adaptive.	B．The forest ecosystem will become worse.
C．More natural habitats will be lost.	D．More animal-related diseases will appear.

4 . When you throw something in the recycling bin, do you think about what it could become? And when you do, does it make you more likely to use that recycling bin? Recently, a study was conducted in an effort to decide whether or not explaining to people what their recyclables are transformed into would help increase recycling rates.

The researchers started with a group of 111 college students, asked to draw on paper before watching one of three ads.One was a public service message that showed paper going into recycling bins.The other two also showed the paper either being transformed into new paper or a guitar.After completing a survey, the students were asked to deal with the paper when they left. Half of those who saw the first ad recycled their paper, while the recycling rate jumped to 80% for those who'd seen the other ads.

After doing a few more lab experiments, the researchers headed into the real world.At a party, volunteers spoke with attendees (出席者) about recycling, with half mentioning transformed products and half keeping it general.They discovered the subject of the talks came into play.After the game, the recycling and trash bags were weighed.Those who received a message recycled over half of their waste, while those who did not recycled less than a fifth.

All this is to say that details matter.People want to know what treasures their trash can become, and when that's laid out clearly, they' re more likely to do it.Perhaps recycling companies should redesign signs to describe the items being created.Recycling is far from a perfect solution,but it doesn't hurt to manage to improve its rates.

1. What's the function of the first paragraph?

A．To lead to the main topic.

B．To reflect the author's attitude.

C．To introduce a new recycling bin.

D．1 To emphasize the benefits of recycling.

2. What does the underlined part“came into play”in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Took effect.

B．Broke down.

C．Took off.

D．Came to mind.

3. What does the author advise recycling companies to do?

A．Sign the names on the items.

B．Find perfect ways of recycling.

C．Examine the details of items.

D．Show the transformation of waste.

4. In which column of the website does the text probably appear?

A．Sports and games.

B．Travel and tourism.

C．Entertainment and recreation.

D．Science and human life.

5 . Time is running out for coral reefs as the climate gets hotter. So scientists are searching the globe for corals that are better at enduring heat, Now, new research shows how those “super corals” can survive: less roommate drama.

Reefs depend on a crucial partnership between the corals and the algae (海藻) that live in the corals’ tissue, The algae make food for the corals using sunlight and in exchange, get a nice spot to live. But when oceans heat up, that relationship goes bad, and the corals kick the algae out, Without their roommates, corals can die, turning a ghostly white, bleached (白化) color.

Still, some corals seem to resist bleaching better than others, A new study shows that those corals depend on algae that are better at tolerating heat. Researchers hope that pinpointing these abilities will help develop new conservation tools to preserve the world’s reefs as temperatures rise. About 1/4 of all marine life rely on coral reefs in some way, along with half 1 billion people around the world also depend on reefs for their food and livelihoods.

“Heat stress can kill a lot of corals really fast,” says Kate Quigley, a research scientist at James Cook University and the Minderoo Foundation in Australia. “I hope that nature does have some mechanisms to get us through the next few years while we get our act together.”

While the hope is that those algae could also aid in reef conservation in the future, researcher Patrick Buerger says it’s likely that it wouldn’t help all coral species. And even the toughest corals can only endure so much. Currently, the world is on track for just under 3degrees Celsius of warming by 2100, a level that would wipe out nearly all coral reefs.

“The action has to be on climate change,” he says. “This is a short-term solution that might buy some time for corals to adapt. But the main focus has to be on climate. There’s not a silver bullet to the problem.”

1. What is the feature of super corals?

A．Sun-loving.

B．Long-living.

C．Good-looking.

D．Heat-bearing.

2. What can algae get from the corals?

A．Habitat.

B．Food.

C．Sunlight.

D．Friendship.

3. What do the figures in paragraph 3 indicate?

A．The population of marine life.	B．The importance of coral reefs.
C．The seriousness of global warming.	D．The living conditions of coral reefs.

4. What does Patrick think of using heat-resistant algae in reef conservation?

A．It is useless

B．It is the last hope.

C．It is temporary.

D．It is the silver bullet.

6 . The Twenty-three-year-old Mumbai girl Vidhi Bubna is offering India’s first and only diving grant to explore the marine ecosystem.

Vidhi’s first diving experience turned out to be a heartbreaking one. While she expected a lot of colors underwater as she had seen on TV, Vidhi came across all white corals (珊瑚), which means they are almost dead from being bleached (褪色).

“It was very sad and I just started crying after coming out of the water,” she says.

Vidhi, an economics graduate from Ashoka University, did not enjoy working with numbers and turned to writing about social issues, including women’s rights and minority issues.

As an adventure lover, Vidhi went diving to explore the underwater beauty last year. Her disappointment at seeing dying corals led to the start of Coral Warriors, anon-profit organization that aims to raise awareness of marine protection and climate change.

“Nobody knows about climate change till they see it,” Vidhi says. The Mumbai-based organisation offers India’s first and only diving grant. The grant sponsors level-one scuba diving education in any location of their choice in India. While there is no specific standard, Vidhi says the selection process is strict, choosing candidates who are passionate about climate change and seeing that they do something of their choice. Four candidates have been awarded the grant so far and the organisation hopes to find at least five people every year.

“After the candidates return, we expect them to work on a climate change project of their choice, create communities, and work to create awareness and drive action-centric projects,” she explains.

Prior to starting coral warriors, Vidhi was hosting free online workshops to spread awareness of marine biodiversity and climate change, and has reached about 5, 000 people through them.

As a next step, Vidhi is planning to work on documentaries with high-quality underwater images and videos, considering not many can afford or have the courage to go diving to see what is happening underwater.

1. How did Vidhi feel on her first diving?

A．Excited.

B．Upset.

C．Awesome.

D．Awkward.

2. Why did Vidhi set up Coral Warriors?

A．To focus more attention on social issues.

B．To further explore the underwater beauty.

C．To fuel people’s enthusiasm for adventure.

D．To make an appeal for marine conservation.

3. What are candidates expected to do?

A．To help promote people’s sense of community.

B．To choose whatever they are passionate about.

C．To meet specific and strict selection standards.

D．To undertake activities relevant to climate change.

4. What will Vidhi do to protect marine biodiversity?

A．Ahoot documentaries.	B．Tackle climate change.
C．Encourage people to dive.	D．Host free online workshops.

8 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What is the speaker trying to do?

A．Introduce Earth Day.

B．Organize a party.

C．Promote a volunteer job.

2. Where can the participants meet?

A．At West 36th Street & West River Parkway.

B．At East 44th Street & West River Parkway.

C．At East 45th Street & West River Parkway.

3. What are the participants required to do?

A．Bring their own gloves.

B．Bring their own lunch.

C．Go there with a parent.

9 . Coming upon a clear - cut in an old forest is a shocking experience. Tees large and small are collapsed one above the other in pile, and the ground is covered with the tracks of heavy machinery. Such was the scene when forest activist Zack Porter and I hiked a newly built logging (伐木) road in Green Mountain National Forest.

Clear - cutting in the American forests has long been widespread. But now, the Forest Habitat Creation Project represents new reasoning which is hotly debated - that clear - cutting benefits native creatures. The thinking is that clear - cutting done wisely can mimic natural disturbances, for example, from insect invasions or from storms overturning older trees that produce what ecologists call Early Successional Habitats - places where young trees and bushes get the upper hand and animals that depend on such habitat thrive.

The project also states that forests “can only be saved by being destroyed” - by keeping them young. Timber (木材) interests are enthusiastic about the approach because it lets them profit from cutting trees while claiming the significance of conservation. Hunting groups favor it because a younger, less thick forest makes it easier to find the game and birds they're tracking.

Nevertheless, Porter says, “Allowing some of the oldest standing trees in New England to be removed is equal to dereliction of duty on the part of the government, who sees the forests as commodities (商品).” “Forests can produce clean water, clean air, carbon storage, and biodiversity that we need,” he continues as we walk among lovely mixed hardwoods and evergreens that are cut down for logging. “We shouldn't be removing them for short - term gain.”

In this sense, Zack Porter's description of logging for wildlife for short - term gain - the short - term gain of favoring habitat for species people today want to see and hunt - is reasonable.

1. How does the author start the text?

A．By presenting some ideas.	B．By listing some evidence.
C．By comparing different views.	D．By stating his own experience.

2. Which argument does the Forest Habitat Creation Project hold?

A．Profits can be made from logging.

B．Clear - cutting is beneficial to the wildlife.

C．The conservation of forest is of significance.

D．Clear - cutting can cause natural disturbances.

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

A．Fulfillment.

B．Promise.

C．Misconduct.

D．Exposure.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．A New Approach to Forest Protection

B．A Hiking Experience in the Logging Road

C．How to Build Early Successional Habitats?

D．Is Clear - cutting Forests Good for Wildlife?

10 . For more than 100 million years sea turtles (海龟) have covered huge distances across the world’s oceans, making them among the oldest creatures on the planet. However, they are on the list of endangered species.

Different from some animals like snakes, the sex of the baby sea turtles, called hatchlings, is determined by the environment after fertilization (受精). The temperature of the eggs during a certain period of development is the deciding factor in determining sex, and small changes in temperature can cause very big changes in the sex ratio (比例). Often, eggs at low temperatures (22—27℃) produce males, while eggs at higher temperatures (30℃ and above) produce females. At temperatures in between, both sexes will be produced. If temperature reaches 36℃, no hatchlings will be produced.

Climate change has a powerful effect on turtle nesting (筑巢) sites. It changes sand temperatures, which then affects the sex of the hatchlings. Scientists have found that unusually warm temperatures caused by climate change are upsetting the normal ratios, resulting in fewer male hatchlings. The past four hottest summers in Florida have seen only female sea turtles. And an Australian study has shown a similar effect in which 99% of the hatchlings are female.

In addition to rising temperatures, turtles are also facing the threat of too much plastic in the oceans, along with a number of other threats. “Plastic pollution is a problem for turtles as they can mistake plastics for food easily. Even a single piece of plastic can kill a turtle,” Dr Couper, working at the Queensland Museum, said. “We have collected some plastics taken from turtles’ stomachs to show people what kinds of things are showing up on beaches. I want it to be an eye opener.”

1. Which temperature is good for a balanced sex ratio of turtle hatchlings?

A．26℃.

B．29℃.

C．31℃.

D．36℃.

2. What can be inferred from paragraph 3?

A．Sea turtles will build their nesting sites elsewhere.

B．Global warming is an extreme threat to sea turtles.

C．Climate change is much more obvious in Australia.

D．Over 90% of the turtle hatchlings are female globally.

3. What does Dr. Couper intend to say?

A．Turtles do not have enough food sources.

B．Turtles do not have a good sense of smell.

C．People should clean up beaches more often.

D．People should raise environmental awareness.