第二部分 阅读 (共两节, 满分 50 分)

第一节 (共 15 小题; 每小题 2.5 分, 满分 37.5 分)

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的 A、B、C、D 四个选项中选出最佳选项。

A

Berlin Marathon: Runner’s Guide

Registration & Qualification

Registration for the Berlin Marathon is primarily done online via the official website. Participants must be at least 18 years old on race day. Entry is guaranteed for runners who meet the qualifying times or secure a spot through the lottery(抽签) system. The lottery registration period typically opens in late October and closes in mid-November.

Qualifying Times

To avoid the lottery, runners can achieve the following qualifying times in an official marathon within the last two years:

Men(under 40) : 2.45 hours or faster

Women(under 40) : 3 hours or faster

Runners over 40: Qualifying standards are adjusted, allowing slightly more time.

Race Kit & Expo

All runners must personally collect their race kits, including the bib(号码布) number and timing chip, at the Marathon Expo held days before the event. A government-issued photo ID and registration confirmation are required for collection. The expo is also where last-minute registrations and purchases of official goods take place.

Course & Facilities

The flat and fast course is known for enabling personal bests. Aid stations offering water and drinks are located every 5 kilometers. Medical points and temporary toilets are available along the route. Participants are advised to familiarize themselves with the course map beforehand.

21. What guarantees a runner to enter the Berlin Marathon?

A. Having prior marathon experience.

B. Securing a charity entry for the marathon.

C. Registering early before the lottery closes.

D. Meeting their age group’s qualifying standards.

22. What must all runners do at the Marathon Expo?

A. Submit a recent medical certificate.

B. Provide IDs to collect their race kits.

C. Purchase official products personally.

D. Register for the race at the last minute.

23. What is the main purpose of this guide?

A. To cover the Berlin Marathon.

B. To advocate for sportsmanship.

C. To encourage tourism to Berlin.

D. To provide essential information.

B

I was eleven the first time I saw Jane. The three of us kids came home from school, and there she was, barely a year old, wrapped in our mother’s arms.

It wasn’t unusual to come home to strangers in the house. Our parents hosted an emergency safe house for children taken in by social services. The kids would stay with us anywhere from a week to a few months. Usually, we were a short-term stop before they returned to their biological parents or got adopted.

Jane stayed with us for two and a half years. No other child stayed that long or developed such a strong emotional bond with us.

When a childless couple adopted her, they promised we would stay in her life. They would treat us like extended relatives, inviting us over for holidays. We trusted them.

When she left, Jane screamed for days. She woke in the night, crying for my father. The adoptive parents called us and said this was too hard. And it got worse every time we visited.

A few months into the adoption, we ate a tense dinner together. Jane cried through the meal, then through the goodbyes. And why shouldn’t she? Her family was walking out of the front door, getting into the car, and leaving without her.

After that, the parents stopped answering our calls. They turned cold and distant. Then, one day, they sent us an email, saying that Jane needed a clean break. No more visits. No reminders of her past life.

It couldn’t have been an easy decision. These parents were trying to protect her from the pain and confusion of the change. But years of attachment don’t just disappear, no matter how old you are.

Losing Jane forever changed the way I think about family. It’s led me to believe that kinship (亲属关系) isn’t just about claiming each other, or ’belonging’ to each other. It’s a web of both visible and invisible care. It’s a tapestry (绣帷) made by people who lean in, love, and let go.

The old cliché(老话) says you don’t choose your family. When folks use it, they’re usually talking about biological kin. But when you’re a child, it’s true whether or not you’re talking about blood relatives.

24. What was the special role of the author’s parents?

A. They worked as full-time social workers.

B. They provided long-term adoption services.

C. They offered a temporary home for children.

D. They organized community volunteer events.

25. Why was the dinner described as "tense" in paragraph 6?

A. Jane’s behavior made both sides uncomfortable.

B. Jane’s bad mood destroyed her appetite for food.

C. The adoptive parents regretted having adopted Jane.

D. The author’s family refused to take Jane back.

26. How did the adoptive parents behave eventually?

A. They kept the promises they had initially made.

B. They cut off contact and erased the girl’s past.

C. They frequently invited the author’s family over.

D. They maintained a strong connection with her past.

27. What does the author conclude about family?

A. It is easily replaced by new ties.

B. It is strengthened by frequent visits.

C. It is defined by blood and legal ownership.

D. It is a lasting bond even beyond separation.

C

Two-thirds of all irrigated(灌溉的) agriculture in the world is likely to be affected in some way by declining glaciers and dwindling snowfall in mountain regions, driven by the climate crisis, aceording to a UNESCO report.

More than 1 billion people live in mountainous regions and, of those in developing countries, up to half are already experiencing food insecurity. That is likely to worsen, as food production in such regions is dependent on mountain waters, melting snow and glaciers(冰川), according to the World Water Development Report 2025. Developed countries are also at risk: in the US, for example, the Colorado River basin has been in drought since 2000, and higher temperatures mean more water falls as rain instead of snow. Rain runs off much faster than melting snow, making dry conditions even worse.

The largest three-year loss of glacier mass on record occurred in the past three years, according to separate research from the World Meteorological Organization, with Norway and

Sweden among the worst-affected areas. Eastern Africa has lost 80% of its glaciers in places. Glaciers in the Alps, the worst affected in Europe, have shrunk by about 40% over roughly the same period.

The decline of glaciers has had a further impact, added Abou Amani, director of water sciences at UNESCO. "Glaciers melting have an impact on the reflectivity of (solar) radiation and that will impact the whole climate system," he warned. More avalanches(雪崩) will also occur, as rain falling on snow is a major factor behind avalanche formation. Pooling water from melting glaciers can also be released, causing sudden floods in valleys or to people living further down the side of the mountain.

These impacts are coming at a time when many food sources are already under pressure. Alvaro Lario, president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development and chair of UN-Water, called for more support for people who live in affected mountain regions. "Water flows downhill, but food insecurity rises uphill. Mountains provide 60% of our freshwater, but the communities that safeguard these vital resources are among the most food insecure," he said.

28. What does the underlined word "dwindling" in paragraph 1 mean?

A. Increasing.     B. Wasting.     C. Decreasing.     D. Changing.

29. What factors contributing to food insecurity are mentioned in the passage?

A. Declining glaciers and more avalanches.

B. Dry conditions and rain falling on snow.

C. Climate impacts and lack of modern irrigation technology.

D. Dependence on glacier-fed water and stressed food sources.

30. Why does the author list the figures in paragraph 3?

A. To predict future trends of glacier melting.

B. To stress the severity of global glacier loss.

C. To call for policy in the worst-affected regions.

D. To list the decline of glacier in different regions.

31. What is a suitable title for the text?

A. Melting Glaciers, Rising Hunger

B. Climate Change, Water Shortage

C. Threats to Mountain Communities

D. Flood Risks from Melting Glaciers

D

The human interest with watching others-whether through reality TV or overheard drama -is often dismissed as curiosity. But new research suggests this urge may be a social survival tool dating back millions of years.

To explore the origins of social curiosity, Laura Lewis, a psychologist at the University of California, and her colleagues studied how human children between four and six years old from San Francisco’s Bay Area and adult chimpanzees responded to certain videos showing members of their respective species. The results show that both groups preferred watching social interactions over scenes involving individuals-even giving away small rewards to see the former.

"These findings demonstrate that social information is important, rewarding and valuable for humans and other primate(灵长类) species," Lewis says. "It suggests that social information was also important for our shared primate ancestors and that for millions of years it has been adaptive for primates to gain social information about those around them."

Another recent study explored peer-watching behavior in long-tailed macaques(猕猴). Both female and male macaques showed more interest in aggressive(好斗的) interactions than in peaceful brushing, and both paid more attention to videos of familiar individuals. The study’s lead author, Liesbeth Sterck, a primatologist at Utrecht University, says the latter behavior mirrors the way humans are drawn to the social lives of people they recognize-whether family, friends or movie stars. Interest in aggressive interactions, which are likely to reveal shifts in dominance or signal potential threats, supports findings that humans are especially aware of watching conflict in media. "Keeping track of the power balance in your own group likely has prime value for primates, including humans," Sterck says.

Gillian Forrester, who studies comparative cognition(认知) at the University of Sussex, says social attention is key to maintaining a good reputation. In ancient humans and other primates, reputational damage can bar access to food and mates, cause physical conflict and, in extreme cases, lead to potentially deadly rejection. With so much at risk, primates developed to keep a close eye on group members. "Modern humans maintain this sharp attention to other people’s social interactions as an evolutionary adaptation," Forrester says–so people watching might just pay off.

32. What did Laura Lewis and her team find in their study?

A. Children learned to become more social by watching others.

B. Chimpanzees showed more interest in watching individuals.

C. Children and Chimpanzees needed rewards to watch videos.

D. Children and Chimpanzees preferred watching social scenes.

33. Why are macaques and humans interested in aggressive interactions?

A. To chase the latest social trends.

B. To discover changes and threats.

C. To explore the social lives of friends.

D. To demonstrate their power over others.

34. What does Gillian Forrester find about reputational damage?

A. It affects human’s ability to find food.

B. It is mainly caused by physical fights.

C. It can lead to serious results like being excluded.

D. It can be avoided as primates value group harmony.

35. What is the main idea of the passage?

A. Reality TV satisfies human curiosity.

B. Social curiosity is developed in childhood.

C. Primates share similar behaviors with humans.

D. People-watching has deep evolutionary origins.