Unit 2 Let’s celebrate! 单元练习 2025-2026学年高中英语外研版必修第二册

Unit 2　Let’s celebrate!

Ⅰ.阅读理解

A

Since childhood,Federico Pardo has been crazy about animals.This early passion drove him to study biology in university,where he also picked up film-making skills.It wasn’t until he worked on a monkey-themed film that he found a way to combine the two passions.Now,by telling the stories of the most endangered monkey species in Amazon,Pardo uses a documentary exhibition as a means to bridge the gap between urban audiences and the jungle.In recent years,deforestation has posed a great threat to monkeys,with some species having less than 3,000 individuals in the wild.This is why Pardo created the exhibition.“I want people to see them up close—their hands,their tails,in their playful,sleeping,and feeding moments.”

The exhibition is a multi-part journey.First is an educational introduction of four endangered primates(灵长目动物).Audiences then slowly make their way into the immersive(沉浸的) components.They walk through a special passage full of sounds and smells to the multimedia jungle,which is actually a big projection theater.Here,Pardo’s 28-minute film plays on all the walls,showing threats like a leopard hunting monkeys.Many visitors are teary-eyed and offer to help.Each ticket contributes to planting a tree in the monkeys’ habitats,transforming people’s experience into touchable efforts.

However,filming monkeys in nature is quite a formidable task.Pardo has to stay on a platform among forest leaves,braving extreme heat and humidity,and the mosquitoes eager for a bite.But Pardo sticks it out for a special moment.“When you see the monkeys in the trees,you will be amazed at their beauty.”

The success of the past year’s exhibitions has helped plant roughly 8,000 trees across the region.But Pardo’s ambitions don’t stop here.Lastly,his team is thinking through Colombia’s first-ever monkey tourism route.They envision tourists traveling around the country to see these endangered monkeys,supporting local tourism initiatives.“I’m hoping by sometime next year,I can do the first trip myself and visit some of these locations.”

1.What motivated Pardo to hold the exhibition?

A.His concern about endangered monkeys.

B.His academic background in university.

C.The monkey films he made before.

D.The desire to explore nature.

2.What does Pardo do with the exhibition income?

A.He shows the monkey’s development.

B.He adds enough educational content.

C.He donates the income to protect monkeys.

D.He tracks a group of monkeys in the jungle.

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

A.Inspiring.　　　　　　B.Challenging.

C.Efficient. D.Strange.

4.What is Pardo likely to focus on in future?

A.Continuing tree planting.

B.Hosting a wildlife exhibition.

C.Constructing a monkey habitat.

D.Establishing a monkey tourism route.

 

B

If you enjoy goofing around and annoying your loved ones,you’re not alone:Four kinds of great apes have been found to engage in playful teasing.Great apes are a family of primates(灵长目动物) that are very closely related to humans,so this discovery could shed light on how a sense of humor and playfulness emerged in people.

The new study focused on chimpanzees,bonobos,western and eastern gorillas,and Sumatran orangutans.These apes were “excellent candidates” for this study because

they “engage in social play,show laughter,and display relatively sophisticated understandings of others’ expectations,” said Isabelle Laumer,the study’s lead author.

The researchers watched videos of 34 apes living in zoos.They looked for examples of teasing behavior,defined as an ape(the “teaser”) trying to provoke a response in another specific individual(the “target”).In 75 hours of video,they found 142 examples of playful teasing.All four kinds of apes engaged in the behavior.Examples included poking another ape,pulling on their hair,or waving in the middle of their field of vision.If there was no response to the action,the teaser would keep trying to provoke the target into responding.

The animals typically engaged in the behavior when they were calm and relaxed,indicating that their actions were not meant to be aggressive.In most cases,a juvenile ape was teasing an older adult,which is similar to the way human children tease others.

Discovering teasing in great apes suggests that the basic foundations in the brain for this behavior first appeared in an ancestor common to humans and these great apes at least 13 million years ago.Laumer hopes this study will inspire further research into playful teasing in animals,which could lead to a better understanding of where this behavior comes from.“We also hope that this study raises awareness of the similarities we share with our closest relatives and the importance of protecting these endangered animals,” she said.

5.Why were the four kinds of apes chosen as “excellent candidates”?

A.They are better than other apes.

B.They are very intelligent.

C.They have a sense of playfulness.

D.They are closely related to humans.

6.What can we learn about the apes in the study?

A.Young apes always teased the elders.

B.Their teasing meant no harm to others.

C.The teaser stopped teasing if the target didn’t respond.

D.Their behavior often involved unexpected actions.

7.How did Laumer probably find the study?

A.Helpful. B.Regretful.

C.Fruitless. D.Ground-breaking.

8.What’s a suitable title for the text?