Skeptics are a strange lot. Some of them refuse to admit the serious threat of human activities to the environment, and they are tired of people who disagree with them. Those people, say skeptics, spread nothing but bad news about the environment. The “eco-guilt” brought on by the discouraging news about our planet gives rise to the popularity of skeptics as people search for more comforting worldviews.
Perhaps that explains why a new book by Bjorn Lomborg was so popular. That book, The Skeptical Environmentalist, declares that it measures the “real state of the world” as fine. Of course, another explanation is the deep pockets of some big businesses with special interests. Indeed, Mr Lomborg’s views are similar to those of some industry-funded organizations, which start huge activities through the media to confuse the public about issues like global warming.
So it was strange to see Mr. Lomborg’s book go largely unchallenged in the media though his beliefs were contrary to most scientific opinions. One national newspaper in Canada ran a number of articles and reviews full of words of praise, even with the conclusion that “After Lomborg, the environmental movement will begin to die down.”
Such one-sided views should have immediately been challenged. But only a different review appeared in Nature, a respected science magazine with specific readership. The review remarked that Mr. Lomborg’s “preference for unexamined materials is incredible”.
A critical eye is valuable, and the media should present information in such a way that could allow people to make informed decisions. Unfortunately, that is often inaccessible as blocked by the desire to be shocking or to defend some special interests. People might become half-blind before a world partially exhibited by the media. That’s a shame, because matters concerning the health of the planet are far too important to be treated lightly.
1. According to the passage, which of the following may be regarded as “skeptics” ?| A．People who agree on the popularity of “eco-guilt”. |
| B．People who disbelieve the serious situation of our planet. |
| C．People who dislike the harmful effect of human activities. |
| D．People who spread comforting news to protect our environment. |
| A．The book challenges views about the fine state of the world. |
| B．Some big businesses intend to protect their own interests. |
| C．The author convinces people to seek comforting worldviews. |
| D．Industry-funded media present confusing information. |
| A．find fault with Lomborg’s book | B．voice a different opinion |
| C．challenge the authority of the media | D．point out the value of scientific views |
| A．To show the importance of presenting overall information by the media. |
| B．To warn the public of the danger of half-blindness with reviews. |
| C．To show special interests of some big business. |
| D．To encourage the skeptics to have a critical eye. |
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【推荐1】Most people update their electronic products these days on a regular basis, not because they aren't made well and need replacing, but because technology is so advanced that a newer model often appears on the market a year later and consumers like to have the latest if they can afford it! This means that there's a mass of still working, but outdated, electronic items that can't simply be thrown in the bin due to the harm they can cause to the environment once they start to break down.
Some people will simply throw away their old products without a thought, while others will either give it away to a friend or make some money by selling it through an Internet shopping site, such as eBay and the like.
Those in the recycle computers and electronics business are onto a good thing as disposing of e-waste becomes a must and a socially-conscious world decides to clean up their act.
| A．More environmentally-aware people will find an electronic recycling unit to take it off their hands. |
| B．Reducing electronic waste causes a reduction of poisonous elements in the atmosphere. |
| C．Also the amount of resources available in the materials thrown away is enormous. |
| D．They may suddenly find themselves with hundreds of old cell phones, etc. |
| E．It also offers economic and environmental opportunities for the future. |
| F．So they may end up sitting forgotten in a drawer and taking up space. |
| G．They have positive attitudes towards reusing and recycling. |
【推荐2】Google’s data centres and the offices for its 60,000 staff will be powered entirely by renewable energy from next year,in what the company has called a “landmark moment”.The internet giant is already the world’s biggest corporate buyer of renewable electricity,last year buying 44% of its power from wind and solar farms.Now it will be 100%,and an executive said it would no longer refuse to invest in nuclear power in the future.
Oman said it had taken Google five years to reach the 100% target,set in 2012,because of the complexity involved with negotiating power purchase agreements.The company’s biggest demand for energy is its data centres and it admits their overall thirst for power is growing.
Google was now looking to sign 10-year agreements for low-carbon power that was constant,such as hydro,biomass and nuclear.“We want to do contracts on renewable power,it could be biomass if the fuel source is steady and enough,it could be nuclear.We’re looking at all forms of low-carbon generation.”
But he said new nuclear power was “controversial”,the possible safety consequences were much more “dramatic” than with renewable sources,and the price was “much more difficult to guarantee” than when funding solar panels and wind turbines.“We don’t want to refuse to sign a nuclear agreement if it meets our goals of low price,safety,and other factors.We don’t want to rule that out,but today we can’t positively say there are nuclear projects out there that meet this standard,”he said.
The company’s 100% renewable energy does not mean Google is getting all its energy directly from wind and solar power,but that on an annual basis the amount it purchases from renewable sources matches the electricity its operations consume.
1. A “landmark moment” for Google refers to .| A．its efforts in saving energy |
| B．its growing demand for employees |
| C．its progress in using renewable energy |
| D．its becoming the world’s biggest company |
| A．Negotiations of agreements. | B．High consumption of energy. |
| C．Shortage of energy. | D．Tight budgets. |
| A．Nuclear power is an ideal choice. |
| B．Solar and wind power is not safe enough. |
| C．It’s unwise to invest solar and wind power. |
| D．Google is unlikely to use nuclear energy soon. |
| A．To show Google’s profit goal in global market. |
| B．To talk about Google’s new move to use energy. |
| C．To recommend a new kind of renewable energy. |
| D．To urge the public to use renewable energy. |
【推荐3】The earth gives us life.
The earth lets us breathe.
| A．However, there are ways to help our planet not become worse so rapidly! |
| B．The earth is so useful that we can’t live without it. |
| C．It gives us food, water, shelter and natural beauty. |
| D．The minute a life is lost, forgiveness is not possible. |
| E．If you take good care of the earth, it will surely pay back. |
| F．The human beings that care for it and love it deserve what our planet provides us with. |
| G．If everyone did just that and cared creatures all over our world wouldn’t’t be endangered. |
【推荐1】Paula Ceely had got out of her car to open a metal gate that blocked her path when she heard the whistle sounded by the driver of a train. Her Renault Clio was parked across a railway line. Seconds later, she watched the train drag her car almost a kilometre down the railway tracks. Ceely’s near miss made the news. She blamed the accident on her GPS. She had never driven the route before. It was dark and raining heavily. Ceely was relying on her GPS, but it made no mention of the crossing. “I put my complete trust in the device and it led me right into the path of a speeding train,” she told the BBC.
Who is to blame here? Rick Stevenson, telling Ceely’s story in his book When Machines Fail Us, points his finger at the limitations of technology. We put our faith in digital devices, he says, but our digital helpers are too often not up to the job. It’s not just GPS devices; Stevenson takes us on a tour of digital disasters involving everything from mobile phones to wireless keyboards.
The problem with his argument in the book is that it’s not clear why he only focuses on digital technology, while there may be many other possible causes. A map-maker might have left the crossing off a paper map. Maybe we should blame Ceely for not paying attention. Perhaps the railway authorities are at fault for poor signaling system. But Stevenson doesn’t say.
It’s a problem that runs through the book. In another section on cars, Stevenson describes the advanced techniques that criminals use to defeat computer-based locking systems for cars. He says once again not all new locks have proved reliable. But perhaps it’s also due to the shortage of policemen on the streets, or changing social circumstances, or some combination of these factors.
The game between humans and their smart devices is amusing and complex. It is shaped by economics, psychology and the cultures we live in. Somewhere in the mix of those forces there may be a way for a wiser use of technology.
1. What did Paula Ceely think was the cause of her accident?| A．Her GPS device didn’t tell her about the crossing. |
| B．She was not familiar with the road. |
| C．The railway workers failed to give the signal. |
| D．It was dark and raining heavily then. |
| A．serious accident | B．narrow escape | C．big mistake | D．heavy loss |
| A．Modern technology is what we can’t live without. |
| B．GPS error is not the only cause for Ceely’s accident. |
| C．Digital technology often falls short of our expectation. |
| D．Digital devices are more reliable than they used to be. |
| A．reasonable | B．confusing | C．one-sided | D．well-based |
【推荐2】In a classic episode (片段）of The Simpsons, Homer's class reunion ends in shame when one of Homer’s guilty secrets is exposed: he never graduated from high school. To get his diploma, he must pass a science test. As he sits down to retake the exam, he holds one of his trademark dialogues with his brain. “All right，brain. You don’t like me and I don’t like you. But let’s just do this and I can get back to killing you with beer.”
Many a true word is spoken as a joke. Homer Simpson’s Everyman character really is an Everyman. For most people, engaging in the kind of effortful thinking that is required to pass a science test feels too much like hard work. It is so much easier to quit and let the brain’s autopilot take over.
And no wonder. Evolution has blessed the human brain with all kinds of mental shortcuts that make life manageable. If we had to think about every action or weigh up every decision, we would break down. As a result, certain ideas and modes of thinking come naturally to us, such as effortless thinking.
But at huge cost. Our mental shortcuts work fine at the level of individuals and small-scale societies, but in an increasingly interconnected and globalized world, they are a danger to society. Effortless thinking is at the root of many of the modern world’s most serious problems: terrorism，hatred, inequality and religious extremism. All are caused by people disengaging their critical thinking and going with their gut (非理性的）feeling.
Everybody is capable of gut feeling, but also of the critical thinking. Both thinking styles are needed to make the world go round. Unfortunately, the latter requires training that is unavailable or unappealing to many people.
One of the bright spots in 2017 was the start of a movement called the March For Science. Those who believe in the power of science need to keep on marching, or give more power to people who don’t much like their own brains — or other people’s.
1. What does the author want to convey through Homer's story?| A．Feeling is very important. |
| B．Drinking beer is harmful to one’s brain. |
| C．High school seniors should work hard. |
| D．Most people hate effortful thinking like Homer. |
| A．Our mental shortcuts function well. |
| B．Effortless thinking is expensive for people. |
| C．Effortless thinking is dangerous to society. |
| D．People prefer effortless thinking to critical thinking. |
| A．It makes the world go round. |
| B．It needs necessary training. |
| C．It works fine at the level of personal affairs. |
| D．It leads to the March For Science in 2017. |
| A．We Need to March Towards Science |
| B．Thinking Contributes to Social Problems |
| C．Effortless Thinking Is Out of Date |
| D．Critical Thinking Is Urgently Needed |
【推荐3】For years, I was in the rat race, my sense of wonder lost. Gardening was my antidote (解毒药). It gave me time to stop, listen and absorb all the little details that nature has to offer—nurturing the earth, plants and myself to fight against the aggression and tiredness of everyday working life.
I quit my job and had a vision for my company. I wanted others to find the comfort that my garden gave me. Now, I watch my clients experience their own transformations. A corner that was once an unwelcoming place of weeds is a child's play area; a lonely person has an inspiring, evolving view.
Gardening requires us to be present in the moment, while also imagining the future. You may see a beautiful flower and surprise for a minute at the magic of nature. Some flowers last for a day, others for a season. Some come back year after year. Seasons pass and you become connected to the changes in life in a deeper, more spiritual way. This builds acceptance.
Where there once may have been beauty, there might now be an empty space and a deep sense of sadness... But gardening brings hope—we can create something beautiful again and that space will no longer be bare.
Hope is one of many emotions stirred by gardening. Whether you're growing vegetables to eat, planting tiny seeds or tending flowers, there is always a great sense of satisfaction at the end of a session. How you choose to garden is deeply personal to you—it's about creating something fruitful, alone or with others.
The key is to have a vision, ideas and bright hopes for the future.
1. What does the underlined phrase "the rat race" refer to?| A．The fierce race among rats. | B．The tiredness of the family. |
| C．The competitive working life. | D．The bad relationship with neighbors. |
| A．It helps to develop a take-it-as-it-is attitude. |
| B．It relieves anxiety about losing the job. |
| C．It releases her loneliness and depression. |
| D．It teaches her a lot of sowing knowledge. |
| A．It's beautiful. | B．It's rewarding. |
| C．It's depressing. | D．It's cooperative. |
| A．Gardening for Fun | B．A Sense of Wonder |
| C．Sowing Seeds of Hope | D．A Vision for the Future |
【推荐1】For many, scientific innovations tend to be welcome advancements that improve our lives. For some, however, new technologies bring risk of uselessness, in turn leading to great resistance.
With the climate crisis unfolding before our eyes, the race is on to find alternatives that will help humanity leave a smaller footprint on our planet. Because of animal agriculture's leading role as a greenhouse gas emitter, the search for more sustainable protein sources could be one such alternative.
As food tech companies use science to unlock the potential of plant proteins, they're producing increasingly better plant-based meats and milks that look and taste like the real thing, but with a much lower carbon footprint. Some in the meat industry are supporting the new and investing in these alt-protein companies.
For some lawmakers, however, these innovative products don't deserve support; they deserve restriction. Missouri State, for example, recently passed a bill making it a crime punishable by imprisonment for companies to call their products ''meat'' if they don’t come from an animal.
So why the mania (狂热) over meat and milk all of a sudden? Was there a consumer who brought home some pies labeled ''plant-based meat'' only to realize he was tricked? Did confused milk-drinkers file complaints with the Department of Agriculture when they found out their soymilk didn't contain actual milk?
There really are some consumers who are truly confused. Surveys show, however, that number is remarkably small. If anything, consumers are choosing these plant-based products specifically because they think they're better for them than the original products. And they have good reason to believe that plant-based milks and meats usually have less fat and more fiber than comparable animal-based foods.
So, consumers aren't confusing ''veggie bacon'' for real bacon; and if they don't think chicken nuggets have the same nutritional value as ''chicken-free nuggets'', then why do some meat and milk groups want a monopoly (垄断) over the M-words? Could it have to do with the fact that the increasing popularity of these foods, which are more sustainable and better for you, is threatening the profits of their constituents?
And with the future of our civilization hanging in the balance as climate change becomes more severe, it's time for policy makers to stop trying to prevent innovation, and instead to celebrate all the ways science can save us, including with sustainable proteins that can and do produce new kinds of meat.
1. What can be learned about the M-word applied to plant-based substitutes?| A．They are environmentally friendly. |
| B．They are innovative and widely accepted. |
| C．They have been restricted across America. |
| D．They have been produced in large quantities. |
| A．have sufficient faith in new science and technology |
| B．prefer the original products to the plant-based products |
| C．buy the plant-based products for their great benefit to health |
| D．often get confused by the composition of the new kind of meat |
| A．it contains no real meat |
| B．it brings risks to society |
| C．it plays a trick on customers |
| D．it poses a threat to their profits |
| A．Supportive. | B．Cautious. |
| C．Ambiguous. | D．Disapproving |
【推荐2】When Emma first announced about a month ago that she wanted to cut off all her hair, I cried. Not in front of her, of course. In front of her ,1 asked why and then told her to find a picture on the Internet that she could show to a hairdresser.
And then I went to the shower and cried. I cried not because she wanted to cut her long hair, but because she wanted to “cut it all off like a boy”. For some reason，that was the straw (稻草)that broke the dam.
Emma hasn’t worn dresses since she was two. She hates them. Now, at ten, she’s usually wearing mesh(网状）shorts and a packers T-shirt or jersey(运动衫)一or something old and stained and acquired for free. When she’s “dressing up” she wears skinny jeans and a plaid(格子图案的)button-down with her black and green Converse high-tops.
I admit her fashion sense has always made me a little sad. When I found out I was having a girl, I ran home and painted the nursery two shades of pink while fantasies of girls’ weekends and shopping trips were dancing in my head .I’d teach her how to do her hair and paint her nails. I couldn’t wait to start the journey with my very own mini-me. But it turns out you don’t give birth to dolls, and instead of a mini-me. I got a completely separate and independent human being with ideas and dreams of her own. And yes, that made me a little sad.
It also makes me extremely proud, although I’ve fought hard against the label tomboy(假小子). I’ve always been in the pride of my daughter’s strong sense of self and amazed at how early it developed. 6tShe9s been refusing dresses since before she could speak!”
1. What was the writer’s straw that broke the dam?| A．Her daughter refused to find a picture on the Internet. |
| B．She had to pretend to be happy before her daughter. |
| C．Her daughter wanted to cut off all the long hair like a boy. |
| D．Her daughter wanted to try a different hair style. |
| A．Emma’s hating of dresses. | B．Emma’s present dressing style. |
| C．Emma’s spending on clothes. | D．Emma’s changing tastes on fashions. |
| A．Sorrowful. | B．Angry. | C．Happy. | D．Proud. |
| A．A girl that is not respectful of her parents. |
| B．A girl that is lost in the ever changing time. |
| C．A girl that is badly affected by her parents. |
| D．A girl with a strong personality and sense of self. |
【推荐3】Fading beauty
She is widely seen as proof that good looks can last for ever. But, at nearly 500 years of age, time is catching up with the Mona Lisa.
The health of the famous picture, painted by Leonardo Da Vinci in 1505, is getting worse by the year, according to the Louvre Museum(卢浮宫博物馆) where it is housed.
“The thin, wooden panel on which the Mona Lisa is painted in oil has changed shape since experts checked it two years ago,” the museum said. Visitors have noticed changes but repairing the world’s most famous painting is not easy. Experts are not sure about the materials the Italian artist used and their current chemical state(化学状态).
Nearly 6 million people go to see the Mona Lisa every year, many attracted by the mystery of her smile. “It is very interesting that when you’re not looking at her, she seems to be smiling, and then you look at her and she stops,” said Professor Margaret Livingstone of Harvard University. “It’s because direct vision (视觉) is excellent at picking up detail, but less suited to looking at shadows. Da Vinci painted the smile in shadows.”[
However, the actual history of the Mona Lisa is just as mysterious as the smile. Da Vinci himself loved it so much that he always carried it with him, until it was eventually sold to France’s King Francis I in 1519.
In 1911, the painting was stolen from the Louvre by a former employee, who took it out of the museum hidden under his coat. He said he planned to return it to Italy. The painting was sent back to France two years later.
During World War II, French hid the painting in small towns to keep it out of the hands of German forces.
Like many old ladies, the Mona Lisa has some interesting stories to tell.
1. What does the writer mean by “time is catching up with the Mona Lisa”?| A．The painting woman is not so beautiful any more. |
| B．Ageing is something that affects us all. |
| C．The painting needs repairing. |
D． At such an old age, she is no longer popular. |
| A．The wooden panel is thin and old. |
| B．No one knows exactly what materials were used to create the painting and how it might respond to treatment. |
| C．The health of the painting is suffering. |
| D．Experts can’t agree on how to carry out repairs. |
| A．The materials the Italian artist used. | B．The way she smiles. |
| C．The way Da Vinci painted the smile. | D．It plays a trick upon the human eyes |
【推荐1】Just reading Facebook posts——without posting messages or responding to comments——makes users feel bad about themselves，some studies have discovered. A 2015 study at the University of Michigan，for example，found that students who simply read Facebook posts for 10 minutes were in a worse mood by the end of the day than those who posted messages or commented on friends' posts.
Researchers think that users who only read posts may be always comparing their own lives to others' posts and feel they're coming up short. Or users may simply be missing out on face-to-face human communication.This is necessary and important for a healthier state of mind. "In general，when people spend a lot of time passively（被动地）receiving information——reading，but not interacting（交流）with people——they report feeling worse afterward，"said an unusual Facebook blog post.
The research appears to be bad news for Facebook，but Facebook itself is getting the negative news known to the public. In fact，the findings support the company's push to get users to be more active on the site，the blog noted. Research has also found that “interacting with people—especially sharing message，posts and comments with close friends and thinking of past interactions — is connected with improvements in well-being".
One commenter to the Facebook blog post noted that it's "no surprise that your conclusions-encouraging 'active' Facebook use—are connected with Facebook's business interests. It gives Facebook chances to persuade us into sharing, commenting, and posting more than ever—for our own good!"
The company has faced a lot of negative news about Facebook. Former Facebook Vice President Chamath Palihapitiya told Stanford University graduate business students that social media are destroying society. Palihapitiya said he felt really bad for the role he played in making Facebook so outstanding."We kind of knew something bad could happen."
1. What did the 2015 study mainly show?| A．Not all users considered Facebook useful. |
| B．Using Facebook in the right way could benefit us. |
| C．Not all people loved interacting with others on Facebook. |
| D．Passively using Facebook negatively affected users' moods. |
| A．Avoiding comparing ourselves with others. |
| B．Reading the posts on Facebook positively. |
| C．Interacting with others face to face. |
| D．Sharing experiences on Facebook. |
| A．To encourage people to use Facebook more. |
| B．To show Facebook's concern about its users. |
| C．To apologize to its users for the bad influence. |
| D．To prove the importance of human interaction. |
| A．Facebook has some disadvantages |
| B．Facebook is facing serious challenges |
| C．Facebook disappoints the public deeply |
| D．Facebook is improving some students' life |
【推荐2】Did you hear what happened at yesterday’s meeting? Can you believe it? If you find those sorts of quietly whispered questions about your co-workers irresistible, you're hardly alone. But why are we drawn to gossip?
A new study suggests it’s because the rumors are all about us”. Gossip receivers tend to use positive and negative group information to improve, promote, and protect the self,” writes a research team, led by Elena Martinescu of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. In the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, the researchers described two experiments team, led by Elena Martinescu of the University described two experiments testing the personal value gossip receivers get.
The first featured 178 university undergraduates, who had all previously worked on at least one course assignment with a group of four or more students. Participants were asked to recall and write a short description of an incident, in which a group member shared with them either positive or negative information about another group member’s secret. They then reported their level of agreement with a series of statements. Some of these measured the self-improvement value of the gossip (“The information received made me think I learn a lot from X”); others measured its self-promotion value (“The information I received made me feel that I am doing well compared to X”). Still others measured whether the gossip raised personal concerns (“The information I received made me feel that I must protect my image in the group”).
In the second experiment, 122 undergraduates were assigned the role of “sales agent” at a major company. They received gossip from a colleague that a third person either did very well or very badly at a performance evaluation, and were then asked about the emotions that information caused. They also responded to the above-mentioned set of statements presented to the participants in the first experiment.
In each experiment, participants found both negative and positive gossip to be of personal value with different reasons. “Positive gossip has self-improvement value,” they write. “'Competence-related positive gossip about others contains lessons about how to improve one's own competence. On the other hand, negative gossip has self-promotion value, because it provides individuals with social comparison information that justifies self-promoting judgments which results in feelings of pride.”
In addition, the results showed that negative gossip brought about self-protection concerns, the researchers write. “Negative gossip makes people concerned that their reputations may be at risk, as they may personally become targets of negative gossip in the future, which generates fear”. Fear is hardly a pleasant sensation (感觉), but it can be a motivating one. As researchers put it: “Gossip conveniently provides individuals with indirect social-comparison information about relevant others.”
1. Why are we drawn to gossip according to the researchers?| A．We need evaluative information about others to evaluate ourselves. |
| B．We are interested in the news that arouses our personal concerns. |
| C．We tend to gain a sense of pride from judging others. |
| D．We are likely to learn lessons from others’ mistakes. |
| A．I have to learn from Mary according to what Tom said about her. |
| B．I should behave myself in case of being gossiped about like Mary. |
| C．I’ve done better than Mary according to what Tom said about her. |
| D．I have no comments on what Tom said about Mary. |
| A．The identities of the participants. |
| B．The number of the participants studied. |
| C．The time during which the experiment lasted. |
| D．The role-play technique used in experiment. |
| A．A fear killer. | B．A protector. |
| C．A motivator. | D．A subject provider. |
【推荐3】 Not all vegetables need lots of sunshine. Mark Hoffman and his wife own a bed-and -breakfast guesthouse in rural Kempton, Illinois. They often serve their guests fresh products from the garden.
The Hoffmans have been growing food and flowers for twenty-five years. For almost ten of those years, Mr. Hoffman has been experimenting and working with shade (阴凉) plantings. He says, “The bottom line here is that most plants will produce more in full sun. But if you do not have full sun, there are other choices.”
For example, he grows tomatoes near oak trees. Oak trees can produce a lot of shade. But Mr. Hoffman says his tomato plants grow as long as they get five hours a day of direct sunshine, especially morning sun. Not only does this go against the traditional advice that tomatoes need six，eight，even twelve hours a day of full sun, it also shows how plants and trees roots can share nutrients and water．Mr. Hoffman also planted asparagus（芦笋）around a tree at its drip line，the area below the outer limit of the branches. So when it rains，all the rain drips down right on the asparagus．Mr. Hoffman says plants with wider leaves seem to do better in shady environments. He also found that his potatoes did better partly in shade than in full sun.
Moving them out of the sun helped control an insect problem. Mr. Hoffman does not use pesticide (农药). Instead, he planted the potatoes in the shade, especially on the east side of the tree. The potatoes get morning sun, but they are shaded during the hottest part of the day. Some insects dislike shade, and the hottest part day is when they do the worst of their damage.
Time of day, sun intensity (强度), shadows from trees, walls and buildings all influence how much sunlight falls on plants. And people interested in shade planting should also remember something else. The term “shade” can describe different amounts of darkness. It can even mean different things in different parts of the world.
1. What’s the author’s purpose of writing the passage?| A．To present a kind of eco-friendly lifestyle. |
| B．To recommend an approach to manage a website |
| C．To show vegetables can be planted in the shade. |
| D．To introduce Mark Hoffman and his family. |
| A．five hours a day | B．Six hours a day |
| C．Eight hours a day | D．Twelve hours a day |
| A．Food and flowers produce more in the shade. |
| B．Food growing in the shade contains more nutrients. |
| C．Sun can affect the production of some plants. |
| D．Food growing in the shade is the best choice for most plants. |
| A．asparagus prefer to grow in the shade. |
| B．how plants and tree roots share water. |
| C．vegetables grow better in partial shade. |
| D．how leaves gain sunshine under the tree. |
| A．environment | B．traveling |
| C．lifestyle | D．agriculture |
