【推荐2】Crown shyness(树冠羞避) is a mysterious natural phenomenon in which the crowns of some tree species do not touch each other, but get separated by a gap clearly visible from ground level. The effect usually occurs between trees of the same species, but has also been observed between trees of different species.

There are many theories going around, most of which make sense, but no one has been able to prove without the shadow of a doubt why some trees avoid touching each other.

In his 1955 book Growth Habits of the Eucalypts, Australian forester M.R. Jacobs writes that the growing tips of the trees are sensitive to abrasion(擦伤), which results in crown shyness phenomenon. This theory was also supported by Dr. Miguel Franco. Some experiments have shown that if trees displaying crown shyness are artificially prevented from swinging in the wind and touching each other, they gradually fill up the gaps between them.

But while the above theory is arguably the most widespread, it’s certainly not the only one. Some scientists have suggested that crown shyness is a mechanism to stop the spreading of leaf-eating insects. These pests have been known to work together and create structures that extend up to 10 cm off of tree branches in order to reach other plants, so the gaps are the trees’ natural defense method.

One Malaysian scholar studied many trees, but found no traces of abrasions, despite their clear crown shyness. Instead, he suggests that the growing tips of the trees were sensitive to light levels and stopped growing when they got too close to other trees. Plants are able to sense how close they are to other plants and in order to get more light, they give off some chemical element to stop other trees from growing too close.

Whatever the reason, one thing is for sure: plants are more intelligent than people used to think.

1. What can we know about crown shyness?

A．It can cause abrasion between trees.

B．It only happens between the same species.

C．It has been discovered for only half a century.

D．No agreement has been reached about its real cause.

2. What will happen if trees showing crown shyness are stopped from swinging?

A．The trees will stop growing and even die.

B．The gaps between the trees will grow wider.

C．The crown shyness phenomenon will disappear.

D．The gaps between the trees will remain the same.

3. What’s tree’s reaction when attacked by pests according to the text?

A．Swinging less in the wind

B．Leaving space between their crowns

C．Spreading their branches and leaves

D．Stopping growing for a period of time

4. Which statement might the Malaysian scholar agree with?

A．Trees have special ways to attack others.

B．Some insects stop trees growing too close.

C．Trees compete with their neighbors for light.

D．Trees won’t touch each other to avoid diseases.

【推荐1】People have been making and flying kites for about 2000 years.     1     Some historians believe that the ancient Chinese may have started flying kites. It is still a popular hobby in Pakistan, China, Japan and Korea and in other countries of the Far East where beautifully decorated kites appear in different colors.

Kites are made in many different sizes, colors and shapes. Simple kites are made by crossing two sticks and covering them with paper or cloth.     2     More expensive kites have frames made of fiberglass, plastic or aluminum. The name comes from a graceful bird called Kite.

Kite flying is great fun and it is easy if you know some secrets.     3     It flies because air flows over and under the kite’s wing. The pressure under the wing helps the kite lift into the air.

    4     Early scientists sent kites up into the air to measure temperature at different heights. In 1752, Benjamin Franklin used a kite to prove that lightning was a form of electricity. He attached a metal key to the string of a kite. When lightning hit the kite, electricity passed down the string and Franklin got an electric shock. It was a very dangerous experiment that you shouldn’t copy.

Kites were used to develop airplanes. The Wright Brothers experimented with kites before they flew the first airplane. In the past, kites were sometimes used to take pictures in wars. In World War I, the Germans developed a large kite that could transport people to a submarine.     5    

Today most people fly kites as a hobby. Kite festivals are organized in many cities in all parts of the world.

A．Then you attach a string at the end.

B．Kites have also been used in experiments.

C．No one knows for sure who invented the kite.

D．A flat kite is the oldest and simplest type of kite.

E．In Japan, families fly fish kites on Children’s Day.

F．Kites were also used to carry radio signals over long distances.

G．Stories of kites were brought to Europe till the end of the 13th century.

【推荐3】There is an English saying：“    1    ” Until recently, few people took the saying seriously. Now, however, doctors have begun to look into laughter and the effects it has on the human body.      2    

Tests were carried out to study the effects of laughter on the body. People watched funny films while doctors checked their hearts, blood pressure, breathing and muscles. It was found that laughter has similar effects to physical exercise.      3      If laughter exercises the body, it must be beneficial.

Other tests have shown that laughter appears to be able to reduce the effect of pain on the body. In one experiment doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to different radio programs. The group that tolerated(忍耐) the pain for the longest time was the group which listened to a funny program.    4    

    5     They have found that even if their patients do not really feel like laughing, making them smile is enough to produce beneficial effects similar to those caused by laughter.

A．Laughter is the best medicine.

B．The reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce a kind of chemicals in the brain which diminish both  stress and pain.

C．Although laughter helps cure the disease, doctors still can not put  this theory into clinic practice.

D．Laughter can prolong one's life.

E．As a result of these discoveries, some doctors in the United States now hold laughter clinics in which they help to improve their  patients' condition by encouraging them to laugh.

F．They have found that laughter really can improve people's health.

G．It increases blood pressure, the heart beating and breathing；it also works several groups of muscles in the face, the stomach and even the feet.

【推荐2】Forests in countries like Brazil and the Congo get a lot of attention from environmentalists, and it is easy to see why. South America and sub-Saharan Africa are experiencing deforestation on an enormous scale: every year almost 5 million hectares are lost. But forests are also changing in rich Western countries. They are growing larger, both in the sense that they occupy more land and that the trees in them are bigger. What is going on?

Forests are spreading in almost all Western countries, with the fastest growth in places that historically had rather few trees. In 1990 28% of Spain was forested; now the proportion is 37%. In both Greece and Italy, the growth was from 26% to 32% over the same period. Forests are gradually taking more land in America and Australia. Perhaps most astonishing is the trend in Ireland. Roughly 1% of that country was forested when it became independent in 1922. Now forests cover 11% of the land, and the government wants to push the proportion to 18% by the 2040s.

Two things are fertilising this growth. The first is the abandonment of farmland, especially in high, dry places where nothing grows terribly well. When farmers give up trying to earn a living from farming or herding, trees simply move in. The second is government policy and subsidy. Throughout history, governments have protected and promoted forests for diverse reasons, ranging from the need for wooden warships to a desire to promote suburban house-building. Nowadays forests are increasingly welcome because they suck in carbon pollution from the air. The justifications change; the desire for more trees remains constant.

The greening of the West does not delight everyone. Farmers complain that land is being taken out of use by generously subsidised tree plantations. Parts of Spain and Portugal suffer from terrible forest fires. Others simply dislike the appearance of forests planted in neat rows. They will have to get used to the trees, however. The growth of Western forests seems almost as unstoppable as deforestation elsewhere.

1. What is catching environmentalists' attention nowadays?

A．Rich countries are stripping poor ones of their resources

B．Forests are fast shrinking in many developing countries

C．Forests are eating away the fertile farmland worldwide

D．Rich countries are doing little to address deforestation.

2. Which countries have the fastest forest growth?

A．Those that have newly achieved independence

B．Those that have the greatest demand for timber.

C．Those that used to have the lowest forest coverage.

D．Those that provide enormous government subsidies

3. What has encouraged forest growth historically?

A．The government's advocacy.

B．The use of wood for fuel

C．The favourable climate

D．The green movement.

4. What accounts for our increasing desire for forests?

A．Their unique scenic beauty.

B．Their use as fruit plantations.

C．Their capability of improving air quality.

D．Their stable supply of building materials.

5. What does the author conclude about the prospects of forestation?

A．Deserts in sub-Saharan Africa will diminish gradually.

B．It will play a more and more important role in people's lives.

C．Forest destruction in the developing world will quickly slow down.

D．Developed and developing countries are moving in opposite directions.

【推荐3】Ireland is throwing away peat（泥炭) for energy and turning to wind.

Peat has a lot to recommend it. It sends off a pleasant smell when burned. It is a cheap source of energy; at its simplest it needs no more than digging by hand. But peat is also one of the dirtiest fuels available, emitting 23% more carbon dioxide than coal.

Ireland is unusual among developed countries in burning it for energy. Peat has been used on the island for at least 1,000 years. But it may at last be on its way out as Ireland turns to another energy source of which it has unlimited quantities: wind.

Galway Wind Park will be Ireland's largest wind farm when it is completed, producing 169MW of power at peak capacity（容量), or about 3% of Ireland's average needs. It is only the latest development in Irish wind power, which has tripled in the last decade to more than 3GW of capacity. The renewable resource now provides a quarter of the electricity Ireland consumes every year.

Eirgrid, a state-owned company which manages the grid（电网 ） in both Northern Ireland and the Republic, says much more wind capacity is in the planning stages. Wind is difficult to manage because it is unpredictable, even on the shores with strong winds of western Ireland. Since wind turbines （涡轮机）do not turn consistently, the grid must be carefully tuned to keep it stable.

Eirgrid is planning a set of wires to continental Europe.

A report from SEAI, Ireland's energy authority, suggests that the island could produce enough wind electricity to match domestic demand by 2030, with more left over to export. Bord na Móna, the body responsible for developing Ireland's peatlands, has said it will stop using peat for electricity by the same year.

1. Which of the following statements about peat is right?

A．Peat is a cheap and clean source of energy with a pleasant smell.

B．Peat in Ireland will be an export.

C．Ireland will stop using peat as fuel.

D．Peat is renewable and will never be used up.

2. What is the greatest difficulty in using wind energy?

A．The wind power is not strong enough

B．It is a high-cost project.

C．The wind power is unstable.

D．It won’t produce enough electricity.

3. What can be the best title for the passage?

A．The Change of Using energy in Ireland

B．Stop Using Out-Of-Date Energy

C．Peat vs Wind Power

D．Ireland: A Country Using Wind Power