2 . It happens every spring. Flowers suddenly burst out everywhere on the same day as if they were in tune with one another. But how exactly do plants “know” when to flower?

It is a question that has puzzled biologists for years. But according to Science Daily, a US research group may have finally answered it-the secret lies in the protein called FKF1. This allows plants to sense the differences in day lengths so that they can tell the seasons are changing.

Researchers spotted the FKF1 protein when they were studying a plant called Arabidopsis. We found that the FKF1 protein is a photoreceptor（感光器）. This means it is sensitive to, and can be activated by sunlight.

Plants produce the protein every day in the late afternoon throughout the year. If there is no light at this time, for example, in winter, when the sun goes down early, the protein won’t be activated. But when spring comes and the days get longer, the FKF1 protein can be activated by daylight as the plants “know” it is time to flower. “The presence of light in the late afternoon is the signal for plants that the days are getting longer and that it is the best time for flowering.” explained Pakato Imaizumi assistant professor at the University of Washington and leader of the study.

The daylight-sensing system also keeps plants from flowering when conditions are poor for growing, such as during autumn or winter. When the weather is cold and days are short.

Although researchers have only studied how the FKF1 protein works in the Arabidopsis, they believe that the process is similar in many other more complex（复杂的）plants, including crops like rice and wheat. This could be useful to the agricultural industry.

“If we can control the timing of flowering, we might be able to increase crop yield by quickening or delaying this.” Imaizumi said “Also, if we could control the timing of flowering in horticultural plants, they may be worth more commercially（商业上）.”

New technology based on this research might also lead to higher use of biofuel（生物燃料）plants. This would be helpful for providing energy.

1. How do plants know when to flower?

A．They are naturally timed to flower.

B．They receive messages from other plants.

C．A certain protein tells them the time to flower.

D．Sunlight produces a certain protein to help them flower.

2. Which of the following is TRUE, according to the article?

A．Flowers cannot tell the seasons are changing.

B．Plants are sensitive to cold weather and shorter days.

C．We are getting closer to controlling plant flowering times.

D．Researchers have studied how the FKF1 protein works in rice and wheat.

3. The passage is mainly about ________.

A．How seasons are changing

B．How plants know when to flower

C．What people can do with plants

D．What kind of plant Arabidopsis is

5 .

Running Your Own Race

Think back to a time in your life when you tried something new. When I was a teenager, I volunteered to pass out water to the runners at a local race. I was so excited to see all the different runners who passed by and quickly took a cup of water. Some ran past, some walked past.

I saw so many types of people doing it. I thought maybe I could do it, too! The next year I was told about the race. Although I had little running practice, I decided to run for the race. I didn’t want to win. My only goal was to experience it. I just wanted to finish. On the day of the race, it was very hot. After running for about 8 km, I thought, “I must be crazy. I am not good at running. Why did I do this? What was I thinking?” And at one moment, I even said to myself, “I am never doing this again!”

That first 10 km race was quite an experience. I ran, I walked, I ran and walked. At times, I didn’t know if I could finish.

Near the end, a 70-year-old man ran past me, very fast, and I felt a little embarrassed (尴尬的). I was more than 50 years younger than him, but I couldn’t even keep up with him. But then I realized something. He was running his race and I was running mine. How often in life do we compare (比较) ourselves to others when we really shouldn’t? I decided that I would not give up running races, and one day in the future I would be one of those 70-year-old men who were still running.

As I crossed the finishing line, I was proud of myself. I didn’t regret (后悔) having such an experience.

1. What did the writer do at a local race as a volunteer?

A．He compared with the old runners.	B．He passed out water to the runners.
C．He took back the cups from runners.	D．He helped and kept up with runners.

2. Why did the writer join the race?

A．Because he was good at running.	B．Because he wanted to win a prize.
C．Because he wanted to experience it.	D．Because he had much running practice.

3. What can we learn from the story?

A．We should always think about winning.	B．We should keep learning from old people.
C．We shouldn’t practice running for the race.	D．We shouldn’t always compare with others.

6 . You Can Be a World Memory Champion!

Every year, people with amazing memory skills compete in an event called the World Memory Championships. The tasks require huge powers of memory retention: remembering the order of 52 cards in a deck (副); memorizing the names of 110 people after looking at their pictures; and other tasks. Completing any of these tasks may not seem easy for the normal person, but scientific proof seems to show that even someone with normal skills can, through training, improve his or her memory skills and become a memory champion.

One memory champion explained his methods of recalling the order of the cards in a deck. Firstly, he connected a person, an action and a thing with each card. For example, the king of hearts is Elvis Presley, eating, a chocolate sandwich. The three of spades (黑桃) is Rocky Balboa, boxing, Madison Square Garden. The ten of hearts is William Shakespeare, writing Hamlet, a broken pen. Take a person from the first card, an action from the second card, and a thing from the third card so that any group of three cards creates a vivid (生动的) image that is easier to recall. For example: king-ten-three becomes Elvis Presley writing Hamlet in Madison Square Garden – a memorable image.

Still, even having created images for each group of three cards, it is difficult to keep them in order. This is done using the loci method, or what some call a “Memory Palace” – a term created by Frances Yates in his 1966 book The Art of Memory – which is a simple but effective method discovered by the ancient Greeks.

But are there people with naturally amazing memories? The winner of the 2011 World Memory Championships was 21-year-old Chinese Wang Feng. He said he had a “normal memory as a child,” and no special talent except for the hard work and attention to detail.

Although many still think that people have either good or bad memories from birth, that need not be true. By using the methods of grouping, connecting with vivid images, and the loci method, we can all improve our memories. Who knows – you might even become the next World Memory Champion!

1. According to Paragraph 2, ten-king-three can create an image of ________.

A．William Shakespeare eating in Madison Square Garden

B．Hamlet eating a chocolate sandwich with a broken pen

C．Rocky Balboa writing Hamlet with a broken pen

D．Elvis Presley boxing in Madison Square Garden

2. Why is loci method useful for memorizing the cards?

A．It connects the images with their time order.

B．It reorganizes the cards to build a vivid palace.

C．It uses the terms from a book to create a new image.

D．It helps memorize the order of the three-card groups.

3. What’s the writer’s main purpose in writing this passage?

A．To praise the winners of the World Memory Championship.

B．To help people win the World Memory Championship.

C．To show a good memory is more a matter of training.

D．To explain methods of remembering a deck of cards.

7 . How Smart Is Man’s Best Friend?

We feed them, we let them sleep in our beds, we play with them and we even talk to them. Of course, we love them. Any dog-owner will tell you that their pets (宠物) can understand the world around them. And they’re right. Scientists have found great ways to find out what human’s best friend can do.

The Science of Animal Cognition (认知)

Over the past several years, humans have learnt more about dog cognition with the use of MRI machines to scan dog brains (大脑). In a study done in 2015, Ragen McGowan, a scientist at Nestlé Purina specializing in dog cognition, found that a human’s presence leads to increased blood flow to a dog’s eyes, ears and paws, which means the dog is excited.

McGowan also studied what happened to dogs when they were being petted. We’ve known for some time that for humans, petting a beloved animal can lead to lower rates of stress and worry. Well, it turns out the same is true for dogs. When humans pet dogs for 15 minutes or more, the dog’s heart rate decreases and it becomes less worried.

Another study found that dogs can not only tell the difference between happy and sad human faces, but also respond (回应) differently to them.

As Smart as Children

Dogs, as any dog-owner knows, are highly trainable. Scientists have found that dog intelligence (智商) is similar to that of a two-year-old human child. They also found that dogs could understand up to 250 words and hand signs. Even more surprising, dogs can actually count low numbers (up to five) and even do simple math.

And have you ever experienced the emotions (情绪) of your dog while you’re petting another animal or paying attention to something else? Do you imagine they feel something like human jealousy? Well, there’s science to back this up, too. Studies have found that dogs do, in fact, experience jealousy. Not only that, but dogs do their best to “handle” the thing that’s taking their owner’s attention — and if they have to get the attention back on them, they will.

The studies all make one thing clear: that humans may know much less about dog brains than we previously thought. As time goes on, more and more scientists are becoming interested in animal research, and with each new study done, we find out more about how our beloved pets think.

1. When humans pet their dogs, ________.

A．dogs become shy	B．dogs respond differently
C．they both become less worried	D．humans have a higher rate of blood flow

2. From the passage, we know ________.

A．dogs can increase their heart rate and show excitement

B．dogs can be trained to understand words and hand signs

C．scientists suggest dogs should experience human jealousy

D．humans have learnt enough about what dogs can do, think and feel

3. What is the passage mainly about?

A．How to treat our dogs well.

B．How to train dogs to be smarter.

C．An introduction to dog intelligence and emotion.

D．The differences between dogs’ abilities and human children’s.

8 .

Some people have fun collecting rocks. Collecting rocks is easy — you just pick up a rock! But here are a few ideas to get you started on your rock collection.

Which rocks to collect

You can collect rocks according to color, shape, quality or anything that you find interesting. Many rock collectors try to collect all the connected rocks from the area where they live. Others look for unusual rocks from places they visit.

Where to find rocks

Your rock collection can start with rocks you find in your own backyard or neighborhood. Look for rocks in river beds or areas of erosion( 侵蚀 ) where you can often find unusual rocks. Interesting rocks can also be found in places where humans have cut into the earth, like road cuts and construction sites.

Cleaning and showing your rocks

As you collect rocks, it’s a good idea to keep a record of when and where you found it. You can make a sign with a piece of tape and put it to your rock. Record the fact of your find in a field notebook. You can put rocks into egg boxes or shoe boxes. If you want to show your rocks, try an artistic glass bottle.

How to find more information

Many cities have rock clubs that offer useful classes. Local rock shows also offer helpful information about rocks and you can buy or sell rocks there. What’s more, many natural history museums have exhibitions where you can know more about rocks.

1. What is the writer’s main purpose in writing this passage?

A．To tell us how to start collecting rocks.

B．To introduce us a special kind of rocks.

C．To give us some information about rocks.

D．To show us where we can buy or sell rocks.

2. What does the writer suggest if you want to show your rocks?

A．Join a rock club.	B．Try an expensive vase.
C．Take a new metal box.	D．Use an artistic glass bottle.

3. According to the last paragraph, we can find more information about rocks __________.

A．in two ways

B．in three ways

C．in four ways

D．in five ways

9 .

Social Media, Friends or Enemies?

It’s no surprise that the pressure to stay on social media is a real challenge for today’s teenagers. They spend too much time using QQ, WeChat and other social media. For many teens, social media can become almost addictive. Some teenagers can’t even live a normal life without social media.

According to a study, people who used more than seven social media platforms had more than three times the risk of depression (抑郁症) than people who used two or fewer. Children who overuse social media are likely to show less interest in social activities and experience an increase in loneliness.

Teens often feel emotionally invested (情感投入) in their social media accounts. Not only do they feel pressure to answer quickly online, but they also feel pressure to have perfect photos and posts, which can cause a lot of worries. In fact, some studies have found that the larger a person’s social circle online is, the more worried they will feel about keeping up with everything online.

A British study shows one-fifth of the teens have trouble sleeping at night because of social media use. They “almost always” wake up during the night and log in to social media. In addition to reporting feeling tired all the time, they also reported being less happy on average than teens whose sleep was not affected by social media. Besides, not having enough sleep can lower the immune (免疫的) system and make it more likely for a teen to get sick.

Overuse of social media can lead to jealousy (嫉妒) and envy among teenagers as well. People tend to post only the positive things that they experience, or make light of the bad with funny stories. As a result, another person’s life may look perfect online, but offline they have struggles just like anyone else. It is easy for a teen to play the comparison (比较) game and start thinking that everyone is happier or better offline than he or she is.

Many teens spend so much time online checking messages that they forget to communicate with the people right in front of them. As a result, teens risk having poor relationships in their lives when social media takes center stage.

It is important that parents understand the possible influence that social media has on their kids. For this reason, it is important to set up guides for social media use among kids. It’s also important for families to have regular discussions on how to use social media reasonably and safely. When families pay close attention to the teens’ world of social media, their online world will become much more manageable.

1. The underlined word “addictive” in Paragraph 1 probably means “________”.

A．too enjoyable for them to stop	B．able or likely to harm or kill them
C．very useful for gathering information	D．always busy making them healthy

2. According to Paragraph 5, overuse of social media among teenagers may lead to ________.

A．wonderful social activities	B．bad offline comparisons
C．exciting emotion experience	D．serious sleeping problems

3. We can learn from the passage that ________.

A．sleep loss affected by social media is both physically and mentally harmful

B．social media interaction can work as well as face-to-face communication

C．teenagers tend to compare their lives with others in reality and feel better

D．the use of social media platforms will lead to depression in teenagers

4. What’s the writer’s main purpose in writing this passage?

A．To remind us how social media use affects teenagers’ health.

B．To explain some researches on the influences of online activities.

C．To give us some advice on how to use social media online properly.

D．To question if parents should watch and guide kids’ online activities.

10 .

The Little Boy’s Races

Once in a village lived a little boy named Jacob. He was very athletic and famous for running fast. What’s more, winning a competition was the most important for him. One day, Jacob took part in a running competition held in the village. In the competition, he competed with two other young boys.

As the first race started, the excited crowd waved at Jacob and cried out his name. The boy called on his determination (决心) and strength, and he was the first one who came to the finishing line. The little boy felt proud.

Later the second race was called. Another two young and strong challengers (挑战者) came forward and ran with Jacob. As expected, he finished first again. The crowd became crazy and cried out his name. The little boy felt more satisfied. He started to shout, “Another race! Another race! I bet no one will win against me!”

An old man was watching all this. He stepped forward and with him he presented two new challengers. One was a weak old lady and the other was a blind man. Jacob was quite surprised and asked, “What’s this? This is no race!” The old man replied, “Race!”

When all were set on the starting line, the third race started. In the end, Jacob was the only one to finish that race, leaving two challengers standing at the starting line. The little boy raised his arms in delight. But to his surprise, this time no one from the crowd was cheering and everyone was just looking at him silently. “What happened? Why are people not cheering?” Jacob asked the old man. The old man replied, “Race again but this time finish together with your challengers.”

After thinking for a while, Jacob went to the starting line again and stood in the middle of the old lady and the blind man. The final race began. He took both of them by hand and started to walk slowly. At last they crossed that finishing line. This time at the end of the race, the crowd stood up and warmly applauded for him.

Jacob didn’t understand why the crowd was not cheering for him before but now when all three of them finished the race together. So he asked the old man about it. The wise old man smiled, “Little boy, in this race you have won much more than what you won in any other race. By respecting your rivals (对手), you have won people’s respect.”

1. What’s the most important thing for Jacob before the competition?

A．Being respected by others.	B．Making the crowd very excited.
C．Getting strong and healthy.	D．Becoming the winner in games.

2. How many races did Jacob have in this competition?

A．Two.

B．Three.

C．Four.

D．Five.

3. How did Jacob feel when the old man brought him two challengers?

A．Angry.

B．Scared.

C．Confident.

D．Surprised.

4. What can we learn from this story?

A．Practice makes perfect.	B．Respecting others comes first.
C．Challenges bring us fame.	D．Having confidence is necessary.