1 . 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. |
| 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. |
| 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 |
2 . I am Alice. My sister and I spent our last summer holiday with our uncle who is a geologist (地质学家) and loves to collect stones.
One day he bought us two backpacks and asked us to go to the mountain with him. We walked the whole day. Every now and then he put stones in our backpacks. To our surprise, he also took some stones out from them. But we thought he had just found better stones.
When we returned to the house, we were very tired. The backpacks were so heavy that we felt relaxed when we took them off. Yet our uncle’s backpack was half empty.
“Why did you give us so many stones?” we asked.
“I didn’t. You did.” he said. “You didn’t know it, but I gave you a little attitude (态度) test today. I listened to every word you said. Whenever you were complaining (抱怨), I added a stone to your backpacks. Whenever you talked about something with positive (积极的) thinking, I took out a stone. And now look at your backpacks.”
Our backpacks were full of stones.
“Your negative (消极的) thoughts are just like stones. You carry them in your mind just like those stones in your backpacks. The more negative thoughts you have, the heavier your mind will be.” said our uncle.
With great love, our uncle taught us one of the most important lessons it life — the power of the attitude.
1. What did Alice think when her uncle took out some stones from their backpacks?| A．She thought she said too many words. |
| B．She thought her uncle had found better stones. |
| C．She thought her uncle wanted her to feel a sense of relief. |
| D．She thought she talked about something with positive thinking. |
| A．Because they complained (抱怨) too much on the way. |
| B．Because they were hard-working. |
| C．Because they enjoyed collecting stones very much. |
| D．Because they chose wrong backpacks to carry the stones. |
| A．It refers to the stones. | B．It refers to the backpacks. |
| C．It refers to the positive thoughts. | D．It refers to the negative thoughts. |
| A．be pleased to take others’ advice | B．have a positive attitude towards life |
| C．make a plan before doing something | D．help people in trouble |
3 . In 1845, a deadly disease struck Ireland, killing all the Lumper potato plants. In another place or time, the death of single crop species might not have been so important. But in Ireland, in 1845, people depended almost solely on the potato for food. The death of one species caused a terrible famine(饥荒). Now, some scientists are worried that such a famine could happen again, but on a much wider area.
Over the centuries, farmers have discovered thousands of different species of food crops. However, you won’t find many of these species in your local supermarket. To feed the seven billion people on Earth, most farmers today are growing only species of plants and farming only species of animals that are easy to produce in large numbers.
In the Philippines, there were once thousands of varieties of rice: now fewer than 100 are grown there. In China, 90% of the wheat varieties grown just a century ago have disappeared. Scientists believe that over the past century, more than half of the world’s food varieties disappeared.
One solution to this problem is to collect and store the seeds as many different plant varieties as we can before they disappear. The idea was first suggested by Russian scientist Nikolay Vavilov. In the 1920s and 1930s, he collected around 400,000 seeds from five continents. More recently, others are continuing the work he began.
In the US state of Iowa, Diane Ott Whealy wanted to protect historic plant varieties, like the seeds her great grandfather brought to the US from Germany more than a hundred years ago. She and her husband started a place called Heritage Farm, where people can store and trade seeds.
More importantly, people at Heritage Farm don’t just store the seeds, they plant them. By doing this, they are reintroducing foods into the marketplace that haven’t been grown for years. These food species are not just special in terms of appearance or taste. They also offer farmers food solutions for the future, from the past.
1. What is this passage mainly about?| A．The fact that many food species are dying out. | B．The need to protect potatoes from disappearing. |
| C．The ways to increase the number of food species. | D．The ways to prevent food species from disappearing. |
| A．immediately | B．only | C．rarely | D．occasionally |
| A．Because people depend on certain species of food crops. |
| B．Because the same deadly disease may attack crops again. |
| C．Because the world’s population is larger than that in 1845. |
| D．Because farmers grow the same potatoes as those in the past. |
| A．The disease spread very quickly and killed many people in Ireland. |
| B．Around 80 percent of the rice varieties in the Philippines have disappeared. |
| C．Heritage Farm is the first place in the US for people to store and trade seeds. |
| D．People have been storing seeds to save plant varieties for more than 150 years. |
4 . From my father, I have learned a lot. And I'm very thankful to him. I remember when I was a child, my father always got up very early, quietly put on his clothes and went off to work. To arrive in time to open his tiny store at 8:30, he needed to leave our apartment at 6:30. After all (毕竟), he had to take a bus and then the subway. The last journey was a long walk through a neighborhood, much of which was full of the smell of rubbish. I learned it is very important to work. No excuse.
When I was 12, I would, on some Saturdays, go to my father's store to help out. After helping set up the outside clothing display, for the rest of the day, I'd watch to make sure no one stole anything. When I noticed someone looking unusual or strange, I would look the person in the eye, smile and say, "May I help you?" Usually that worked, but sometimes, someone would run off with something. The first time, I ran after the thief but my father shouted, "Martin, stop! There is no need to do that. "It's true that safety is more important than money.
After 10 years of hard work, he saved up enough money to buy his first car, a cheap one-he wouldn't buy one until he could afford to pay for it without borrowing money. I learned: buy only what you can afford. Buying necessary food and clothing won't make us go into debt (债务). The unnecessary things won't give us happiness, which comes from achievement(成就) only.
1. What shop did the author's father own?| A．A bookshop. | B．A coffee shop. | C．A clothing shop. | D．A food shop. |
| A．The author ran after thieves many times. | B．The author thanked his father a lot. |
| C．The author's father worked very hard. | D．The author's father made some money. |
| A．How to live a happy life. | B．What makes a person successful. |
| C．The help the author got from his father. | D．What the author learned from his father. |
5 . When the world stops during the outbreak, doctors and policemen keep life going. So do delivery(快递) drivers.
Time magazine recently reported on some of these drivers, speaking highly of them for their work. Gao Zhixiao, one of the drivers, was put on the cover (封面) of the magazine. The 32-year-old driver delivers goods in Beijing.
Each morning, Gao has to take a health test and spend 20 minutes disinfecting (消毒) his motorcycle and clothes. Every day, he delivers to up to 70 families. Without drivers like him, families would go hungry and people wouldn't be able to get important things, Time said.
Many of these drivers also bring hope and love to people. One day, Gao delivered a mobile phone charger (充电器) to a hospital that had sick people. Another day, after bringing medicine to an old woman, Gao talked to her and cooked a meal for her.
"Stuck (困在) in my house, I feel really upset, but seeing delivery riders outside my window gives me some hope, " an Internet user wrote on weibo.
1. According to the story, who was on the cover of Time magazine?| A．A doctor. | B．A policeman. | C．A teacher. | D．A delivery driver. |
a. Takes a health test.
b. Disinfects his motorcycle.
c. Disinfects his clothes.
d. Visits patients in a hospital.
| A．abc | B．abd | C．acd | D．bcd |
| A．He is a good cook. | B．He doesn't like his job. |
| C．He brings her hope. | D．He will not be infected with the virus. |
| A．delivery drivers' work during the outbreak | B．why is Gao on the cover of Time magazine |
| C．the present situation of the outbreak | D．how to keep life going during the outbreak |
6 . If music makes you smarter and exercise helps you to think, surely exercising to music can turn you into an intelligent person.
A team of scientists from Ohio State University did experiments on 33 volunteers who were getting better from heart disease following operation. They found that people who exercised while listening to Italian musician Antonio Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” did much better on language ability tests than without music. It is also used in medical fields for patients who have bad head hurts because of its moderate tempo (舒缓的节奏).
“Exercise seems to cause positive changes in the nervous system and these changes may improve the learning ability of people with heart disease,” said the psychologist Charles Emery, who led the study. “And listening to music is thought to enhance understanding. We just wanted to put the two results together,” he added.
The volunteers said they felt better emotionally and physically after working out with or without the music. But their improvement on the test doubled after listening to music during exercise. Scientists have proved that music can be good for health, education and well-being. It helps reduce stress and sadness, encourages relaxation or sleep, wakes up the body and improves memory and thoughts.
Scientists have been studying the results of music on understanding since the early 1950s. A study showed that students who listened to Mozart 's violin pieces and exercised went on to get higher marks in an intelligence test. With important exams drawing near, your parents will not probably allow you to listen to music. But perhaps now you have good reasons to argue with them.
1. What does the underlined word “enhance” probably mean? ________.| A．Produce. | B．Provide. | C．Improve. | D．Increase. |
| A．Exercise is used for people with head hurts. |
| B．Music helps volunteers get better from heart disease. |
| C．Scientists often use Mozart's music, for it is not too exciting. |
| D．“The Four Seasons” can be used to help children with speech disorders. |
| A．you are supposed to follow your parents' words |
| B．you have some good reasons about music and exercising |
| C．good marks depend on listening to music and exercising |
| D．exercise to music might help you get higher grades in tests |
| A．music and exercise lead to relaxation or sleep |
| B．33 volunteers work on music in medical fields |
| C．exercising to music makes people healthy and bright |
| D．scientists give suggestions on choosing music to exercise |
