1 . The connection between people and plants has long been the subject of scientific research. Recent studies have found positive effects. A study conducted in Youngstown，Ohio，for example, discovered that greener areas of the city experienced less crime. In another，employees were shown to be 15% more productive when their workplaces were decorated with houseplants.

The engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT)have taken it a step further changing the actual composition of plants in order to get them to perform diverse，even unusual functions. These include plants that have sensors printed onto their leaves to show when they’re short of water and a plant that can detect harmful chemicals in groundwater. ＂We’re thinking about how we can engineer plants to replace functions of the things that we use every day,＂explained Michael Strano, a professor of chemical engineering at MIT.

One of his latest projects has been to make plants glow(发光)in experiments using some common vegetables. Strano’s team found that they could create a faint light for three-and-a-half hours. The light，about one-thousandth of the amount needed to read by，is just a start. The technology, Strano said, could one day be used to light the rooms or even to turn trees into self-powered street lamps.

In the future，the team hopes to develop a version of the technology that can be sprayed onto plant leaves in a one-off treatment that would last the plant’s lifetime. The engineers are also trying to develop an on and off＂switch＂where the glow would fade when exposed to daylight.

Lighting accounts for about 7% of the total electricity consumed in the US. Since lighting is often far removed from the power source(电源)-such as the distance from a power plant to street lamps on a remote highway-a lot of energy is lost during transmission(传输).Glowing plants could reduce this distance and therefore help save energy.

1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?

A．A new study of different plants.

B．A big fall in crime rates.

C．Employees from various workplaces.

D．Benefits from green plants.

2. What is the function of the sensors printed on plant leaves by MIT engineer?

A．To detect plants’ lack of water

B．To change compositions of plants

C．To make the life of plants longer.

D．To test chemicals in plants.

3. What can we expect of the glowing plants in the future?

A．They will speed up energy production.

B．They may transmit electricity to the home.

C．They might help reduce energy consumption.

D．They could take the place of power plants.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Can we grow more glowing plants?

B．How do we live with glowing plants?

C．Could glowing plants replace lamps?

D．How are glowing plants made pollution-free?

2 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填写1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Olympic and Paralympic medals for the Tokyo 2020 Games will be made from recycled mobile phones donated by the public.

Olympic host cities have     1     (tradition) obtained the metal from mining firms. But Japan,     2     lacks its own mineral resources, is keen on taking the theme of a sustainable future a step     3     (far).

“A project which allows the people of Japan     4     (participate) in creating the medals is really good, and helps raise the environmental awareness of our citizens,” said Tokyo 2020 sports     5     (direct) Koji Murofushi. “    6     the resources of our earth are limited, we need to recycle more and avoid waste. This program is setting an example.”

Collection boxes have been placed in local offices and telecom stores and they will remain there until the metal required     7     (collect).

Members of the organizing committee put forward the idea to government officials and companies earlier this year and won their support.

As a result, the medals hanging around Olympic winners’ necks will carry even more meaning     8     usual. People’s personal memories, once     9     (store) in their smart phones and other handheld devices, will take the round shape of an Olympic medal, one of the most precious     10     (prize) in sport.

3 . One of Asia's best-known tourist attractions is taking a major stand （表明立场）for animals.

Due to the ____ from animal activist groups, Apsara, the management authority for the Angkor Archaeological Park in Cambodia announced in June 2019 it would_________elephant rides in early 2020. Nov% the process has already ______ .

The Khmer Times reports that on November 15, two of the 14 elephants __ at the park, site of the ___ Angkor Wat temple, have been ____ to the nearby Bos Thom community ____. Long Kosal, an Apsara press representative, told the Khmer Times that the remaining dozen ___ would be relocated to the same forest by "early next year.” "The elephant is a big animal, but it is also ____ and can be hurt easily. We don't want to see the animals being used for tourism ____ anymore," Kosal said. want them to live in their natural surroundings."

In 2016, an elephant named Sambo died at   Angkor; drawing worldwide _________. Her death was __ a combination of heat stroke and ____ from ferrying so many human beings around. Two years later, the World Wildlife Fund __ an in-depth report on the present situation of the Asian elephant, noting that the species' ____ had declined by 50% in just three generations.

According to Angkor Enterprise, which manages park admissions, the UNESCO-listed site is ____ a decline in tourist numbers. Its ______ report says many tourists refuse to _____ tickets to the temple complex from January to September a 13.7% decline over the same period in 2018. While there's no predicting whether the ban on Angkor elephant rides will _____ visitor numbers, it comes at a time when more and more ____ and tourism organizations around the world have moved to eliminate (清除)animal-related attractions.

1.

A．steps

B．pressure

C．example

D．trend

2.

A．continue

B．improve

C．ban

D．reform

3.

A．stopped

B．undertaken

C．established

D．begun

4.

A．currently

B．permanently

C．steadily

D．compulsorily

5.

A．famous

B．shabby

C．typical

D．remote

6.

A．lent

B．contributed

C．sent

D．submitted

7.

A．clinic

B．forest

C．circus

D．zoo

8.

A．participants

B．pets

C．workers

D．animals

9.

A．gentle

B．dangerous

C．strong

D．interesting

10.

A．facility

B．accommodation

C．activities

D．routine

11.

A．attention

B．donation

C．respect

D．sympathy

12.

A．come from

B．accused of

C．led to

D．blamed on

13.

A．consumption

B．exhaustion

C．annoyance

D．absorption

14.

A．leaked

B．investigated

C．published

D．claimed

15.

A．popularity

B．existence

C．presentation

D．population

16.

A．solving

B．facing

C．emphasizing

D．revealing

17.

A．longest

B．widest

C．latest

D．biggest

18.

A．give

B．buy

C．enter

D．paid

19.

A．switch

B．compensate

C．corrupt

D．impact

20.

A．volunteers

B．employees

C．travelers

D．enthusiasts

4 . Scientists who study the Sun watch for sunspots—violent storms that can affect communications，navigation systems and even electric power stations on the Earth.

Sunspots are a product of huge electromagnetic storms on the Sun. Scientists on the Earth are able to observe sunspots eight minutes after they happen. That is how long it takes for the Sun’s light to reach us.

The first electrically charged particles (颗粒）from a sunspot enter the Earth’s atmosphere about 20 to 30 minutes after the storm happens. These particles can harm human beings. So before they arrive, astronauts on the International Space Station move into special areas designed to protect them from their effects.

About a day or two later, the biggest part of the storm arrives. It is called a coronal mass ejection. “That is billions of tons of solar material that's blown away from the Sun. It’s traveling millions of kilometers an hour, but that is relatively slow.” says Alex Young, the Associate Director for Science at NASA's Heliophysics Science Division.

Several civilian government agencies and the U.S. Air Force watch weather conditions in space 24 hours a day. NASA does so because it must protect its astronauts and the electronic devices on its spacecraft.

Scientists are also trying to understand why the number of sunspots rises and falls at almost regular intervals every 11 years. In other words, scientists can almost predict the amount of solar activity. Sometimes the intensity (强度）is higher，sometimes lower，For example, the current solar cycle, as it is called, is much lower than the previous one.

Several satellites watch the Sun and the environment between the Sun and tho Earth. Pictures and other information from the satellites tell scientists what is happening on and near the Sun.

Alex Young says we have only been looking at the Sun with powerful instruments for about 30 to 40 years. Thai is a very short time compared to ll\o four billion years that tho star has been shining.

1. Why do astronauts on International Space Station move into special area?

A．To avoid being harmed.	B．To charge the battery.
C．To watch the Sun closely	D．To protect devices on the spacecraft.

2. How long does a solar cycle last?

A．About 8 minutes.	B．About 20 to 30 minutes
C．About 11 years.	D．About 30 to 40 minutes

3. What enables scientists to watch the Sun?

A．Environmental changes.	B．Good weather conditions
C．Advanced instruments.	D．Government agencies

4. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．The role of satellites.	B．findings about sunpots
C．Observation of space.	D．Communication on the earth.

5 . "When I was 16 years old, I was diving in Greece, but I was disappointed because I saw more plastic bags than fish.” These are the words of Boyan Slat, an engineer who designed the world's first ocean plastic cleanup system.

Every year, more than 8 million tons of plastics end up in our oceans, according to the UN Environment Programme. It is predicted that the weight of ocean plastics will match the weight of all the fish in our oceans by 2050. To prevent this from happening, in 2013 Slat created the Ocean Cleanup, an environmental non¬governmental organization, and put his plan for an ocean cleanup device into action.

After years of research and develop¬ment in the Netherlands, a device called System 001/B successfully started gathering plastics on October 2, 2019. The device uses a 600-meter-long C-shaped tube to gather all the floating rubbish. Unlike other cleanup methods, the system floats freely according to the direction of the waves, which allows waste to flow into and stay within the device. A sea anchor is attached to either end. This slows down the system as it floats through the water and allows the faster-moving rubbish, carried by the waves, to flow into its mouth. System 001/B can also collect waste below the surface using a 3-meter-deep skirt（挡板）attached to the end. After being gathered, the trash will be dragged back to shore by boat and recycled.

Right now, the system operates in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an area that is 3 times the size of France. Once operational, the Ocean Cleanup expects a full fleet to be able to clear 50% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 5 years.

"It remains to be seen whether this dream will become a reality, but it is undeniable that humanity must work together to reduce our plastic use and repair the damage our waste has caused," Slat said. "We are starting to see a young generation that gets it and is excited about a sustainable （可持续的）future, but the question still comes down to: Are we going fast enough, and how much damage will have been done before we get there?"

1. The underlined word “match” in Paragraph 2 probably means “_________”.

A．compare	B．equal
C．measure	D．cover

2. Why did Boyan Slat create the Ocean Cleanup?

A．To collect ocean plastic waste.

B．To help to invent System 001/B.

C．To protect the living environment of fish.

D．To do research on the ocean environment.

3. What can we know about System 001/B?

A．It can collect and recycle garbage at the same time.

B．It can only gather ocean waste which floats on the water.

C．It aims to clear up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in five years.

D．It is an ocean-cleaning device which has already been put to use.

4. What does Slat want to tell us according to the last paragraph?

A．Young generations care less about the environment.

B．The future ecology of the oceans is deeply worrying.

C．People should work hard to decrease plastic pollution.

D．It's quite difficult to repair the damage to the environment.

6 . Pigeons in London have a bad reputation. Some people call them flying rats. And many blame them for causing pollution with their droppings. But now the birds are being used to fight another kind of pollution in this city of 8. 5 million.

“The problem for air pollution is that it’s been largely ignored as an issue for a long time,” says Andrea Lee, who works for the London-based environmental organization Client Earth. “People don’t realize how bad it is,and how it actually affects their health. ‘‘ London’s poor air quality is linked to nearly 10,000 early deaths a year. Lee says, citing report released by the city manager last year, “If people were better informed about the pollution they’re breathing,” she says,”they could pressure the government to do something about it. ‘‘

Nearby, on a windy hill in London’s Regent’s Park, an experiment is underway that could help-the first week of flights by the Pigeon Air Patrol. It all began when Pierre Duquesnoy, the director for DigitasLBi, a marketing firm, won a London Design Festival contest last year to show how a world problem could be solved using Twitter. Duquesnoy, from France, chose the problem of air pollution.

“Basically, I realized how important the problem was,v he says. “But also I realized that most of the people around me didn’t know anything about it. ‘‘ Duquesnoy says he wants to better measure pollution, while at the same time making the results accessible to the public through Twitter.

“So, “ he wondered, “how could we go across the city quickly collecting as much data as possible?” Drones ( 无人驾驶飞机)were his first thought. But it’s illegal to fly them over London. “But pigeons can fly above London,right?” he says. “They live -actually? they are Londoners as well. So, yeah, I thought about using pigeons equipped with mobile apps. And we can use not just street pigeons, but racing pigeons, because they fly pretty quickly and pretty low. “

So it might be time for Londoners to have more respect for their pigeons. The birds may just be helping to improve the quality of the city's air.

1. What can we infer about London’s air quality from paragraph 2?

A．Londoners are very satisfied with it.

B．The government is trying to improve it.

C．The government has done a lot to improve it.

D．Londoners should pay more attention to it.

2. Duquesnoy attended the London Design Festival to __.

A．entertain Londoners	B．solve a world problem
C．design a product for sale	D．protect animals like pigeons

3. Why did Duquesnoy give up using drones to fly across London?

A．Because they are too expensive	B．Because they fly too quickly.
C．Because they are forbidden.	D．Because they fly too high.

4. Which can be the best title for the text?

A．London’s New Pollution Fighter

B．London’s Dirty Secret

C．Clean Air in London

D．Causes of Air Pollution in London

7 . A butterfly’s wings can have many jobs besides keeping the insect high up in the air. They may be used to attract mates, or to warn potential attackers to stay away. All of these roles, though, depend on their unchanging colouration. This plays into the idea that butterfly wings are dead tissue, like a bird’s feathers. In fact, that’s not true. For example, in some species males’ wings have special cells releasing some chemicals which attract females.

Nanfang Yu, a physicist at Columbia University, in New York, has been looking into the matter. Together with Naomi Pierce, a butterfly specialist at Harvard University, he has now shown, in a paper published in Nature Communications in February, 2020, that butterfly wings are, indeed, very much alive.

In their experiments, the two researchers used a laser(激光) to heat up spots on the wings of dozens of butterfly species. When the temperature of the area under the laser reached 40°C or so, the insects responded within seconds by doing things that stopped their wings heating up further. These actions included a butterfly turning around to minimize its profile to the laser, moving its wings up and down or simply walking away.

Butterflies engaged in all of these heat-minimising activities even when the researchers blindfolded them. That suggested the relevant sensors were on the wings themselves. Dr Yu and Dr Pierce therefore searched those wings for likely looking sensory cells. They found some, in the form of neurons(神经元) that were similar to heat detectors known from other insects. They also uncovered disc-shaped cells that appeared to be similar to pressure-sensitive neurons. They guess that these are there to detect deformation of the wing—information an insect could use to control its flight pattern.

The third discovery they made to contradict the “dead wing” idea was that some butterfly wings have a heartbeat. A butterfly’s wings have veins(静脉). These carry a bloodlike liquid which, researchers have now found in males, shows a pulse(脉搏) of several dozen beats per minute. The source of this pulse appears to be the scent(气味) pad, a dark spot on the wings that produces the female-attracting chemicals. Apparently, this “wing heart” acts as a pump that helps bloodlike liquid through the scent pad.

In all their experiments simulating different environmental conditions, Dr Yu and Dr Pierce consistently found that, different parts of the wing are covered by different sorts of scales(鳞屑). In particular, tubes pass through scales over the scent pads. This improves their ability to spread heat away and helps keep the living parts of a butterfly’s wings alive.

1. A bird’s feathers are mentioned in Paragraph 1 to _____.

A．introduce the latest research findings on a bird

B．highlight the special feature of a bird’s feathers

C．show common knowledge about butterfly wings

D．stress the difference between a butterfly and a bird

2. What can we learn from Dr Yu and Dr Pierce’s experiments?

A．Butterfly wings are complicated living organs.

B．Butterfly wings have little reaction to external heat.

C．The scent pads on some male butterfly wings are their hearts.

D．Heat-minimising activities help detect deformation of the wings.

3. What is the function of scales over the scent pads?

A．Attracting mates.	B．Increasing blood flow.
C．Covering powerful tubes.	D．Producing the cooling effect.

4. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Seeing Is Believing	B．More Than Meets The Eye
C．Nothing Seek, Nothing Find	D．Fine Feathers Make Fine Birds

8 . More than half the planet’s population now live in cities, with limited access to the natural world. For Europe and Latin America, the figure is more than 70%.     1    

Gardening in particular is an opportunity for everyone to have such kind of experience, even if they live in built-up areas. It is typically seen as moderate (适度的) intensity exercise equal to playing doubles tennis or walking at a speed of 3.5mph, so it has similar fitness benefits.

    2    Home and gardens have long been important for family food production, but gardening can also encourage people to eat more healthily and act as an educational resource on nutritious food. In fact, children who take part in gardening and grow their own food have a greater preference for, and increased consumption of, fruit and vegetables.

    3    Research has shown that gardeners generally have greater life satisfaction, raised self-esteem and fewer feelings of depression and anger than non-gardeners.

This last point suggests that the mental benefits of gardening may be more than just a side-effect of the physical exercise involved,     4    People with strong social networks have an increased life expectancy, less stress and fewer visits to the doctor. In addition, spending time outdoors in a natural environment helps us to feel less stressed, reduce the symptoms of depression, and improve our concentration and attention.

All this evidence shows there’s a strong relationship between gardening and health, but we only know for sure that there is connection, not "cause and effect".     5    We also need to directly examine the immediate effects of gardening on people who have never previously taken part or are suffering from mental and physical ill health.

A．Gardening is also linked to better diets.

B．But more than this, it can promote people’s mental health.

C．One possible reason is that gardening can involve social interaction.

D．A good eating is supposed to include a balance of several food groups.

E．Yet contact with nature has varieties of benefits for both physical and mental health.

F．This means gardening alone is not necessarily a direct cause of any improvements in health.

G．Remaining socially active can also inspire seniors to build confidence and live a healthy life.

9 . Schools consume a large amount of energy, which has a bad effect on the environment.    1    , there are lots of ways that you can help your school save energy. Look for simple changes your school can make and band together with others to make an even bigger effect.

    2    Even something as simple as turning offthe lights when you leave a room can help to save energy. Turn off the lights in classrooms that are not being used and in other areas,such as empty bathrooms and unoccupied multi-purpose rooms.

Use natural light when the sun is bright. It may not always be necessary for you to have the lights on in your classroom. There may be times of day when the sun is especially bright andenough for what you are doing in your classroom.     3    .

Set up a recycling station at your schooL Recycling is a great way to save energy because it reduces the need to produce new materials.    4    , then ask your school principal if you can set one up.

Get others involved.    5    . Either as an individual or as a team, you can create and put up signs around your school. Try using signs that remind people of things they can do to save energy and also some signs that raise awareness of saving energy.

A．Postsigns about conserving energy.

B．Whether you are a teacher or a student.

C．Ifyour school does not have one.

D．Turn offyour computer when it's not used.

E．Shut down the lights when rooms are not in use.

F．Other times of day you might only need half ofthe lights.

G．If your school's garbage company offers recycling services

10 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

China has developed a technology that is able to transform desert lands into available soil. The technology    1    (develop) several years ago by researchers at Chongqing Jiaotong University. They invented a paste (黏合剂)    2    (make) of a material found in plant cell walls that, when mixed    3    sand, is able to keep water, nutrients and air.

According to CGTN (中国国际电视台), Chinese scientists have achieved success in growing crops in areas with bad conditions caused by lack of rain and    4    (extreme) hot temperatures. One particular area is in a desert in North China’s Inner Mongolia. Over 70 kinds of crops are growing there. Many are not planted by humans but they just grow    5    (they), And the costs of artificial materials and machines for transforming sand into soil is much    6    (low) compared with regular methods. Now, nearly 500 acres of sand is being turned into farms producing corn,    7    (tomato) and sunflowers. A reforestation (重造森林) project is also currently in progress,    8    is set to reforest 50% of desert land in three years.

Researchers are looking into expanding their project this fall, with    9    plan to transform another 500 acres of desert. In the next few years, the scientists are    10    (confidence) that they can turn over 30,000 acres more into rich ground.