A seed bank stores seeds to preserve genetic diversity; hence it is a type of gene bank. Many people may wonder     1     the seeds are stored. One of the major reasons is to preserve the genes that plant growers need to increase yield (产量), disease resistance, drought tolerance, nutritional quality, and the taste of crops. Another is to prevent     2     (lose) of genetic diversity in rare or endangered plant species in     3     effort to conserve biodiversity. Many plants     4     (grow) centuries ago by humans are used less frequently now; seed banks offer a way to preserve that historical and cultural value. Collections of seeds stored     5     constant low temperature and low water level are guarded against reduction of genetic resources which are otherwise maintained in field collections. These alternative “living” collections can     6     (damage) by natural disasters, outbreaks of disease,     7     war. Containing valuable information about evolved strategies to reduce plant stress, seed banks are considered seed     8     (library), and can help to create genetically modified (调整过的) versions of     9     (exist) seeds. The work of seed banks often span decades and even centuries. Most seed banks are     10     (public) funded and seeds are usually available for research that benefits the public.

Humans are not the only ones who like to use tablet computers. The nonprofit organization Orangutan (猩猩) Outreach has started a program     1     (call) Apps for Apes using Apple’s iPad. Orangutan Outreach     2     (start) by Richard Zimmerman and is based in New York City. He began the organization six years ago with the goal of     3     (protect) orangutans in the wild.

The organization started Apps for Apes one year ago. The program introduces the Apple iPad to orangutans in zoos. Apps for Apes has three     4     (goal). The first goal is to provide interesting activities     5     orangutans. The second goal is to raise     6     (aware) among zoo visitors about how smart these animals are. The third goal is to urge people to visit Orangutan Outreach’s website, redapes. org, to learn how they can help protect orangutans in the wild.

“The young orangutans are very curious, and they go to it     7     (immediate), ”said Mr. Zimmerman, adding that the iPad is a perfect device for the animal because of the touch screen technology. With some assistance, the orangutans are able to use different apps to listen to music, play games     8     do other activities.

The program,     9     was first launched at the Milwaukee County Zoo, has expanded to more than 10 other zoos as well as     10     rescue center for apes in the United States and Canada, and is growing worldwide.

6 . Last week, the Memphis Zoo held a farewell party for Ya Ya     1    (wish) her a safe trip home at the end of this month and to celebrate the 20-year partnership between the zoo and the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens, according to the zoo on Twitter.

Another pair of giant pandas, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, living in the US National Zoo in Washington, has also raised concerns, with videos     2    (post) by netizens showing the two pandas are     3     poor condition with suspected health problems.

The giant panda is known as the national treasure of China.     4     is easily recognized by its large, distinctive black patches around the eyes, ears and on its rotund body. Being one of cutest animals in the world, they are loved by people of all ages. Fat and     5    (fun), the black and white animals enjoy eating bamboo shoots and leaves. Adult pandas, most of     6     live in southwestern China, are about 1.2 to 1.8 meters tall and weigh about 80 to 120 kilograms. They always serve as ambassadors of friendship between China and other     7    (country).

Many people     8    (special) visit China to see the pandas, which is good for the economy of these areas. In addition, they have increased the status of China in the world as people     9    (impress) with the work that the Chinese are doing to save their wildlife.

The Chinese government has always been doing its best to protect pandas from     10    (harm) or killed. We hope that one day we will have enough pandas to set them free and let them live in the wild.

In southwestern China’s Yunnan province, mushrooms mean money. In May, when the first monsoon (季风) rains sweep across the mountainous province of Yunnan, mushroom collectors rush to damp forests     1    (hunt) for wild mushrooms.     2    (join) them at the first sunlight are local chefs, village children and     3    (they) parents, and some migrant workers who have returned from coastal factories especially for the hunt.

Thousands of Yunnanese families earn much of their living from the wild fungi (野生菌) season,     4     runs until October. The 160,000 tonnes they collect     5    (annual) bring an income of about 10 bn yuan ($1.4 bn). The most valuable ones end up on dinner     6    (plate) abroad, from porcini — beloved one of Europeans — to meaty matsutake, prized by South Koreans and Japanese. Trains get the mushrooms from basket to banquet in under 30 hours. A rail service     7    (launch) last year has been called the “high-speed matsutake express”. Whatever is not sold fresh is air-dried or frozen for later sale.

“Yunnan accounts     8     just 4% of China’s land area, yet is home to more than 800 of the country’s 1,000 known edible varieties of mushrooms, and about one third of the world’s. Dozens more     9    (discover) in Yunnan every year,” says Yang Zhuliang,     10     researcher of the Kunming Institute of Botany.

The record of the    1    (tall) tree in Asia has been refreshed this week, as a team of Chinese researchers announced     2    (recent) that they discovered a giant cypress(柏树)measuring 102.3 meters in Tibet.

The record-breaking high tree, called Cupressus torulosa(西藏柏木),    3    (find) at the national nature reserve of the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon in Bome county, Nyingchi city, during a scientific investigation led by Peking University in May.

    4    (use) drones and laser radar to map the local cypress aggregation area, the team members confirmed the     5    (present) of the 102.3-meter tree. Besides, they detected a large number of trees over 85 meters high, including 25 over 90 meters. The findings have also contributed    6    the region having the highest density of giant trees in China and Asia after precision measurement, said Ren Yu,    7    is a team member from Peking University.

Mainly distributed in southeastern Tibet, Cupressus, torulosa has a narrow distribution area and     8    small population. Therefore, it has been listed    9    a national first-class protected plant.

The previous China tree height record     10    (hold) was an evergreen fir(常绿冷杉) measured at 83.4 meters by scientists in Tibet last year.

Hawthorn (山楂) trees or bushes are a familiar sight in the UK, where they are often found     1    (plant) along the edges of fields or used as garden boundaries. In May, they produce     2    (bunch) of white flowers, followed by fresh red berries.

    3     its name suggests, the plant has large thorns (刺),     4    (make)it possible for self-protection. Both the flowers and the berries can be used     5    (medical) and are a traditional remedy (疗法) for heart conditions.

The use of hawthorn as a herbal medicine to protect the heart can be traced back for centuries. Its use     6     modern times dates from an Irish physician, who used it to treat heart diseases. This doctor guarded his secret remedy closely, and it was not until after his death that his remedy was examined     7    (find) how it worked. And it turned out to be an active ingredient made from the bright red berries of hawthorn.

Hawthorn is now a popular heart remedy throughout Europe. It can help to protect the blood system that feeds the heart. Hawthorn can also contribute to mild chest pains     8    (relieve). Some specialists suggest it may also     9    (apply) to reduce the extra fat in the blood system.

Hawthorn is regarded as one of the     10    (safe) herbal medicines and although side-effects such as sweating and tiredness have been reported, they are extremely rare.