1 . When we think of insects that native plants support, we often think of bees and butterflies, but they really support many other insects as well as birds and mammals (哺乳动物). The fact that our native plants and wildlife have developed together means that they rely on each other to survive.
The biggest threat to these insects is the loss of their home. In fact, the insect population has reduced by an alarming 45% since 1974! By bringing native plant species into our gardens, we create natural feeding and nesting sites important to their survival and ours. By creating living areas for our native insects, we help to support native birds and other native wildlife, and thus, increase the natural biodiversity of our ecosystem.
Native plantings also have a positive effect on the overall health of our environment. They are used in bio-filters (生物过滤), and rain gardens. With their deep roots systems, natives are able to hold the soil, take in nutrients, catch and release water, as well as filter pollutants out of the water.
Native plants are the best choice for these situations because they are adapted to our soil, rainfall and climate, and are able to bear brief periods of wet soil and long periods of dryness. In addition to helping clear pollutants from our waterways, native plants, especially long-lived trees, also help our air quality by removing CO2 at a higher rate than grasses due to their large root systems.
Besides all the amazing things native plants already do for our environment, having them in your garden will also help you save time and money. Because native plants aren’t as susceptible to pests and bacteria as non-natives are, so they don’t require the use of fungicides or pesticides. Putting in native plants is much easier than you think and extremely beneficial for not only your local environment but also for you. We encourage you to design a small area of your garden for native plants or reconsider whether you can add a few native plants to your existing garden. A little work can go a long way in supporting our local wildlife and ecosystem!
1. What is most likely to put native insects in danger?| A．Native birds are increasing. | B．Their homes are gradually lost. |
| C．Foreign wildlife is introduced. | D．The climate disasters appear frequently. |
| A．Benefits of native plants. | B．Choices for native plants. |
| C．Relationships among native plants. | D．Advantages of long-lived plants. |
| A．Easily affected by. | B．Greatly harmful to. |
| C．Constantly dotted with. | D．Potentially beneficial to. |
| A．How you can clear your garden |
| B．How you can protect native wildlife |
| C．Why you need a garden with various plants |
| D．Why you should plant natives in your garden |
2 . In 2010, Barack Obama was to pay a visit to Mumbai’s Gandhi Museum, where palm(棕榈)trees full of me dotted the grounds. The president knew me well-coconuts (椰子)are a part of life in Indonesia, where he spent his boyhood. Before his visit, Indian authorities, however, removed every last sign of me around the museum. They were afraid the president of the United States would be taken out by one of me falling on his head.
Let’s get this out of the way: My reputation as the “killer fruit” of countless innocents was then and still is a misbelief. A repeatedly misinterpreted 1984 study overstated the number of deaths I caused by hitting people on the head, and the word spread. Today, the only things about me “to die for” are the sometimes too-delicious foods you humans make with me, such as cookies and pies. A decade ago, health experts briefly gave me a halo because some of my fats may raise beneficial cholesterol (胆固醇). But ask a heart doctor today and they’ll tell you that coconut oil will raise your bad cholesterol as much. Death by coconut, indeed!
People have other wrong ideas about me. But allow me to leave you with a sweet presidential tale. A World War II boat commanded by one John F.Kennedy was destroyed in 1943 by a Japanese warship. Kennedy and his surviving crew were stuck on an island. They were suffering from hunger, thirst and injuries when they met two friendly native coast-watchers. Kennedy scratched a message into a coconut shell: “NAURO ISL...COMMANDER...11 ALIVE...NEED SMALL BOAT...KENNEDY.”
The coast-watchers delivered this successfully and all the crew were saved. Years later, the coconut shell was given to the newly elected president. It sat on his office desk throughout his presidency and now is a center-piece of the John F.Kennedy Library in Boston-as the proof that we coconuts don’t take lives, we save them.
1. Why did Indian officials get rid of “me”?| A．To reduce Obama’s fear. | B．To avoid unexpected injuries. |
| C．To show their welcome tradition. | D．To follow the request from the US. |
| A．thought little of me | B．did great damage to me |
| C．made me well-known | D．brought me a good name |
| A．Amusing. | B．Anxious. |
| C．Concerned. | D．Romantic. |
| A．To show a new discovery. | B．To correct people’s misbelief. |
| C．To tell the history of coconuts. | D．To describe a successful rescue. |
