1 . 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。

In November 2023, China launched a three-year action plan to promote the use of bamboo as a replacement     1     plastic. Actually, I’ve been using bamboo products more often over the years.

The look and feel of bamboo are absolutely above and beyond plastic,     2     there must be more positive aspects to bamboo other than just aesthetics (美学). When compared to    3     (healthy) plastic, bamboo is a highly renewable, natural material that is biodegradable (可生物降解的) and     4     (become) the “green gold” of modern times in recent years because it has so many good qualities.     5     (live) in a time when most of our homes are filled with plastic, I think it’s time     6     (wake) up to the green alternative and realize     7     (it) full potential as a planet protector.

This super-powered plant is actually a grass and looks like a weed in terms of     8     quickly it can grow and where it can live. The production costs of bamboo are     9     (extreme) low due to the easy availability of this material, and it requires almost zero adjustment when people produce bamboo products. From household objects to decorative settings, the quantity of uses bamboo has     10     (go) beyond our wildest dreams and I’d love to see it becoming more popular as time goes on.

2 . Honeybees command a lot of attention in insect conservation circles, as they are important for pollinating our food supply. But the findings from researchers emphasize the importance of prioritizing other pollinators or insects like wild bees, moths and butterflies in conservation efforts, too.

For the study, ecologists Joshua Kohn and Dillon Travis from the University of California, painstakingly tracked the pollination of flowers from two plant species in San Diego — white sage and Phacelia distans. Often Travis sat for hours waiting for a single pollinator, honeybees or other insects, to land on a flower. Each time he put a mesh (网状的) bag on the flower to prevent any new visitor, then back to collect seeds from different visitors. Back in the greenhouse, the team grew the seeds, analyzing characteristics that reflected their quality, such as how many seeds grew and survived and how many leaves or flower seedlings (幼苗) grew from them.

They found flowers pollinated by honeybees make fewer and lower-quality seeds than flowers visited by other pollinators. The white sage and Phacelia distans plants produced roughly half the amount of seeds from flowers pollinated by honeybees compared with other pollinators. And Phacelia distans seeds from honeybee-pollinated plants grew into seedlings with fewer flowers.

The researchers also found that honeybees visited about twice as many flowers on one plant before moving to the next than the average of other pollinators, causing honeybees to transfer more pollen in flowers of the same plant, thus resulting in fewer and lower-quality and more inbred (近亲繁殖的) seeds. Other pollinators more often flew between different plants, probably transferring more diverse pollen.

Travis says, “Honeybees’ pollination habit can impact ecosystems and agriculture in the long term. One potential consequence could be that native plant populations decline as next generations become more inbred, reducing biodiversity.”

“It is time to actually shift our dependence for pollination from largely honeybees to other native species as well,” says Jaya Sravanthi Mokkapati, an entomologist at Penn State University.

1. What does paragraph 2 focus on about the research?

A．Its procedures.	B．Its members.
C．Its impact.	D．Its significance.

2. Why do plants pollinated by honeybees produce fewer and lower-quality seeds?

A．Honeybees cause big damage to plants’ seeds.

B．Honeybees are less selective while pollinating.

C．Honeybees’ pollination efficiency is unexpectedly low.

D．Honeybees prefer to pollinate flowers of the same plant.

3. What did Travis think of their findings?

A．Misleading.

B．Worrying.

C．Creative.

D．Helpful.

4. What is Jaya Sravanthi Mokkapati’s point of view?

A．Native plant populations are declining at a high speed.

B．Honeybees’ pollination impacts plant seeds temporarily.

C．More attention should be paid to protecting other pollinators.

D．Honeybees’ pollination depends more on other native species.

3 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. Why is the baobab’s trunk really fat?

A．It is shaped by people.

B．It stores a large quantity of water.

C．It must be strong enough to support the tree.

2. What is the full height of a baobab?

A．About 12 metres.

B．About 15 metres.

C．About 30 metres.

3. What are baobabs often used as nowadays?

A．Shops.

B．Wildlife habitats.

C．Bus shelters.

5 . A solar tree is a structure like a tree that generates solar energy using photovoltaic panels (太阳能光伏板). It helps solve an urgent global challenge: Replacing greenhouse gas-emitting energy sources like oil and gas with renewable energy. But the power generation potential of solar trees is relatively limited, and their primary purpose is to raise public awareness about renewable energy by getting people to notice and interact with solar energy in new ways.

Solar trees generally have a firm metal, plastic, or stone base that extends up and out into “branches” on which solar panels are mounted. Beyond this basic structure, there is great diversity in the design of solar tree units. The solar tree’s photovoltaic “leaves” absorb sunlight, converting it into electricity that is conducted down through the trunk-like central pillar of the structure to an inside battery. Many designs feature rotating (旋转的) panels that can move throughout the day in order to obtain the greatest amount of sunlight.

Solar trees help power homes, businesses, and public services. They can create shade to help reduce the urban heat island effect and provide shelter in severe weather such as rainstorms and heatwaves, creating greater urban adapting ability in the face of climate change. They also enhance public spaces, providing charging stations, and powering streetlights.

In comparison to other kinds of ground-mounted solar panel devices, solar trees don’t require much land. They make solar energy generation possible in areas with little land that can’t support vast solar arrays, as well as places that lack sufficient rooftop space for panels. However, solar panels are much cheaper than solar trees at present and have far greater energy generation capacity. Therefore, present solar tree designs often serve as a extra source rather than as a primary energy source.

At present, solar trees aren’t designed as large-scale solar projects, which limits their ability to contribute to the low-carbon energy transition. Still, their varied designs are appealing. This makes solar trees effective at displaying and thereby educating people about solar energy, and promoting a business or organization’s commitment to renewable energy.

1. What is the main purpose of building solar trees?

A．To beautify the urban environment.	B．To draw public attention to solar energy.
C．To replace non-renewable energy resources.	D．To provide charging services in emergencies.

2. What do we know about a solar tree?

A．It stores energy in its own battery.

B．It can adjust its height automatically.

C．It is made of environmentally friendly materials.

D．It transforms sunlight into electricity by its metal base.

3. What does the third paragraph mainly talk about?

A．The design features of solar trees.	B．The ways of saving energy in cities.
C．The benefits of solar trees to humans.	D．The difficulties of promoting solar trees.

4. What is the advantage of solar trees over other ground-mounted solar panel devices?

A．They occupy much less land.	B．They are cheaper to manufacture.
C．They are more effective in generating energy.	D．They can work in various weather conditions.

6 . Recent research confirms what our farming ancestors have known for centuries about hedges (树篱). They conserve precious soil by acting as windbreaks and absorbing rainwater that would otherwise wash it from the fields. And hedges store carbon, putting them in the front line of our bi d to tackle the climate crisis.

However, hedges have had a tough time in the poor countryside, with farmers encouraged to tear them down in pursuit of maximum production and larger field s to accommodate ever-larger machinery. What’s more, some hedges have been ignored. If left to their own devices, they’ll eventually become a line of trees. Some hedges each year lose their structures and fail to fulfil the primary duty as a barrier. Around a half of the nation’s hedges have disappeared in the past century.

There are signs that “the tide is turning”. The search for net zero has aroused many organizations’ interest in the humble hedge’s role as a carbon sink. The Climate Change Committee is recommending a 40 percent increase in hedges: an additional 200,000 km. Such recommendations are starting to drive policy. Cash-pressed farmers will be encouraged to create new hedges and improve their management of existing ones under the new Environmental Land Management Schemes, which will replace many of the existing agricultural support payments in coming years. Meanwhile, initiatives such as Close the Gap, led by the Tree Council, is providing funding and support to plug the gaps in existing hedges with new planting. There’s even an app to help time-pressed farmers do a quick survey to spot where their hedges need some help.

This is a good time for hedges. Take some of the most pressing challenges facing the countryside, and indeed, the world as a whole — the climate crisis, soil erosion (侵蚀), insect attack and wider biodiversity loss — and hedges are part of the solution.

1. What does recent research show about hedges?

A．They are unique landscapes in the rain.

B．They act as dividing lines between fields.

C．They have long been helpful to agriculture.

D．They are frequently washed away from the fields.

2. What does paragraph 2 mainly tell us about hedges?

A．Their suffering.	B．Their production.
C．Their duties.	D．Their structures.

3. What is many organizations’ attitude towards saving hedges?

A．Puzzled.

B．Concerned.

C．Humble.

D．Indifferent.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Hedges: Ancient Resources

B．Hedges: Official Recommendations

C．Restoring Hedges: Bringing Benefits to the Environment

D．Researching Hedges: Originating from Farmers’ Request

7 . 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。

Scientists in Florida have     1     (successful) grown plants in moon soil collected during NASA’s Apollo missions (任务) in the 1960s and 1970s.

    2     NASA-supported study at the University of Florida used soil collected by astronauts    3     (grow) Thale Cress 2 (拟南芥). To compare results, plants were also grown in Earth soil    4     was made to be similar to moon soil. The researchers     5     (add) water and then seeds to the soil, as well as daily nutrients (营养物). After just two days, their growth started.

According to Professor Anna-Lisa Paul, all the plants looked the same     6     the sixth day. After the sixth day,     7    , it was clear that the plants growing in moon soil were not as healthy as those growing in Earth soil.

DNA testing showed that those Thale Cress 2     8     (plant) in the moon soil were under stress. It was also found that the plants grew in different ways in soil from different parts of the moon. The soil collected during the Apollo 11 mission had been on the moon’s surface several billion years     9     (long) than the other soil, and the plants grown in it were the weakest.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson believes this research will help future space missions and that resources on the moon and Mars     10     (need) to develop food for astronauts living and working in space.

8 . If the plant could thrive (茁壮成长), maybe I could too, even with cancer.

After my cancer diagnosis (诊断), my friend gifted me a lucky bamboo plant in a deep-green pottery bowl. Despite my physical limitations, ______ the green plant became an achievement during a time when I felt ______.

As a family physician used to ______ care, now I was the one relying on others. The _________ change left me feeling unsettled. Watering the plant, as small an act as it was, ____me to my old identity and taught me I could still be a caregiver and be ______.

Through surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy (化疗), I ______ looking after the plant, and it thrived, so did my ______.

But then, ______, its leaves kept browning and dropping to the floor. The ______of its struggles made me frustrated and uneasy. I seemingly related its struggle to my own health, fearing it ______ the return of my tumor (肿瘤).

As my anxiety eased, I ______ guidance online to figure out how to better take care of the poor little thing. Following the   ______ found, I transplanted it to a larger pot, allowing more room and nutrients it required. When it returned to the sunny window, we both began to thrive again!

Now, the lucky bamboo was not just a ______item in my home but a representation of life, and the ability to find ______ even in challenging circumstances.

1.

A．looking for

B．picking up

C．digging up

D．caring for

2.

A．useless

B．painless

C．selfless

D．desireless

3.

A．respecting

B．persuading

C．showing

D．providing

4.

A．gradual

B．positive

C．enormous

D．complex

5.

A．connected

B．recommended

C．added

D．sent

6.

A．focused on

B．brought up

C．picked up

D．depended on

7.

A．delayed

B．continued

C．avoided

D．considered

8.

A．optimism

B．career

C．opportunity

D．lesson

9.

A．originally

B．possibly

C．mysteriously

D．approximately

10.

A．attitudes

B．signs

C．meanings

D．outcomes

11.

A．affected

B．mirrored

C．tested

D．prevented

12.

A．exchanged

B．shared

C．appreciated

D．sought

13.

A．instructions

B．commands

C．schedules

D．trends

14.

A．flexible

B．sustainable

C．decorative

D．sensitive

15.

A．company

B．hope

C．aid

D．creativity

9 . When gardeners grow varieties of plants in their beautiful gardens, they are happy to see beneficial insects like bees and butterflies surrounding the flowers. But as they take a closer look, they may find some plants are covered in black dots and filled with harmful insects or pests. Some gardeners may immediately reach for chemicals.     1     Although it may stop the insect problem, it will also threaten bees and butterflies which help the plants reproduce.

If you are wise gardeners, you should first take preventive measures to control the harmful insects.     2     Only when there are too many harmful insects, should pest control be considered. The first defense should always be the safest method available.

Prevention

As a rule, prevention is the best treatment. Inspect plants closely, including their leaves, before buying them from the store.     3    

When planting, space plants out to permit them to grow to their full size. Plants too close together can breed harmful organisms, like bacteria.

    4     They invite pests if permitted to remain on the ground. When you do see pests, wash them away. Use rubbing alcohol to remove some insects, or pick them off the plants.

Pesticides

If you decide a pesticide is necessary, choose it carefully and follow the directions and warnings on the product. Avoid using pesticides in extreme heat, on windy days, or when the plants are wet.     5     At the time, beneficial insects are inactive. You can consider removing flowers from the plants to lessen the risk that beneficial insects will come in contact with the pesticides.

A．But this is not wise.

B．In most cases, chemicals don’t help.

C．Treat the plants early in the morning or at night.

D．Also do remember the plants need nutrition and care.

E．Keep your garden free of fallen leaves, fruits and other wastes.

F．Do not bring any plants home that show signs of disease or pests.

G．The process starts with the idea that having some pests is acceptable.