1 . You’ll only find cherry blossoms in a handful of countries.

Called sakura in Japan, the cherry blossoms of Yoshino and Kyoto are world-famous. Tourists flock to the country each spring to try their hand at a centuries-old activity “flower viewing”. You don’t have to fly to Japan to see them, though. In the US, the cherry blossoms of Washington, D.C., New York City, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Seattle, San Francisco, and Boston are all beautiful in their own way. The flowers can also be viewed in many European and Asian countries, as well as Brazil and Australia in the southern hemisphere.

There are hundreds of cherry tree varieties.

Japan in particular is home to hundreds of types of cherry trees -possibly more than 600.Some types bear fruit, while others don’t. The flowers of many trees change from dark pink to light pink to white throughout the different stages of blossoming, while others progress from greenish yellow to white to pink. One variety, called Kanzan, was bred to have “double blossoms” — or up to28 petals (花瓣) on each flower, compared to the Yoshino tree’s five petals.

You can get arrested for picking a cherry blossom in Washington, D. C.

Resist the urge to take a cherry blossom home with you as a souvenir. In D.C. at least, breaking off a blossom or branch is viewed as destruction of federal property. Those who break this rule could receive a citation (传票), or worse, be arrested. It goes without saying that it’s also illegal to climb the trees. If they sustain damage to their branches, they will never be able to grow new blossom on that particular branch again.

Both the blossoms and leaves are edible.

In Japan, no part of the cherry blossom tree pes to waste. The preserved leaves are used as edible mochi wrappers (a rice cake filled with sweet bean paste), and a number of seasonal snacks feature sakura as a key ingredient Sakura-flavored versions of Pepsi, Coke, tea, and even Starbucks lattes are all popular drinks. You can also find Kit Kats and Pocky snack sticks that taste like sakura.

They were the inspiration behind a record-setting LEGO sculpture.

Legoland Japan, a theme park in Nagoya, set a Guinness World Record in 2018 for the largest LEGO brick cherry blossom tree ever made. The trees stood 14 feet tall, weighed over 7000 pounds, and consisted of more than 800,000 LEGO bricks.

1. In which country can’t you see cherry blossoms according to the passage?

A．America.

B．China.

C．Germany.

D．Egypt

2. What can be learned from the passage?

A．Climbing cherry trees is tolerable in Washington.	B．Sakura-flavored snacks and drinks are welcomed.
C．Kanzan sakura is better than Yoshino sakura.	D．The largest cherry blossom tree grows in Japan.

3. Who is the article meant for?

A．A passionate environmentalist.	B．An ecological researcher.
C．A student interested in plants.	D．A tourist in Japan

2 . Scientists have shown how plants can protect themselves against genetic (基因的) damage caused by environmental stresses. The growing tips of plant roots and shoots have an in-built mechanism (机制) that spells cell death if DNA damage is detected, avoiding passing on faulty DNA.

Plants have small populations of stem cells (干细胞) at the tips of their roots and shoots, which enable them to continuously grow and produce new tissues throughout their lifetime. These stem cells serve as ancestors for plant tissues and organs. However, any genetic faults present in the stem cells will continue to exist and be passed on permanently throughout the plant’s life, which could last thousands of years.

Given the critical role of stem cells and their exposure to potentially dangerous environments at the growing tips of roots and shoots, safeguards are necessary to prevent stem cell faults from becoming fixed. Researchers Nick Fulcher and Robert Sablowski, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, aimed to uncover these protective mechanisms. Through experiments involving X-rays and chemicals, they discovered that stem cells were more sensitive to DNA damage compared to other cells.

When DNA damage occurs, the cells have the capacity to detect it and cause programmed cells to die, preventing the propagation of the damaged genetic code to the rest of the plant tissues. This process has similarities to the safeguard mechanism found in animal cells, which has been broadly studied due to its relevance in preventing cancer.

The identification of a similar protective system in plants is of great interest in the field of plant development. It also helps scientists develop plants that can better handle environmental stress. So knowledge of how plants deal with these stresses is of fundamental significance to agricultural science’s response to climate change.

1. What is the function of the in-built mechanism in plants?

A．To produce more roots and shoots.	B．To increase the overall lifetime of the plant.
C．To enhance plant growth and nutrient intake.	D．To stop genetic faults in stem cells passing on.

2. What can we know about stem cells in plants according to the text?

A．They are relatively abundant in quantity.	B．They are resistant to environmental stresses.
C．They make quick response to DNA damage.	D．They have the ability to repair damaged DNA.

3. What does the underlined word “propagation” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Spread.

B．Change.

C．Existence.

D．Self-repair.

4. What does the last paragraph focus on?

A．The way of dealing with climate change on the earth.

B．The significance of identifying the protective system in plants.

C．The method of ensuring plant survival under environmental stress.

D．The urgency of developing plants that can handle environmental stress.

3 . When micro-plastics end up in farm fields, the pollution can damage plant growth. But two young researchers now report that combining fungi (真菌) with certain farm wastes can partly overcome that problem.

May Shin, 20, and Jiwon Choi, 18, met in a research design class at the Fryeburg Academy, a high school in Maine. May had desired to explore how micro-plastics might affect the ecosystem. Jiwon was crazy about plants and fungi. The young scientists cooperated to test how long-lived plastics might affect farm crops.

Scientists have shown certain fungi can aid root growth and a plant’s nutrient uptake. Those organisms are named arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Certain farm wastes, like straw, can provide nutrients to plants and help stabilize their roots. Such wastes are also known as mushroom substrate (基质) and people often grow mushrooms in them.

May and Jiwon planted over 2,000 scallion (大葱) seeds in pots of soil. Half the seeds got soil polluted with micro-plastics. The rest grew in plastic-free soil. The plants then were further divided into four groups. The young scientists added AMF to the soil in one group. Another group had a top layer of mushroom substrate. A third group got both treatments. The last group got none. For three weeks, the pair tracked how many scallions sprouted (发芽) in each group and measured the plants’ height once each week.

About twice as many scallions sprouted in clean soil compared to that containing plastic bits. But among plants surviving in the polluted soil, a combination of AMF and mushroom substrate helped them out. Those getting both treatments grew 5.4 centimeters per week. That was faster than either of the treatments alone or those getting none.

Jiwon and May then looked at the plant roots with a microscope. Where AMF had been added, it grew into those roots. That increased the scallion roots’ surface area, May said, which should promote their uptake of nutrients. So “I see this project as coming up with a sustainable solution for plant growth in polluted soils,” said May.

1. Why did May and Jiwon work together?

A．To see the effects of long-lived plastics on farm crops.

B．To find the relationship between plants and fungi.

C．To design a research on the growth of plants.

D．To explore the way that the ecosystem works.

2. What is the author’s purpose in writing paragraph 3?

A．To prove the existence of micro-plastics.	B．To compare fungi with farm wastes.
C．To tell the advantages of farm wastes.	D．To provide some related information.

3. What aspect of the study is the fourth paragraph mainly about?

A．Its purpose.

B．Its design.

C．Its findings.

D．Its reasons.

4. How can AMF and mushroom substrate make plants grow faster?

A．By keeping the plants more resistant to pollution.	B．By allowing the plants’ deep area more freedom.
C．By making nutrients more available to the plants.	D．By exposing the roots to a larger surface area.

4 . It could be said that trees naturally call for attention as they climb toward the sky with their arms outstretched. Yet, it’s still easy for us to ignore them. As we rush through our own day-to-day lives, trees seem to play the role of an insignificant backdrop.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Rooted to a single spot, trees appear sill.But that stillness is not associated with laziness. In fact, trees are guards of the planet as the impact of their hard work carries miles farther than the ground in which they stand.

Globally, trees are the most cost-effective tool in promoting biodiversity. They support the survival of a significant number of animals. For example, a big reason why ring-tailed lemurs (狐猴) are endangered is that half of the forests they depend on in Madagascar off the East coast of Africa were cut down.

Not only do animals depend on trees for shelter, trees are significant to the health of humans as well. In fact, doctors in Canada are so convinced of trees’ benefits for the mind and body that they recommend patients visit national parks. Trees help a lot in tackling climate change too. They absorb and store carbon dioxide(CO2) — the key greenhouse gas emitted by our cars and power plants — before it has a chance to reach the upper atmosphere and trap heat around the Earth’s surface.

So it’s time to put trees in the spotlight. The Arbor Day Foundation, the world’s largest nonprofit, is devoted to this exact mission: inspiring people to plant,protect, and honor trees. We know there’s never been a more important time for trees. And we know there’s never been a more important time for mankind to engage in its role as environmental guards. This isn’t a one-sided relationship. What we give to nature we will receive in return, tenfold (十倍地). So as springtime arrives once again, take a moment and appreciate what a tree can be.

1. What does the author mainly want to tell us by giving the example of ring-tailed lemurs?

A．Trees are insignificant for their stillness.

B．Trees play a vital role in cleaning the air.

C．Trees provide critical habitats for creatures.

D．Half of the forests in Madagascar were cut down.

2. What does the author intend to do in the last paragraph?

A．To provide advice on planting trees.

B．To call for human attention to trees.

C．To show the best time of planting trees.

D．To stress the impact of trees on humans.

3. Which of the following best shows the structure of the text?
1=Paragraph One 2= Paragraph Two 3= Paragraph Three 4= Paragraph Four 5=Paragraph Five

A．

B．

C．

D．

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Trees: Cleaners of the Environment	B．Trees: Shelters for Creatures
C．Trees: Defenders of Human Health	D．Trees: Guards of the Planet

5 . Yellow flower carpeted fields are a sure sign of summer. In Denmark alone, more than 200,000 hectares of rapeseed (油菜籽) are planted every year. But until now, the plant has only been used for oil and animal food, as it is both bitter and unsafe for human consumption.

To protect themselves, the rapeseed plants produce a group of substances (物质) called glucosinolates (硫苷), which give the plants a strong and bitter taste that scares off insects and disease. As a result rapeseed is unhealthy to eat and the rapeseed cake, which is the remains of the seeds after the oil has been squeezed out, has only been used as feed for pigs and chickens, despite its 30 — 40 percent protein content.

Now, researchers from the University of Copenhagen have discovered the three proteins that help to store the bitter substances in seeds of thale cress (阿拉伯芥), a plant closely related to the rapeseed. The new knowledge makes it possible to prevent the accumulation (积聚) of these substances in the seed by removing the proteins through “transport engineering” technology. In doing so, the defensive substances remain in all other parts of the plant, allowing it to continue to defend itself.

So far, the researchers have shown that their method works in thale cress. “The next task is to apply our method to the closely related rapeseed plant, which we are now working on,” says Professor Halkier, leader of the research.

“Half of plant proteins in the EU come from rapeseed. The climate crisis demands that we reduce meat consumption and eat more plants, which is where rapeseed has great potential as a new source of plant protein. Our latest research results bring us a step closer to making full use of rapeseed,” says Professor Halkier.

1. What is the function of paragraph 2?

A．To state the reason.	B．To offer the solution.
C．To give an example.	D．To introduce the topic.

2. According to the research, how did scientists rid thale cress of its bitter taste?

A．By selecting better seeds.	B．By removing the three proteins.
C．By increasing sweet tastes.	D．By storing defensive substances.

3. What do Halkier’s words focus on?

A．Researchers’ efforts to better the taste.

B．Researchers’ progress in their experiment.

C．Rapeseed’s role in relieving climate crisis.

D．Rapeseed’s potential as a new protein source.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for this text?

A．Harmful proteins discovered in rapeseed

B．Rapeseed widely used as oil and animal food

C．Researchers closer to making rapeseed safe food

D．New plant protein in rapeseed finally uncovered

6 . Gardening’s many “rules” have been repeated so often that they can seem like unquestionable truths. But many have little basis in fact, so following them may be unnecessary at best and could give you poorer results at worst.

A classic example is the long-held idea that watering plants around noon on a sunny day should be avoided, since it might harm their leaves. The explanation is that tiny water droplets can act like lenses (透镜), focusing the sun’s rays onto leaves, resulting in scorched (灼伤的) leaves and reduced plant health.

Four researchers set out to learn more, running experiments on living plants and carrying out computer modelling. They found that spreading small glass spheres (球体) over the surface of smooth-leaved plants could indeed have this effect, causing damage right across the leaf surface. But when this was repeated with actual water droplets, such damage didn’t occur.

This is because water behaves rather differently to glass. The shape of a water droplet on a leaf is more elliptical (椭圆的) than spherical. The computer modelling showed that the extreme damage through a lens of this shape would occur when the sun was at a low angle in the sky, that is, in the morning or in the afternoon. However, the sun’s strength at these times is too low to cause any harm. Even if the light of the midday sun did somehow come at the strongest angle, the heat at this time of day would always cause the water droplets to evaporate (蒸发) before they had an effect.

So, if your plants need a good watering, give them some water. Not watering thirsty plants on a sunny day for fear of leaf scorch will almost certainly lead to more damage from drought stress than could be caused by the magnifying glass (放大镜) effect. While it remains generally true that the ideal time to water a plant is in the morning or evening — to lessen the amount of water that evaporates before reaching the plant’s roots — the evidence doesn’t support the idea that watering at midday will cause burning.

1. What is the long-held idea talked about in the passage!

A．Watering plants counts a lot.

B．Plant leaves might act like lenses.

C．Watering at midday may harm plant health.

D．Sun’s rays might be focused onto water droplets.

2. What did the researchers find in the experiments with actual water droplets?

A．The same degree of damage occurred.

B．Damage was caused right across the leaf surface.

C．Unlike the glass spheres, the water droplets didn’t damage leaves.

D．The smooth-leaved plants were extremely affected by water droplets.

3. What is paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．The explanation for the finding.

B．The process of the experiments.

C．The time of evaporating.

D．The harm caused by the sunshine.

4. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．The long-held idea is well worth advocating.

B．Plants’ roots get no water if watering occurs at noon.

C．Watering in the morning can prevent water evaporation.

D．Watering thirsty plants on a sunny noon makes sense.

7 . Digging out potato tubers (茎块) is one of the greatest rewards gardens have to offer. Children in particular are surprised at seeing these tubers that almost magically become chips, mash (泥) or baked potatoes.

Happily, potatoes are very easy to grow. Seed tubers are placed in good garden soil, ideally with some compost (堆肥) for every square meter, in a sunny spot, about 10cm deep at 30cm intervals in rows 60-70cm apart.

Seed tubers are offered as earliest and second earliest and maincrop. The second earliest and maincrops can be stored for winter use but earliest are usually consumed in summer.

Seasoned potato growers buy early seed potatoes in February and place them in a cool, reasonably light place and let them sprout (发芽). It takes six weeks for small sprouts to form.

Early potatoes are typically planted from middle March in the South, but are likely to emerge before the first season finishes in May. The shoots are frost-sensitive requiring protection on cod nights with either earth or newspapers.

Second early and maincrop potatoes are planted in middle April—the frost risk will be low, but not absent, by the time they emerge. As the stems (茎) grow, soil should be drawn around them until the leaves meet in the row in early summer. At this stage, the potato field is a series of ridges (脊，垄). The tubers form in the ridge, protected from light that turns them green. Covering with black plastic or a thick layer of compost is also accessible instead of ridging, but plastic is not sustainable and slugs (鼻涕虫) can multiply in compost.

Once the flowers are fully open, it is time to dig plants when the tubers are the size of a hen’s egg. They grow rapidly but gradually lose their juicy new potato flavour, so harvest freely.

1. What’s the writing purpose of paragraph 1?

A．To describe a magic process.

B．To recall a childhood memory.

C．To raise a potato-related topic.

D．To introduce a gardening award.

2. What can we learn about seed tubers?

A．The closer the intervals are, the faster they will grow.

B．The warmer the weather is, the better they will grow.

C．The earlier they are planted, the healthier they will grow.

D．The deeper they are planted, the stronger they will grow.

3. What helps potatoes grow in the long term?

A．Frost.

B．Plastic.

C．Ridges.

D．Slugs.

4. What’s the text mainly about?

A．How to cook potatoes.	B．How to grow potatoes.
C．How to harvest potatoes.	D．How to preserve potatoes.

8 . Indoor plants might look as if they just sit around not doing much, but in many ways they are the unsung heroes of the home.     1    , but studies have shown that they can promote people’s wellbeing by improving their mood (心情), reducing stress and helping their memory. What’s more, indoor plants are easy to look after and are not very expensive.

What are indoor plants?

Indoor plants, also known as houseplants or pot plants, are plants that like to grow indoors. Many of these species (物种) are not ideally suited to growing outside in the UK, especially in the winter.     2    .

Why are indoor plants good for you?

Will Spoelstra, who works at the Royal Botanic Gardens, says, “    3    . I find during the winter months, plants around the house can really lift your mood.” Several studies have backed this up and found that indoor plants can improve creativity, focus and memory. There is also research showing that pot plants can clean the air around them by removing harmful gases, such as carbon dioxide. They also remove some harmful chemicals from paints or cooking.     4    .

Which plants can you grow?

Aloe vera, peace lilies and spider plants are some of the species that are easy to grow indoors. You can buy plants from supermarkets, garden centres or online. Younger plants are often cheaper than fully grown ones, and you get to care for them as they mature — which is part of the joy of owning plants. “    5    ,” Spoelstra says. “It can bring a new interest and focus into people’s lives and help to make the link between home and nature.”

A．All plants are different

B．Not only do they look beautiful

C．There are many benefits to growing plants indoors

D．Instead, they grow better inside, where it is warmer

E．Plants like peace lilies and devil’s ivy are among the best

F．Changing the pot of your plant from time to time will also help

G．Learning about the requirements of each plant can be very rewarding

9 . Both humans and animals possess the ability to cry out for help when endangered or threatened. Plants, as it turns out, can too.

“We found that plants usually emit (发出) sounds when they are under stress and that each plant and each type of stress is associated with a specific identifiable sound,” researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel wrote in their findings, published in the scientific journal Cell. “While undetectable to the human ear, the sounds emitted by plants can probably be heard by various animals, such as bats, mice, and insects.”

Stressors like dehydration (脱水) and damage to leaves gave rise to the plants’ high-pitched (尖声的) cries, which ranged from 20 to 250 kHz. The bigger the danger, the more frequent a plant’s signals. “Unstressed plants emitted less than one sound per hour, on average,” researcher Lilach Hadany said, “while the stressed plants — both dehydrated and injured — emitted dozens of sounds every hour.”

To catch these sounds, Hadany’s team surrounded tomato and tobacco plants with super-sensitive microphones. They then fed the data into an artificial intelligence program that could tell the difference between the species of plant and the types of sounds produced.

“Our findings suggest that the world around us is full of plant sounds, and that these sounds contain information,” Hadany wrote. She added that to translate that information, we just need the “right tools such as sensors that tell growers when plants need watering.” Doing so, researchers noted, may allow farmers to judge exactly when and where to water crops. Saving water, increasing harvests, and lowering stress for both plant and humankind.

1. What did researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel find?

A．Creatures tend to cry out for help when in danger.

B．Plants can give off sounds when they are stressed.

C．Plant sounds can be heard by both animals and humans.

D．Plants make the same sound whatever type of stress they have.

2. What does the author want to show in paragraph 3?

A．The influence of stress on plants.

B．The urgency of relieving stress of plants.

C．The possibility of plants emitting sounds.

D．The importance of conducting the research.

3. Why was an artificial intelligence program used in the research?

A．To help get rid of plant stress.

B．To identify the types of stress.

C．To collect sounds emitted by plants.

D．To analyze the collected sounds of plants.

4. What can we learn from Hadany’s words in the last paragraph?

A．The research is of practical value.

B．It’s difficult to understand plant sounds.

C．Further research is needed in the future.

D．It’s as easy as pie for farmers to grow crops.

10 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What kind of area do Bill and Sally live in?

A．A hot area.

B．A high area.

C．A dry area.

2. What do Bill and Sally do?

A．They are gardeners.

B．They are designers.

C．They are builders.

3. What is used to protect the delicate plants now?

A．Trees.

B．Glass houses.

C．Fences.

4. How does the speaker describe Bill and Sally’s work?

A．Successful.

B．Unsatisfactory.

C．Impossible.