1 . Every tree tells a story. They hold our memories, represent belief, and witness countless moments of joy and sorrow. In our imagination, there is always a place for a tree.
For the locals in Naunde, Mozambique, a mango tree provides more than just shade from the Saharan sun. It is also a traditional setting for storytelling, ceremonies, and regulating village life. “It is a place to meet and talk, to seek agreement and settle arguments, to bridge differences and develop unity,” wrote Kofi Annan, the former Secretary-General of the UN. “If you have a problem and can’t find a solution, you meet again tomorrow under the tree and you keep talking.”
The mango tree always stands there, witnessing and remembering everything, and at the same time becomes an inseparable part of the collective memory of the locals. “Each growth layer that trees add every year contains a bit of the air from that year. The trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air through tiny pores (气孔) , which helps build their tissues, so they physically hold the record of the years of their surroundings,” said Benjamin Swett, author of New York City of Trees. In this way, trees also serve as nature’s memory stick, keeping a record of a history as long as themselves.
The English language borrows a lot from trees: We turn over a new leaf and branch out, meaning we move on from the past and start something new. And there are times when we can’t see the wood for the trees. We tend to enjoy the flourishing leaves, branches, and roots of the trees. However, we pay little attention to the forests that embrace trees. The same things often happen to us in our own lives. We often dip ourselves into some bad experiences in life. As a result, we may give up at a terrible moment instead of imagining satisfying success after defeating the failure.
Trees inspire mankind, not just through language, but through ideas. Perhaps the most famous is a tree in a garden in Lincolnshire, England, where an apple fell and inspired young Isaac Newton to wonder: Why would that apple always fall directly to the ground? According to an 18th-century account, Newton was home from Cambridge when he stepped into the garden and into a reverie (沉思) . There, the idea of gravitation came into his mind, inspired by an apple.
1. What is the role of a mango tree in Naunde?| A．A spot to bind the locals together. | B．A witness to the changing weather. |
| C．A generous food supplier on Earth. | D．A shelter to protect villagers in disasters. |
| A．By changing the width of their growth layer. |
| B．By sticking out branches in different directions. |
| C．By absorbing carbon dioxide to build their tissues. |
| D．By reflecting changing climate conditions with their tiny pores. |
| A．Suggestions on facing failure. | B．Famous English stories about trees. |
| C．The relationship between trees and forests. | D．Lessons from English expressions related to trees. |
| A．To explain the necessity of observation. | B．To show how gravitation was discovered. |
| C．To stress the importance of trees in inspiring ideas. | D．To introduce how trees serve as a mirror of history. |
2 . The green and red watermelon is a sweet, refreshing summer snack. But it wasn’t always so sugary or brightly colored. So what did watermelons originally taste and look like, and from where did they come?
The fruit isn’t from the Fertile Crescent of ancient Mesopotamia, as so many other domesticated (家养的) crops are, research shows. Susanne Renner, a scientist, and her colleagues carried out comprehensive genetic sequencing (基因测序) of the domesticated watermelons — the kind you might find on supermarket shelves — along with six wild watermelon species.
“We found the modern genomes (基因组) of the domesticated watermelon are more closely related to the Sudanese wild type than any other that we analyzed,” she said. The Sudanese wild watermelon has some obvious differences from the domesticated version. “The flesh is white and not very sweet, and it’s mainly used as animal feed,” Renner said. Nevertheless, the genetic similarity between the two species led the researchers to conclude that the Sudanese fruit is probably a precursor (前身) to the red and sweet domesticated watermelon.
It’s likely that ancient farmers grew non-bitter varieties of the wild watermelon and thus increased its sweetness over many generations through the domestication process. The red color is probably also thanks to artificial selection, in which farmers likely favored and selectively bred red fruit.
We already knew that the ancient Egyptian king Tutankhamun was buried with watermelon seeds 3,300 years ago, yet that isn’t sufficient proof of a domesticated, sweet watermelon. But then, Renner found an image of a watermelon-like fruit on an ancient Egyptian tomb painting, thought to be more than 4,300 years old. In a separate tomb, another image showed the watermelon cut up in a dish alongside other sweet fruits. This realization, coupled with Renner’s genetic findings, suggests that the watermelon was most likely domesticated around that time either in Egypt or within trading distance of the ancient empire.
“Historically speaking, that’s a very significant finding,” said Hanno Schaefer, a professor of plant biodiversity. “It’s becoming clearer that we’ve greatly neglected the North African region. We’ve focused too much on the Fertile Crescent and we need to invest more resources into studying the agriculture of North Africa.”
1. What can we learn about the Sudanese wild watermelon?| A．It is brightly colored and sugary. |
| B．It is consumed mainly by animals. |
| C．It has no connection with the domesticated type. |
| D．It has more differences than similarities to the domesticated type. |
| A．More resources will be devoted to agriculture research in South Africa. |
| B．The domesticated watermelon has a history of at least four thousand years. |
| C．The domesticated watermelon probably developed from the Sudanese type. |
| D．Few domesticated crops are from the Fertile Crescent of ancient Mesopotamia. |
| A．The history of the Sudanese wild watermelon. |
| B．Where wild watermelons actually come from. |
| C．The characteristics of domesticated watermelons. |
| D．How domesticated watermelons came into being. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Doubtful. | C．Critical. | D．Tolerant. |
3 . A lot of health care are connected with being around trees.
They also do a great deal of good for the environment by reducing air pollution and taking in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
A tree’s ability to take in carbon dioxide is especially useful when the tree.is in cities or towns, where there are too many industrial activities. For the study, the researchers used laser scanning methods to take their own carbon readings of trees from the ground as well as the air.
They determined that Camden had a median carton density (浓度) of around 55 tons of carbon per hectare (t/ha). Greener areas of the borough, like Highgate Cemetery, had a carbon density of 380 t/ha — levels that are typically seen in rainforests.
So what exactly does this mean? Trees could help cool the atmosphere by removing carbon dioxide from the air. However, some climate scientists argue that it’s more complicated (复杂的) than that.
| A．We need to protect the ones we already have. |
| B．Global warming is happening at a faster rate than ever. |
| C．These benefits aren’t just felt in the countryside, either. |
| D．For comparison, major cities in the US have a carbon density of 7.7. |
| E．They have been known to reduce people’s stress and improve overall mental health. |
| F．Then they compared their findings with the data from the UK Environment Agency. |
| G．They think the impact of tree-planting activities today may not be seen for many years. |
1. What are the good seeds confirmed by?
| A．Containers. | B．X-rays. | C．Freezers. |
| A．To be preserved for long. |
| B．To tackle climate change. |
| C．To safeguard food supply. |
| A．Where seeds are stored. |
| B．How the seed bank works. |
| C．Why seed banks are important. |
5 . 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 |
| 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. |
| A．A passionate environmentalist. | B．An ecological researcher. |
| C．A student interested in plants. | D．A tourist in Japan |
6 . Emmanuel Mendoza, a college student, is currently running a study at Texas A&M University, where he’s mixing simulated (模拟的)Martian (火星的) soil and frass(粪便)from fly larvae(幼虫)to find just the right recipe for growing plants on Mars.
The seed of this idea was planted when Mendoza was in middle school, watching Ridley Scott’s 2015 film The Martian, in which Mark Watney becomes stuck on the planet and grows potatoes to survive. “That got me really interested in what nutrients or what soil structure Martian soil has that we could potentially take advantage of, ”Mendoza said.
Now, he’s running an experiment growing English peas in simulated Martian soil. “I definitely considered potatoes like Mark Watney, ”he said. “But the fact was that I couldn’t necessarily get the data I wanted out of them. ”
He wanted to be able to measure plant growth as it occurred throughout his experiment. Since potatoes grow underground, he’d only be able to collect data once they were done growing. In the end, Mendoza chose to grow English peas because they’re self-pollinating(自花传粉), grow fairly quickly and he can see the shoots climb.
Martian soil, though it does contain other essential nutrients, isn’t exactly ideal for plants from Earth. It tends to be rocky and lacks the right organic (有机 的)matter. Here’s where the larvae come in. Mendoza turned to the larvae of black soldier flies, which produce a waste known as frass. “They can break down almost any biomatter and turn it into really useful matter, “Mendoza said. “And then you can use the frass as a nutrient alternative to soil.”
For this experiment, Mendoza mixed different percentages of simulated Martian soil and frass to see what best supported growing English pea plants. Now, he said he’s seeing growth across all his plants—even the ones growing in 100%simulated Martian soil.
1. Why does the author mention the film The Martian?| A．To show Mendoza’s enthusiasm for films. |
| B．To illustrate Mark Watney’s intelligence. |
| C．To prove Mark Watney’s interest in gardening. |
| D．To introduce the origin of Mendoza’s experiment. |
| A．He was unwilling to repeat others’ study. |
| B．English peas grew far faster than potatoes . |
| C．Potatoes needed stricter living conditions. |
| D．It was more convenient to collect the data. |
| A．It serves as certain essential nutrients. |
| B．It loosens the soil for plants to grow. |
| C．It makes the soil become quite rocky. |
| D．It helps black soldier flies grow stronger. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Pleased. | C．Intolerant. | D．Disappointed. |
1. How does the woman feel at first?
| A．Curious. | B．Surprised. | C．Excited. |
| A．Flowers. | B．Mushrooms. | C．Trees. |
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. |
| A．On Thursday. | B．On Friday. | C．On Saturday. |
8 . 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. |
| 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. |
| A．Spread. | B．Change. | C．Existence. | D．Self-repair. |
| 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. |
9 . The San Francisco-based company, called Living Carbon, has created poplar (杨树) trees that are genetically engineered (改变基因结构) to grow larger and suck up more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than standard trees do. In February, workers planted rows of these poplars in southern Georgia. The company intends to plant 4 to 5 millions trees by the middle of next year, which they say will help with the worsening climate crisis.
When plants photosynthesize (进行光合作用), they convert carbon into sugar and nutrients that are eventually consumed by all living organisms. But they also produce a harmful byproduct, which must be broken down during the energy-intensive process of photorespiration (光呼吸), said Yumin Tao, the company’s vice president of biotechnology.
“This is not only wastes energy but also loses much fixed carbon in the form of CO2, which gets released into the air again,” Tao added. “It’s a wasteful process many plants do.” Living Carbon has reduced photorespiration in its poplars, instead channeling the energy into growth, he says.
The trees have three genes inserted to achieve this, including one from squash and one from green algae. But the company has yet to show its modified trees can capture more carbon in a real — world setting. Its only publicly available data comes from a study in a greenhouse that lasted for only a few months and has yet to be peer reviewed. “Their claims seen bold based on very limited real-world data,” says Andrew Newhouse, a conservation biologist at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
Still, the study reported the modified poplars grew as much as 53% larger in five months compared to the unmodified ones, capturing 27% more carbon dioxide. Now, the company hopes its other field trials in locations like Oregon and Pennsylvania will show similar successes. It’s currently focused on planting on private lands, where fewer roadblocks exist.
“We specially focus on land where trees otherwise wouldn’t be planted, like abandoned mine lands-areas where there isn’t an existing, rich ecosystem that’s allowing for a large amount of carbon removal right now,” says Maddie Hall, Living Carbon’s CEO.
1. Why does the company want to plant genetically modified poplars?| A．To help with the worsening climate crisis. |
| B．To better study them to gain more accurate data. |
| C．To replace ordinary poplars with genetically modified poplars. |
| D．To find suitable places for genetically modified poplars to grow. |
| A．Disapproving. | B．Ambiguous. | C．Skeptical. | D．Supportive. |
| A．They are very resistant to carbon. | B．They have a growth advantage. |
| C．They have two genes inserted. | D．They photosynthesize even faster. |
| A．A Company Is Trying to Engineer Trees Genetically |
| B．Poplar Trees Might Be Planted All Around the World |
| C．Genetically Modified Trees Are Taking Root to capture Carbon |
| D．Research Is Being Conducted to Use Trees to Remove CO2 |
10 . We are learning more and more every day about just how smart some animals are: monkeys, some species of birds, dogs, cats. But how about other animals? Snails? Mosquitos? They sure seem less smart. Still smarter than plants, though. Because it would be difficult to argue that plants are intelligent. Or would it?
In a new study, it was shown that plants send out sounds when they are sad. And these sounds are very different depending on whether they have recently been cut or whether they don’t have enough water. The sounds can’t be heard by human ears, as they are between 20 and 100 kilohertz, which is above the bottom of human hearing (which usually has the upper limit of 15-17 kilohertz).
These are fantastic results: plants don’t suffer in silence; they are screaming with pain. That is exactly what the popular science press has been doing.
There is no evidence that they are heard by anyone although theoretically (理论上) some animals — bats, moths, mice — could actually hear it as their ears are sensitive to the plant sounds. And it could very well be a byproduct (副产品) of the physical condition of these plants: less water in the system leads to more air bubbles (气泡) in plants, which leads to the sound of the popping of these bubbles.
Is this a disappointing explanation? I don’t think so. The aim is to understand why plants do what they do. And the results about the sounds contribute to this body of knowledge. They could even lead to better ways of controlling the needs of plants in gardening by sound observation.
All of this is true even if the plants don’t strictly “cry” or “scream”.
1. Why are we unable to hear the sounds of plants?| A．Because they are imagined by humans. |
| B．Because they go beyond human hearing. |
| C．Because plants don’t actually give off sounds. |
| D．Because plants are not as intelligent as animals. |
| A．Plants keep silent even when they suffer. |
| B．Water in the plants sends off different sounds. |
| C．The plant sounds might show their feelings or needs. |
| D．The study aims to control the needs and feelings of plants. |
| A．Because plants don’t actually “cry” or “scream”. |
| B．Because the results prove their knowledge of plants. |
| C．Because the results show that-plants understand what they do. |
| D．Because plants’ demands could be met by observing their sounds. |
| A．Plants suffer in silence | B．Plants “cry” in pain |
| C．Plants “scream” with joy | D．Plants need attention |
