1 . Between 20 and 40 per cent of planet Earth is covered in grasslands, across every continent except for Antarctica. Grass is a low-growing, flowering plant with groups of narrow leaves growing from its base. Strong roots typically hold this plant’s leaves firmly to the ground.
One of the most common sights along stretches of grass is grass-eating animals. This is because many large animals rely on extensive grasslands to survive, and grass grows well with this regular trimming (修剪). The plants gain their energy from sunlight and require healthy cells to do so. If the leaves aren’t cut, the tips die and start to rot. When they are damaged with a clean cut, however, the cells are caused to grow quicker and produce new, healthy tissue. This is also why cutting your garden’s grassland regularly can make your grass look thicker and healthier.
Humans rely on grass for food, too. Many grasses, such as w heat or corn, are harvested as a main part of some diets. Meanwhile, grass is used indirectly to produce food in the form of livestock (牲畜). Cattle farmers require grass in their fields to feed cows and sheep before they are turned into meat for human consumption.
One of the most debated questions is how long ago grass evolved. Because grass doesn’t preserve well as a fossil, a definitive answer is hard to come by. Until recently, many scientists estimated that grass began to grow on Earth between 50 and 65 million years ago.
However, within the last decade, a piece of 100-million-year-old amber (琥珀) was found that appeared to contain the oldest grass fossil to date. Studies of fossilized dinosaur faces (粪便) also suggest that some dinosaurs lived at the same time that grass grew on the planet, incorporating it into their diets.
1. What is the function of the roots mentioned in Paragraph 1?| A．To fix the leaves to the soil. | B．To store water and nutrients. |
| C．To support the growth of the plant. | D．To protect the plant from animals. |
| A．By improving soil quality. | B．By encouraging cell growth. |
| C．By preventing the tips from dying. | D．By attracting more animals to eat them. |
| A．Grass doesn’t preserve well as a fossil. | B．There are no fossils of grass available. |
| C．There is no solid evidence of its evolution. | D．Scientists can’t agree on its origin. |
| A．The Variety of Grass | B．The Development of Grass |
| C．How Grass Change Life | D．How to Make Grass Grow Well |
2 . 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
3 . The candy we eat, the tea we drink, the lotion we use---they all likely contain ingredients from wild plants. While natural ingredients can be beneficial to buyers, the way those plants are harvested could harm ecosystems. In a recent United Nations report, medicinal plant experts revealed the risks behind several of them, including Brazil nuts, frankincense, goldenseal, gum arabic, and licorice.
Plant derivatives （衍生物） in household products “sit there somewhere in the middle of the ingredients list” on product labels, often going unnoticed, says Caitlin Schindler, lead author of the report. Even if consumers do take note, there’s no information about what’s involved in obtaining or processing the derivatives.
Many of these plants are threatened with extinction from overharvesting, disease and pests, climate change, and habitat loss. The endangered state of more than 20,000 medicinal plant species has never been assessed, which means it’s impossible to know whether their use is sustainable.
Meanwhile, the trade in wild plants is booming. U. S. consumers spent more than $12.3 billion on herbal dietary supplements in 2021---up more than 9 percent from 2020. Wild plants have been used locally for centuries, but today’s global demand puts many at risk. And international customers often have no idea where these products originate.
Should consumers stop buying the products? No. Schindler says, because “the ingredients are really critical to a lot of people’s livelihoods.” Solutions for transforming the trade in wild plants are rooted in awareness. The first step for consumers is to “just notice that you’re buying something that has a wild ingredient,” she says. It’s generally safer to purchase local products and splurge on more expensive ones, if possible.
Consumers can also look for organic and fair-trade certifications. Various programs evaluate wild-plant supply chains for sustainability, and many companies advertise these certifications, either on the product or online. One of the most prominent is Fair Wild, which assesses environmental risks and recommends best sourcing practices. If certifications are missing, Schindler encourages people to challenge companies to do better. “Until businesses get a bit more pressure from consumers, we won’t see any changes happening,” she says.
1. What can we learn about wild plants according to the report?| A．Their current situation is ignored. | B．They are limited on a global scale. |
| C．They have been evaluated regularly. | D．Their process information is on the label. |
| A．Get rid of. | B．Spend much money on. |
| C．Pay attention to. | D．Conduct many experiments on. |
| A．They confirm the quality of the wild plants. |
| B．They offer consumers rights to assess the products. |
| C．They ensure the use of wild plants at a steady level. |
| D．They inspire companies to make more advertisements. |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
4 . To reduce the carbon emissions from passenger jets and long-haul trucks, a vast volume of soy-based renewable fuel will be needed. To produce it, American farmers could ruin existing cornfields to clear space, plant millions of additional acres of soybeans and shut down all soybean exports. Researchers at startups and biotech giants alike have found ways to create a new kind of soybeans through genetic recombination that generates more oil.
One of the startups, ZeaKal Inc., funded in part by seed giant Corteva Inc., plans to introduce its first batch of high-oil seeds for commercial planting in 2024. Scientists have tricked the plant into sustaining photosynthesis for longer with genetic recombination, ultimately producing more oil as well as more protein.
Companies are racing to build more capacity to process soy, a critical component for expanding green fuel supplies. Tax credits make companies in the transportation industry switch to fuel with lower carbon emission. S&P Global sees domestic demand for renewable biofuel reaching 4 billion gallons in 2030, up from around 2.7 billion this year. It projects that the use of sustainable aviation fuel will total 1.7 billion gallons annually by the end of the decade, compared with just 182 million gallons a year now.
Despite the bullish predictions, the soy-based transportation fuel market is still a drop in the bucket for the fuel industry. And even if the new breed of high-oil seeds takes off, widespread adoption will take time. Farmers may be reluctant to become early adopters of a technology that hasn’t yet proven its benefits, especially if the oil content comes at the expense of existing genetic recombinations that improve disease or pest resistance.
Chicken producer Perdue Farms Inc. has signed a deal with Zeakal, agreeing to pay farmers a higher price for harvested supplies of the new variety, which is good for chicken feed because of its higher protein levels. If large oil companies follow suit, the soybean market might never look the same. “We could have an opportunity for the oil component of soybeans to actually become more important in some markets than the protein aspect,” says Mike Dillon, vice president of ZeaKal, “That’s a very dramatic shift.”
1. How did researchers plan to produce more oil?| A．By planting more soybeans. |
| B．By banning soybean exports. |
| C．By fertilizing soybean fields. |
| D．By engineering soybean genes. |
| A．The continuous use of the fuel. |
| B．The growing demand for biofuel. |
| C．The serious lack of green fuel supplies. |
| D．The fierce competition between companies. |
| A．Companies. | B．Farmers. | C．Scientists. | D．Governments |
| A．Biofuel: A New Way to Cut Down Carbon Emissions |
| B．Oilier Soybeans: Possible Reliance of the Future Fuel |
| C．A Big Shift: From Conventional Soybeans to Altered Ones |
| D．Genetic Modification: A Technology to Breed New Soybeans |
5 . A Fish and Wildlife Service proposal would protect the whitebark pine as an endangered species. Whitebark pines can live for up to 1,000 years and grow at elevations (海拔) as high as 12,000 feet. Environmentalists had requested the government in 1991 and again in 2008 to protect the trees. A nonnative fungus (真菌) has been killing whitebark pines for a century. More recently, the trees have proved vulnerable (易受伤的) to tiny insects that have killed large areas of forest.
The whitebark pines have almost disappeared in some areas, including the eastern edge of Yellowstone National Park, where they are a source of food for threatened grizzly bears (灰熊). This makes the government’s declaration of the Yellowstone area’s grizzly bears as a restored species a lie.
After being blamed for not taking steps to protect the trees, wildlife officials in 2011 admitted that whitebark pines needed protection, but they didn’t act rapidly, saying other species faced more immediate threats.
A lawyer for the Natural Resources Defense Council, which made the formal request for protection in 2008, expressed his disappointment that it took so long but said the proposal was still worth celebrating.
The government’s proposal described the threats to the trees as immediate and said the whitebark pines were one of many plants expected to be harmed as climate change moves faster than they can adapt. “Whitebark pines survive at high elevations already, so there is little remaining habitat in many areas for the species to move to higher elevations in response to warmer temperatures,” Fish and Wildlife Service officials wrote.
Government officials are working with researchers and private groups on plans to gather seed from trees, grow them in greenhouses and then plant them back on the landscape, according to Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Amy Nicholas. A proposal of that nationwide restoration is expected by the end of this year. “We do have options to restore this species,” Nicholas said.
1. What do we know about whitebark pines?| A．They are long-lived, high-elevation trees. |
| B．They have a strong resistance to nonnative fungi. |
| C．The government used to care about protecting them. |
| D．They and small insects depend on each other for survival. |
| A．Grizzly bears are no longer threatened. |
| B．The whitebark pines have almost disappeared. |
| C．The population of grizzly bears has increased greatly. |
| D．The government is actually doing nothing to protect bears. |
| A．Better late than never. | B．All roads lead to Rome. |
| C．Never do things by halves. | D．The first step is the hardest. |
| A．Irresponsible. | B．Doubtful. | C．Optimistic. | D．Uncertain. |
6 . More than half the world relies on rice as a main food source. Yet the crop faces an worrying future as global warming increases the Earth’s temperature and adds to more storms, droughts and heat waves, because rice is sensitive (敏感的) to climate extremes and grows in places already experiencing many. Any disturbance to that food source can cause great problems.
The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change—which brought together 234 scientists to collect recent climate studies—warned that human-caused global warming is happening at an extraordinary pace and is adding to the deadly floods, heat and droughts that we’re already witnessing. And those events result in major risks to farming.
“Higher temperatures lead to increased water loss, resulting in soil drying, increased plant stress and impacts on agriculture, especially in regions where large amounts of rainfall are not expected,” the report states.
If greenhouse gases are not reduced, about a third of global land areas are expected to suffer from at least moderate drought by the end of the century, the report concludes. Some changes like sea-level rise are already locked in.
Rice is especially sensitive to these changes. Rice often grows in ecosystems, such as deltas (三角洲), that have low sea-level and are easy to be influenced by rising seas. Any additional temperature increase could cause sea water into the filed where a healthy crop can develop, scientists say.
A 2018 study in the Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science found that an increase in the frequency and seriousness of hot weather could reduce rice outputs by up to 40% by the end of this century.
“Most of the world’s rice is currently grown in regions where existing temperature is already close to the most suitable range for rice production,” the study states. “Therefore, any further rise in temperature or short period of high temperature during sensitive growth stages will be disastrous.”
1. Why is rice particularly weak to climate change according to the passage?| A．Rice requires large amounts of rainfall. |
| B．Rice is grown in regions with low sea levels. |
| C．Rice is hard to live in places with extreme climate conditions. |
| D．Rice is grown in regions with high levels of greenhouse gases. |
| A．Rising sea levels |
| B．Increased frequency of storms |
| C．Global warming and climate change |
| D．Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions |
| A．Pessimistic | B．Optimistic | C．Uncertain | D．Encouraging |
| A．Rice Output Is Decreasing Heavily. |
| B．Climate Change is Caused by Greenhouse Gas. |
| C．Climate Change Resuits in Low Output of Rice. |
| D．Greenhouse Gas Has Great Effect on Rice Growing. |
7 . On Dec 4, 2022, Chinese astronauts Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, according to the China Manned Space Agency.
The astronauts were in orbit for 183 days, during which they oversaw the completion of China’s Tiangong space station and several life sciences experiments. They returned with the world’s first rice seeds produced in orbit, a feat that allows scientists to examine the effects of microgravity on rice growth so as to find a sustainable food source for long-term space explorations.
One such experiment involved reproducing the entire life cycle of rice for the first time in space. It began with selecting rice seeds carefully, which were then nurtured and monitored as they hatched into seedlings. The astronauts diligently tended to these delicate young plants, which grew into mature plants producing new seeds. It began on July 29, and after 120 days in orbit they successfully produced new space grains.
The new seeds, along with other bio-samples, have been delivered to the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. They will also be transferred to labs in Shanghai for further research. The institute said researchers would conduct microbiology and cellular analysis to better understand how microgravity affects these plants on a molecular (分子的) level. This would provide key insights on creating new crops that are more adaptive to the space environment.
Zheng Huiqiong, a researcher at the Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said seeds are crucial for growing new crops and supporting humanity’s long-term survival in space.
While more research is in the pipeline, Zheng said scientists have already noticed several interesting differences between rice grown on Earth and that grown in space. For instance, the flowering period for the space rice begins slightly earlier than rice planted on Earth. Flowering is a crucial stage for plant reproductive development. “The stems for the space rice are also looser, with the dwarf rice variety becoming shorter while the tall shoot rice variety experiencing no change in height,” she added.
1. Why were the rice experiments conducted in space?| A．To gain a thorough insight into space environment. |
| B．To find long-lasting food supply for space exploration. |
| C．To collect diverse space rice seeds for space research. |
| D．To explore the impact of microgravity on plants in space. |
| A．The experiment process. | B．The research procedures. |
| C．The current new findings. | D．The exploration duration. |
| A．By preserving them in a secure facility. |
| B．By shipping them to labs for further analysis. |
| C．By studying their adaptability to microgravity. |
| D．By assessing their growth under controlled conditions. |
| A．More advanced research methods are in great demand. |
| B．Potential application of the research results is promising. |
| C．Space rice varieties commonly suffer decreases in height. |
| D．Distinctions between Earth rice and space rice are evident. |
Scientists in Florida have
According to Professor Anna-Lisa Paul, all the plants looked the same
DNA testing showed that those Thale Cress 2
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson believes this research will help future space missions and that resources on the moon and Mars
9 . The Mystery of Why Sunflowers Turn to Follow the Sun — Solved
Scientists have answered a burning question central to sunflowers: Why do young flowers always face the sun over the course of a day?
And also: Once sunflowers become full-grown, why do they stop tracking the sun and only face east?
In a newly-published article, researchers claim that a young plant’s sun-tracking (also called heliotropism) can be explained by circadian rhythms — the behavioural changes tied to an internal clock that humans also have, which generally follows a 24-hour cycle.
“Growth rates on the east side were high during the day and very low at night, whereas growth rates on the west side were low during the day and higher at night,” the journal article says.
The researchers tied plants up so they couldn’t move or turned them away from the sun — and they found those flowers eventually had “fewer organic materials and less leaf area” than flowers that could move with the sun.
Full-grown sunflowers respond differently to the sun. According to the article, “As overall growth slows down, the circadian clock ensures that the plant reacts more strongly to light early in the morning than in the afternoon or evening, so it gradually stops moving westward during the day.”
The researchers compared full-grown flowers facing east with those they turned to face west, and found that east-facing flowers attracted five times as many helpful pollinators. That’s because the east-facing flowers heat up faster and bees like warm flowers.
“Just like people, plants depend on the daily rhythms of day and night to function,” Anne Sylvester, director of the National Science Foundation’s Plant Genome (基因组). Research Programme said in a press release. “Sunflowers, like solar panels, follow the sun from east to west. These researchers explore information in the sunflower genome to understand how and why sunflowers track the sun.”
UC Berkeley professor and co-author of the study, Benjamin Blackman, believes that the connection between circadian rhythms and growth could be applicable to other researches. “The more general point, that one of the circadian clock’s adaptive functions is to regulate the timing and strength of growth responses to environmental signals, is one that I think will apply to a broad range of qualities and species.” he said.
1. What did the researchers discover when they tied the sunflowers up?________| A．They still tracked and faced towards the sun. |
| B．They grew faster during the daytime than they did at night. |
| C．Their growth rates were lower than those of flowers facing the sun. |
| D．The growth rates on the west side were higher than those on the east. |
| A．Because they will not be affected by light anymore. |
| B．Because they would stop growing up if they faced west. |
| C．Because they are not active at all during afternoons or evenings. |
| D．Because they are more sensitive to light in the early morning from the east. |
| A．Bees. | B．Plants. | C．Energy. | D．Researchers. |
| A．Exploring information in the sunflower genome. |
| B．Comparing human’s circadian rhythms with sunflowers’. |
| C．Comparing full-grown flowers facing east with those facing west. |
| D．Exploring how circadian rhythms affect the growth of other species. |
10 . A new kind of hybrid wheat now available to American farmers may help reduce fears over genetically engineered crops. The new hybrid wheat is being introduced as seed companies worldwide seek to increase production because of reducing grain supplies. The hybrid wheat was developed by a Chinese-owned agriculture company. The product was created with-out genetic engineering. The first seeds to grow the wheat will be released on 2,000 to 2,800 hectares of American farmland next year, according to Reuters reports.
Developers or breeders create hybrid wheat by taking away the natural ability of plants to pollinate (授粉) themselves. Instead, female wheat plants in a field are pollinated by male plants of a different line. The goal of the process is to create seeds that can produce bigger crops and better resist harmful environments. The fertilized female plants produce a new kind of hybrid. Using this hybrid technology permits breeders to choose the best elements from two parent seeds to produce new seeds containing the best characteristics of both.
Producers say when seed companies produce hybrid wheat seeds, some female plants often fail to become fertilized because they depend on unpredictable winds to carry pollen (花粉).Pollen is a substance produced by plants when they reproduce. During some seasons,pollen is released into the air and carried to other plants to be fertilized. Producers say the fertilization of each plant is more certain during wheat’s natural process of self-pollination.
Researchers say the new hybrid wheat has to take long to come to market because the development process is more costly and complex. It could be important in increasing wheat yields and avoiding being linked to GMO development. GMO stands for genetically modified organism. Genetically modified wheat has never been grown for industry purposes because of fears that allergens or poisons might be created. Wheat is used to make numerous major foods worldwide.
Dave Hankey owns a seed company in Park River, North Dakota. He told Reuters, “Because of the resistance to genetically modified stuff, the hybrid wheat would be considered better and safer.”He added it would certainly be the public view.
1. Which of the following leads the new hybrid wheat to be developed?| A．The existing unsafe grain. |
| B．The decreasing output of food. |
| C．The application from American farmers. |
| D．The Chinese agriculture company’s proposal. |
| A．Requiring less fertilizer. |
| B．Producing tinier crops. |
| C．Having better adaptability. |
| D．Improving their natural self-pollination ability. |
| A．It is complex but economical. |
| B．It is simple and fruitful. |
| C．It is temporary. |
| D．It is demanding. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Resistant. | C．Appreciative. | D．Cautious. |
