1 . Sargassum is a kind of floating seaweed (海草) that has been growing in size every year. It looks pretty in the ocean. However, sargassum can almost completely block out sunlight. Important kinds of seagrass suffer when light is blocked by seaweed. As sargassum piles up on beaches, it makes it hard for mother sea turtles to lay eggs, and nearly impossible for baby turtles to return to the sea.
So much sargassum piles up on beaches, and it breaks down slowly, giving out a bad smell like rotten eggs. “Even when governments clear the seaweed from beaches, they face problems of getting rid of it. Heavy machines can put turtle nests in danger. Some people have thought about using sargassum as a fertilizer (肥料), but it contains harmful heavy metals. So far, removing these harmful metal s costs too much to make it worth doing,” said the scientist Steven Kelley.
Sargassum grows faster in warming oceans, so climate change is definitely part of the problem. But scientists believe the unusual growth of the seawood is also caused by huge quantities of fertilizers washed into the ocean from farmlands.
Scientists and students are working hard to figure out how to deal with sargassum. Some suggest using sargassum as a building material, or possibly a fuel. One unusual solution is to drop it deep in the sea by using robots. Sargassum takes in huge amounts of carbon dioxide (二氧化碳) as it grows. Removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is one important part of fighting the climate crisis. Sargassum could deal with this carbon dioxide in the deep ocean. Scientists are still testing this idea to see if it will work.
For now, scientists say the quickest solution is to stop filling the ocean with fertilizers. It is wise for farmers to change the way they farm. Moreover, the seaweed’s growth can have serious effects on islands that depend heavily on tourism and fishing. Island communities play a role in cleaning up the seaweed and promoting responsible tourism. At the same time, officials have to work towards changing policies to solve the issues.
1. What can we know about sargassum according to the first paragraph?| A．It affects the ecosystem negatively. |
| B．It adds to the variety of life in the ocean. |
| C．It causes a shortage of food for sea animals. |
| D．It creates a good living environment for seagrass. |
| A．Reusing metal s from sargassum is a wise choice. |
| B．Fertilizers can help sargarrum break down quickly. |
| C．Dealing with sargassum safely is challenging work. |
| D．Practical ways have been developed to remove sargassum. |
| A．By spreading sargassum widely to increase sunlight. |
| B．By changing sargassum into a renewable energy source. |
| C．By employing sargassum as a cleaner for ocean pollution. |
| D．By making use of sargassum’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide. |
| A．Public attempts to recycle seaside sargassum. |
| B．The change in sargassum’s living environment. |
| C．Challenges and approaches concerning sargassum. |
| D．The influence of sargassum’s growth on climate change. |
2 . The World Full of Eye-catching Things
The following flowers and plants might not be so eye-pleasing, but are certainly eye-catching, since they all look like some objects.
Lady’s Slipper
The lady’s slipper orchid is considered to be the rarest type of wild orchid. Now Lancashire in England is the only place where this plant can be found.The flower was so unique that people picked almost all of them. A single cutting of this plant is sold for US $5,000. Fortunately, strict protection policies have been established to protect it since 1917 when this endangered plant was once declared extinct in England.
Hot Lips
When you see a plant like this in reality, don’t get confused! No. They are not a woman’s lips! You can find these plants in countries with tropical rain forests, such as Colombia, Costa Rica and Panama. Due to the cutting down of trees, these unique and rare plants have become endangered. This plant bears a bright red flower which is similar to the lips of a woman with red lipstick.
Black Bat Flower
The black bat flower is an unusual flower that grows in the wild and tropical forests of Yunnan Province in China. It is famous for its bat-shaped black flowers. This flowering plant is often confused with a flying bat. The flower may also appear in white and brown shades. It needs specific environmental conditions to grow. This is the reason why it is an endangered species.
All the plants mentioned above are becoming nearly extinct. Hopefully, there are other unique and rare flowers left undiscovered. This proves the world is full of surprising things!
1. Where can the Lady’s Slipper be discovered currently?| A．In Panama. | B．In Colombia. |
| C．In Lancashire in England. | D．In Yunnan Province in China. |
| A．Forest destruction. | B．Human picking. |
| C．Lack of awareness. | D．Specific locations. |
| A．Its red flowers. | B．Its bat-shaped flowers. |
| C．Its slipper-shaped flowers. | D．Its white and brown flowers. |
3 . The world loves a cup of tea. It only takes a few grams to make a cup of tea and millions of tons of tea are consumed every year. Tea can be good for you because it contains some things that help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Tea also contains caffeine(咖啡因), which improves not only mental alertness but can also increase anxiety and cause other problems.
What would be agreeable is a tea plant that provides all the taste and goodness but with little or none of caffeine. Chen Liang and Jin Jiqiang in the Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences think they have found just such a plant, growing wild in a remote area in southern China’s Fujian Province. Known locally as hongyacha, the discovered plant grows only between 700 meters and 1,000 meters above sea level around a handful of Chinese villages. As they report in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, not only is the tea plant naturally caffeine-free but it also contains a number of unique medicinal compounds that, the locals believe, offer considerable health benefits.
The researchers are now exploring methods to protect hongyacha in its natural habitat while further studies are carried out. It can take time—and sometimes it does not work—for new plant varieties to be bred for commercial use. A pair of naturally caffeine-free coffee plants were discovered in 2003, but little progress has been reported. Tea lovers will be watching hongyacha with interest. And others will wonder what else is out there.
1. What’s the disadvantage of drinking tea according to paragraph 1?| A．It can make people hard to sleep. | B．It can make people feel anxious. |
| C．It can get people addicted. | D．It can take people much time. |
| A．It is nothing but just medicine. | B．It can only survive in greenhouses. |
| C．It is a good pick for caffeine lovers. | D．It has a good taste and little caffeine. |
| A．Its future location. | B．Its natural habitats. |
| C．Its future market. | D．Its production process. |
| A．A health magazine. | B．An advertising brochure. |
| C．A travel guidebook. | D．A newspaper. |
Like China’s Kunming Institute of Botany, the Millennium Seed Bank(MSB)shines brightly for plant preservation. Located at the Wakehurst wild botanic garden in West Sussex, England, the Millennium Seed Bank (MSB), the world’s
5 . When all those May flowers start to show their heads out to say hello, you may see some familiar faces in your backyard. Many plants live and die within one growing season, so gardeners must replant them each spring. But others have developed to live year after year, so they can blossom again.
Many flowers are what we call annuals. Their entire life cycle—from seed to death—takes just one year. They might leave behind sleeping seeds, but the roots and leaves all fade away as-soon as the season is done. Then there are perennials, which can survive for years. Scientists believe these types of plants came first. They do no need to be replanted each season, but save some energy in themselves so that they can show again in the following season.
James Boyer, the vice president for children’s education at the New York Botanical Garden, says that annuals probably can survive in areas where there is little water. “Annuals are putting all of their chances into the reproduction basket,” Boyer explains. “All of the energy to make roots and shoots is just enough to create a big bloom. They will create enough seeds to continue the species. Perennials hide important parts inside protective buds to keep cells fresh until it’s time to bloom again. They devote a lot more of their fuel to keeping themselves alive than annuals do. Roots and leaves are repaired and regrow each year. Many eventually produce flowers, but it can sometimes take years. And in most cases, they’ll save enough energy to flower again in the following season.”
Whether a plant is a perennial or an annual can depend on where you plant it. Plants sold in cold areas that are named as annuals actually could be perennials in hot areas; in warm weather they can live for years, but a single cold winter will wrack them.
Boyer says that researchers are trying to study them. “If we could change corn into a perennial, we wouldn’t need to replant it every year, which destroys the soil and its ecosystem,” Boyer says. “It could change our agricultural system.”
1. How can perennials survive into the following season?| A．By producing sleeping seeds. | B．By setting aside some energy. |
| C．By adapting to climate change. | D．By preserving their roots and leave. |
| A．Their findings are out of expectation. |
| B．It is easy for perennials to survive with little water. |
| C．Annuals spend most energy in blossoming and reproducing. |
| D．Both annuals and perennials prefer warmer growing conditions. |
| A．Protect. | B．Kееp. | C．Change. | D．Destroy. |
| A．By giving explanation. | B．By offering examples. |
| C．By drawing conclusions. | D．By making comparisons. |
6 . Gardeners are often puzzled by the sudden appearance of an unusual orchid(兰花) or sometimes are disappointed that their annuals have vanished. Scientists have discovered that some British flowers can lie dormant (休眠的) under the ground for up to 20 years, coming out to bloom only when the conditions are just right. Orchids seem particularly good at being dormant for years at a time, the scientists discovered.
Michael Hutchings, Professor of Ecology at the University of Suss, said: “Being underground means they cannot receive sunshine, neither flower nor reproduce. And yet this study has shown that many plants in a large number of species frequently go through dormancy (休眠). Many of these species have found ways to overcome the loss of sunshine during dormancy, especially by gradually developing their ability to get what they need from soil. This allows them to survive and even grow well during dormant periods.”
The research found that dormancy occurs when the weather is poor, or there is a new threat from animals or competing plants. Sometimes winters are so mild that the plant does not realize that spring has begun. Dormancy in seeds has been widely known about and studied for years, but the dormancy in adult plants is far less well-known and understood.
The study, led by Professor Richard Shefferson in University of Tokyo, is the first detailed analysis of the causes. Dormancy appears to be more common near the equator (赤道), where threats from factors such as disease, competition, animals and fire are more severe. Co-author Dr. Eric Menges said:“ In those areas, it is most suitable for plants to remain dormant and then to grow when favourable conditions exist for growth and flowering. ”
1. What does the underlined word “vanished” mean in the first paragraph?| A．Adapted. | B．Shrunk. | C．Disappeared. | D．Woken. |
| A．What results dormancy leads to. |
| B．How the orchid developed their ability to get energy. |
| C．Why some species can survive terrible conditions. |
| D．How the orchid lives through dormant periods. |
| A．Dormancy in plants is common in regions along the equator. |
| B．Orchids are the only plants that can be dormant for years. |
| C．Dormancy in seeds is far less well-known and understood. |
| D．Most gardeners don’t want to plant orchids. |
| A．Survival of the Fittest |
| B．Dormant Flowers Underground for Years |
| C．Why Some British Flowers Stay Dormant |
| D．New Research on Dormancy in Orchids |
7 . For many people, catching a smell of freshly cut grass is a pleasant sign that warmer weather is here to stay. For the grass, however, this scent signals an entirely different story.
The smell we associate with freshly cut grass is actually a chemical SOS, one used by plants to beg nearby creatures to save them from attack. After all, when danger strikes —whether it's gardening equipment or a hungry caterpillar — plants can't lift their roots and run. They must fight where they stand. To protect themselves, plants employ a string of molecular (分子) responses. These chemical communications can be used to poison an enemy, warn surrounding plants of dangers or attract helpful insects to perform needed services.
Clearly, plants can communicate. But does that mean they can feel pain? According to some researchers, plants release gases that are the equivalent of crying out in pain. Using a laser-powered microphone, researchers have picked up sound waves produced by plants releasing gases when cut or injured. Although not audible to the human ear, the secret voices of plants have revealed that cucumbers scream when they are sick, and flowers cry when their leaves are cut.
There's also evidence that plants can hear themselves being eaten. Researches show that plants understand and respond to chewing sounds made by caterpillars dining on them. As soon as the plants hear the noises, they respond with several defense mechanisms.
For some researchers, evidence of these complex communication systems — giving out noises via gas when in pain — signals that plants feel pain. Others argue that there cannot be pain without a brain to register the feeling. Still more scientists infer that plants can exhibit intelligent behavior without possessing a brain or conscious awareness.
As they grow, plants can change their paths to avoid obstacles or reach for support with their tendrils (卷须). This activity comes from a complex biological network distributed through the plants' roots, leaves and stems. This network helps plants reproduce, grow and survive.
1. What does the smell of freshly cut grass signal?| A．Warmer weather. | B．Being poisonous. |
| C．Cry for help. | D．The need of services. |
| A．By giving out gases. | B．By changing the color of their leaves. |
| C．By producing audible sound waves. | D．By sharing it through the root systems. |
| A．Their tendrils. | B．Their biological network. |
| C．Their communication systems. | D．Their conscious awareness. |
| A．Do plants feel pain? | B．How plants protect themselves? |
| C．Do plants communicate? | D．How plants grow and reproduce? |
8 . Students at Beijing’ s Yucai High School have to be very careful when playing football on the school’ s field. That’ s because there is a 100- year-old tree growing in the middle of it. And keeping their eye on the ball too much can result in a painful collision.
Building a football field around a tree sounds pretty stupid. But the school had no choice. It’ s reported that there are historic buildings all around Yucai High School, and this was the only space that could be used for a football field. Before starting working on the field, the school did ask to have the tree moved and planted somewhere else. However, they were told that it was hundreds of years old, and that it was a national treasure.
Having it moved and planted somewhere else was too risky—they might damage or kill the tree. So they were 1eft with no choice but to build the field around it.
Interestingly, Yucai High School is built on the grounds of Beijing’s Royal Gardens of the Ming and Qing dynasties. A reporter for the Beijing News believes that the strangely- located tree is the oldest tree in the Chinese capital. That information has not been checked, but other people think the tree is only 100 years old.
Playing a serious game of football on this field cannot be very pleasant. The tree could“catch” the ball and change its direction from time to time. But the students have no choice but to train on the playground with the tree. Luckily, they can play on a different field in competitions with other schools.
1. If students play football on the school field,________.| A．they might run into a tree | B．they will have a good chance of winning |
| C．they will fall down more often | D．they can control the ball all the time |
| A．Because the tree was as old as the school. |
| B．Because the school could only use that place. |
| C．Because students in the school liked the tree. |
| D．Because the tree had something to do with the city’s history. |
| A．Because there was no other place for the tree. |
| B．Because it may have been dangerous for the tree and it might have died. |
| C．Because the tree was too big to be moved. |
| D．Because it was more meaningful to keep the tree where it was. |
| A．It’s the oldest tree in the Chinese capital. |
| B．It was planted in Ming Dynasty. |
| C．Some believe it is only one-hundred years old. |
| D．Students will play on another field to protect it. |
